The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-18
The cobbIessones Of Nantucket.

Nantucket Is cosmopolitan island,
the vacation resort of visitors from
all parts Of the world, and the well
fare of the quaint little town In
terests people in every State Of the
Union. Somebody noticed the other
day on one Of the principal streets
an automobile from California going
one way and an automobile from
Florida going the other, showing how
widespread Is the attraction exerted
by the island which the province Of
New York gave away more than 200
years ago to Massachusetts in igno-
rance of its future desirabllity as n
possession of the Empire State.
Since the decline Of the whaling in
dustry the prosperity Of Nantucket
has been largely dependent on sum-
mer visitors from the mainland; and
the permanent inhabitants, charged
with the responsibility of administer
ing insular affairs. have wisely sought
to make and keep their island as at
tractive as possible. To this end.
about a year ago, they removed the
ban against automobiles which had
previously existed on Nantucket.
There are now no less than 203 motor
cars registered on the island.
Now that the long standing automo-
bile controversy is settled, however,
a new question has arisen to stir the
souls of the islanders-a question of
sentiment, according to some people,
a question of common sense In the
opinion Of othera Are the ancient
cobblestones with which Main street
and the adjacent Square are paved a
public nuisance which ought to be
abated by covering them with a coat
ing Of concrete, or do they constitute
an object Of antiquarian interest the
obliteration of which would materl.
ally detract from the attractiveness
of Nantucket to strangers and sum-
mer visitors whose patronage Is es-
sential to the continued prosperity
Of the island?
Like many other semi-rural commu-
mites, the people Of Nantucket are
favored with the presence OF a Civic
League whose purpose Is to advise
their rulers how to govern the town
wisely. The league has just consid-
cred the cobblestone question at its
annual meeting, and has registered
"lts unqualified approval of keeping
Main street and the Square paved
with cobblestones In their present con.
-d4tla1>" This action is declared to be
in accordance with the present policy
of the league to preserve the charac-
teristics Of the town of Nantucket.
OF course the advantages of perpetu-
ating the cobblestones are purely SEN
tlmental; but there are cases In which
convenience may properly be asked
to give way to considerations of sen.
timent. We should not like to see all
traces of the Appian Way removed
near Rome, although the substitution
Of asphalt pavement might make the
road smoother for traffic So, in
Nantucket, although the cobblestones
are admittedly Objectionable to auto
mobiles, baby carriages and other We
hicles, 1t may nevertheless be expedl-
emit to retain them in all their naked
ness II they constitute magnet Of
antiquarian interest the removal Of
which would lessen the number Of
visitors TO the island. The Civic
League regards them as "a veritable
antique" which ought to be preserved
as a quaint and curious memorial Of
old Nantucket. Other more hard
headed islanders declare In the ex-
cellent local newspaper, the Inquirer
and Mirror, that the Square will Ill
timately be concreted-"it may not
be next year, or the year after, or the
year after that, but 1t will be smoothed