Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-04-11
LESLIE w. MILLER ON
THE SCHUYLKiLL PLAN
Secretary Of the Fairmount Park Art
Association Replies to Joseph
Pennelrs Tart Criticisms
TO the Editor Of me Evening pubHe Lcdgcr

TO the Editor Of the Euening Public Lcdgcr.
Sir--Without wishing or intending to
emulate either the only too obvious purpose
or the not very kindly method of II corrc e
spondcnt who shall be namclcss so far us
! am concerned. but who has already made
very liberal demands on your good nature
ms well as your public spirit. may be per
mittcd to say in explanation of the proposed
Improvement of the SchuylkiIl cmbankncnts.
advocated in tho recently published report Of
the Paramount Park Art Association. that
so Tar from being II menace to either Bar
trans Garden or the business interests
which make ut present such limited use of
the facilities which the river offers. or ought
to offer. the improvements have been
planned as much with view to developing
these very features as TO the Identification
of the banks themselves?
In the very careful studies and mastery
plans made by Clarence Xantzingcr rs long
ago as 1905 the map of the Schuylkil from
the park to League island was not only not
ignored. as your correspondent charges. but
it was minutcly studied. aud every feature
of the situation, every difficulty presented
and every need to be served were thoroughly
investigated.
The result was n plan for the development
of the whole southwestern section of tho
Qity. which paid due regard to the much
needed but long neglected facilities for the
kind of water borne traffic to which the
river is adapted. as we'll as to the proper
location of bridges. convcrging thorough
fares and all such matters. the intelligent
and comprehensive consideration of which
constitute the essential claim of the scheme
to respect.
The Fairmount Park Art Association. in
common. am sure with every other organ
ization interested in the city's welfare. TO
whose attention they were brought. enthlI-
siastically indorscs Mr. Xantainscrs s plans.
and it is source of much gratfcatio to
note that many of the excellent suggestions
embodied in them ; >nehded tlcmsclyc cs at
once to the municipal authorities and TO
considerable extent have actually been
adopted by them as opportunities for such
notifications of the city plan rs they rep
resented have arisen.
No one who is at all converSant with the
work. either of the Farmount Park Art As
Sociation or of any other single one of the
many agencies which are active in promOt-
ing the best interests Of the city. needs to
to be told that Bnrtram's Garden is one
of the very first objects Of its solicitudc and
will certainly be last to suffer through the
accomplishment of any such projcce as the
redemption Of the much abused and neglected
Schuylkill may involve.
Far be it from me to ask for any revision
of the list of critics of the city's affairs
whose efforts the EVENING PUBLIC LEDGER
deems worthy of encouragement. but abuse
Of always unselish and sometimes able scrv-
ice in others is far from being proof of ones
own infallibilty. Moreover, discussion and
argument gain nothing after all by being
couchcd in terms of i'll nature and contempt
contempt not only for ones opponents in
the discussion, but for common courtesy as
well. LESLIE w. MILLER
Philadelphia, April o.
Mr.. Mllers letter s n reply to Joseph
Pencils criticism of the plans of the Fair
mount Park Art Association for boulevard
along the Schuylkill from League island to
Valley Forge. The letter was printed on
this page last Tuesday. Editor.