The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-01-26
THE ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL.
A Mighty Temple Emblematic Of a
Vigorous and United People.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SUS-ST: Re-
ferrlng to your recent editorial article
What Shall Be the Nations Monument
70 the Memory OF Theodore Roosevelt"
I should like to offer suggestion.
Assuming. naturally. that It would be
a memorial to distinguished American.
not an amusement centre or an educa-
tional headquarters. why not have some
great out OF doors memorial after tho
style of the Rhodes Memorial in Cape
Town, South Africa?
1t Is to Cecil Rhodes as a Thinker"
Four wide sets of steps or terraces lead
up tho mountainside to a winged temple
or colonnade. Bach gigantic step Is
guarded by resting lion. The temple
at the head OF the staircase is composed
of ifty pillars. possibly more. AS one
reaches the centre OF this great ascent.
there directly facing him and protected
by the cornice is bronze bust OF Mr.
Rhodes represented in deep thought. No
Englishman confronts that great like
ness without mechanically removing his
hat
A hillside or mountainside, not a
tempestuous and wind swept peak, with
an extensive view. would be needed
Some OF the pillars might be given by
our different States rich in quarries
couple Of iron columns. with ornamental
ton copied from our trees and vines
could come from our Iron States and
possibly a pair of solid wood from our
Western forests.
An experienced architect could arrange
these various stones and marbles In a
balanced harmony as Theodore Roosevelt
and others have hoped the United States
would do with rs divers nationalities
Let the work he done entirely by Ameri-
can citizens. but ce ns many races as
possible and every worker from archi-
| tect to dirt digger have certificate that
he had helped on the great memorial!
Let the animals on guard be OF American
| types. not necessarily all finished and
placed at one time.
! Keep all natural-avoid artifc!ality.
A landscape gardener could arrange
| four groups OF our characteristic trees
| shading or combining them. The spring
group. our locust apples cherries. dog
| wood and shad blow; for summer, our
apples. elms. oaks and nuts: for autumn,
naples and others OF gorgeous gold. scar
! let and crimson foliage. The winter
! grove could he beautiful: our various
evergreens, the russell leaved oaks, the
golden branches of tho willow and the
white ones Of our unique canoe birch. In
I this way every season would be shown
IN its perfection. in a characteristic
American landscape.
Hero. Mr.. Cherry. who was with
Colonel Roosevelt In South America
could mingle hroug; the groups, the
trees and bushes that attract the birds.
Naturally 1t would take some years
for mans and natures work to attain
perfection in this combination.
Being a nations expression Of respect
a guard OF honor could always he there
sailors, soldiers and marines in rotation
II should he situated not too far NORTH
or South to be typical OF American
woods--not too remote from a large city
to be easily accessible, but far enough
from the ''madding crowd" for one who
visits there to find rest IN mind anG
body and soul.
Mr.. RhodeSs memorial IS. and Mr.
Roosevelt's should he. not tomb O,
mortuary temple, but spot made beau
tiful by God and man, where, in the still
a summer night. one could rest a Will,
and feeha great man think.
Mrs. ANNIE Il. MCCONNELL.
THE ANCHORAGE, WATCH HILL, r. /.
JaDnarv Ok