Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-02-09

toddJ III tHt tuO5l
pretentous memorial serv-
Ices ever held In the Capitol to the
vigorous life and versatile example
OF the late former President Theodore
Roosevelt. the members of Congress
are preparing to authorize the erec-
ton Of lasting memorial building
in the National Capital, which will be
Il strong educative and inspiring infu-
ence on future generations
The proposed Roosevelt memorial,
for which bill has already been in
troduced by Representative Hicks of
New York, will inaugurate a new
system of public memorial In honor
of the nations great men or heroic
deeds. 1t proposes to substitute for
the customary monument or arch. a
permanent building which can house
historic exhibits, which will further
the plans of the fine arts commission
for systematic grouping of gov
eminent owned buildings from the
Capitol to the White House. President
Roosevelt himself was strong advo-
cate of such a policy, and the member
ship of Congress is strongly In favor
of a memorial which will serve
useful purpose through the years.
4,
X Il
The plans are for the Roosevelt Me-
mortal to occupy slightly position in
the northeast corner of the Smithson-
ian grounds, completing the group of
Smithsonian Institution buildings. 1t
would be reared between the new Ma
tional Museum building, after which it
would be modelled and the location
appropriated for the proposed George
Washington Memorial building, which
is planned as headquarters and meet
ing place of national patriotic. scien-
tiflc, educational and art organiza-
lions.
AS of twin construction for the pres
ent National Museum, II would be of
white granite construction, four sto-
ries high with a frontage of SCI feet,
a depth of 365 feet and a height OF ~
feet.
The present National Museum was
completed in 1911, and is designed TO
house the collections and laboratories
of the departments of anthropology,
biology and geology. 1t Is In this
building that the notable COLLECTIONS
of African animals made by the Roose-
Welt, Rainey and other expeditions are
now installed.
The Roosevelt Memorial Is planned
to house the exhibits visualizing the
history OF the United States and the
development of the arts, Doth me ana
Industrial, during that history, AS
Charles D. Walcott, secretary OF the
Smithsonian Institution, said In in
dorsing this project: mo one has
been more intensely Interested In the
evolution OF American history than
Col. Roosevelt: no one had more
versatile appreciation and zeal to de-
velop the art side OF American lire
than Col. Roosevelt--such building,
then, would be most fitting me-
mortal"
AS one climbs the terraced steps
from the Smithsonian grounds to
enter the National Museum building
there are four massive granite ped
estals, which would be duplicated on
the Roosevelt building. 1t is proposed
that on these should be placed statues
visualizing the four most impressive
stages or aspects of RooseVelts
careet. There are societies through
out The country already collecting
money to place statues on these ped
estals,
Within the building the dominating
feature is a large, central rotunda. IL
has been emphasized that here would
be an ideal place in which to erect a
big bronze statue of the former Presi-
dent and members OF Congress have
subscription win be available to put
UP there a statue which Will make
vivid and actual for the hundreds of
thousands who visit the exhibits the
yrile character and example of Roose-
Welt in assisting in the making of Amer
lean history
There is an immediate need for the
building proposed, so that Ii viii at
once serve q fitting purpose in me-
morialzing the dead and In providing
for government needs. The new Ma
tional Museum Is already so over
crowded that the constant procession
of soldiers, sailors and marines, in
Guiding visitors from the allied ma
tions. are not able to see more than
fraction OF these very valuable and
instructive collections. or course,
much of this congestion is due to the
fact that the entire central portion
of the museum has been taken over
for war work by the bureau of war
risk insurance. But these activities
are now moving out and the museum
is being restored so that the soldiers
may be given an opportunity to see
as much as possible of the govern
ment's exhibits. There must be room
for the expansion of the exhibits FOR
which this building was designed
Besides this, Dr. Walcott says that
the Smithsonian Institution is con-
stantly losing big collections, which
are very desirable, because there is
no place to put them. Only the other
day n collection estimated to be worth
from Sc 600 900 TO 1000, 900 was lost