Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-04-30
BRICKS AND BOUQUETS
Mr.. Pennell Says He Had Little to Do
With Decorations on South Broad St.

TO the EdiiOr Of the Ercning Public Lcdgcr:
Sir-In justice to the other members Of
the decoration committee Of the advisory
council of artists. I would be glad if you
would allow mo to say that | had no more
to do with the scheme of decoration on
South Broad street than the other members
of the committee who worked on it. and
far less than some of them, and as for Camac
street. I had nothing to do with that at all.
AS for the painting Of the pavement. that
was the idea and execution of Mr.. Gable.
of the loan committee. aud most of tho
members of our committee never even saw it..
1t certainly was an excellent idea. and
had it been made in moro permanent paint
had the traffic been kept off a few hours
longer it, with some retouching. would have
lasted through the whole loan. but we half
do things in Philadelphia and arc satisfied.
You are satisfied apparently with the deco
rations-they are a miserable failurc-and
the fault is Philadelphia
They are a pitiful compromise when we
had Il splendid scheme, which would have
been carried out in any other city in the
United States Here it was turned down as
impractical by a professional decorator
who had not the courage to carry it out
and also because. despite endless meetings
and endless talks. we could not get on"
cent out of the business men of the city or
out of City Hall itself. All the money came
from the loan appropriation,
As to the decorations. they arc half done
and badly done. We are ashamed of them
and ashamed of Philadelphia, which has no
pridc-ony conceit.
Go to New York to Park avenue and
Philadclphians can see Il great decoration
graudly carried out, or to Madison Square
and look at the imposing arch crowned with
Paul Bartlctt's Victory, which Philadelphia
could have had instead of the affair we have,
and as for the flags, New York was at the
last loan a marvellous maze of moving color.
Our streets look as though we had hung
the wash out. And who paid for all this
in New York? The Fifth Avenue Business
Mems Association, the city and the Liberty
Loan. but in New York they do things-hcre
we talk things and do nothing.
There is one part of the scheme which has
come off. The Venetian masts at Broad
and Chestnut streets-that is. in way
only they are not big enough and are so feeble
that the flags cannot be flown.
But here is n chance to do something for
the city. Let those masts be put up perma
nently. with beautifully designed base.
tall steel pole crowned with golden eagles.
From them should fly on holidays mighty
flags and all this would be memorial on
the highway of the heroes, which runs now
up and down Broad street.-The Lincoln
highway
Iet the Ghlihdelphlans VINO care Tor thelr
city do this-the business men. the bankers
and the people who are forever talking art
The Art Jury. | am sure, would favor the
project, and if it did not well, let it con
fine itself to cleaning pictures and closing
galleries until it is wiped away, and If
Philadelphians do not carry out the commit
tees scheme of making memorial which
will beautify Philadelphia. why let them,
as they have been doing for years, sleep on
in their smugness and give up talking art
and proving the city to be artless.
JOSEPH PENNEII..
p. S.-The decorations did one thing,
however. They drew crowds, the crowds
bought bonds and spent money. That was
their object. Had the committees scheme
been carried out there would have been
bigger crowds. more bonds Sold more money
spent.
Philadelphia, April %.