El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-11-12

IL Adequate provision not been made for housing
the population and result the cosen district has be-
American cities Of 100000 people. The city has real
housing problem which should be solved while
gagged in city planning. How TO avoid the evils which 20
with city c0wdiug is Of the major civic questions Of
the tine and the earlier city begins its planning the
easier win be the solution Of its problems they anss
IN the future.
It Is not enough 70 restrict vices relieve poverty and
after sanitation important though these things
in order that people may have proper human environ
they be given the opportunity for healthy
Ieati0u Surroundings have material effect on acqur-
ing night ideals Of pleasure and beauty. Welfare workers
today emphasizing the value Of positive rather than
negative reforms. They have found that better results
obtained BY offering the people good recreation than
BY merely laying down the Mosaic law "thou shalt not
On the habits Of the people Restrictive laws neces
saTy, but they difficult Of enforcement unless
thing better is offered For people always have and al
wsvs win have recreation Of some sort.
Fl Paso has built vel, far. Its appearance Of per
anency mpresses al visitors It's pretty little parks
have proven joy to its people But the recreation fea
has been and is s neglected The Scenic Drive VIII
be big step in the right direction, 5ut its advantages VIII
be limited to great degree to automobile As this
class includes constantly growing proportion Of the popu
aon me PROJECT should be pushed with all possible en-
ergy, but while providing for the well-to-do
cannot afford to overlook the pleasures Of the less fou
nate.
great big recreation park not out IN the country, hard
Of access but close in would probably do than any
other thing to fiji the need here Under proper super
mecca for thousands who are now, during their leisure
hours, deprived Of any wholesome outdoor amusement It
should be place q beauty ornament to the city and
should have playground for the Children tennis courts
swimming and rowing pool IN fact everything that goes
with the best recreation parks
With such institution, there would be grumbing
against the Scenic Drive for the motorists. No could
say that FL Paso locked only after the interests Of the
rich for the children and the gr0nups from the apart
euts and tenements would have their place Of
en Just as complete n It's way as are the drives and
the boulsVards u theirs Such park should be located
that rugged country Just under the rim Of the
east Of the high school, where properly s in with
re nr q 7av m .
Scenic Drive should 60 up through the recreation park
No city has more ideal location for such park and
are wasting precious time every minute postpone
buying this property and beginning work upon It.
Other cities larger than e PssO, have set about solving
the recreation problem in their campaigns TO destroy the
big city evils. Charles ". Ehot president emeritus Of
Harvard university after exhaustive study Of city
problems emphasizes the importance Of better city and
suburban planning and Of public reservations Of al sorts
the city state and nation Au these modes Of public
action says ten not only fhe physical wen being
Of both urban ard rural populations but the mental
training Of children and the cultivation Of the whole
population Of thoroughly healthy spiritual interests and
uplifting enjoYments, both individual and social"
Attrihutng much the discomfort which prevails
Gay the evils Of city life, D.. Eliot declares that these
conditions which civilization has itself created have de-
Veope5 their destructive forces N the country il spite
the schools and churches and Of free political nsttu
tons and il spite Of many happy influences from art
1oe1y, music and drama Clearly society needs 70 de-
Teop and better environment, environment IA
rorabs to both bodily and mental health and to the at
tainHnsnt Of genuine happiness" he concludes
Answering his own question, @What are the means Of
comprising this end77 Dr. Eliot says:
@Ihe reaaisst means is good planning Of city,
town and landscape-first applied to areas still
open and then gradually to areas already occu-
pied in undesirable ways. The planning must
take into account the interests Of the whole
Inunity, as vel the interests Of individual
owners the social OF collective interest always
erie collective force Of the community must
further supply the means Of making rural and
landscape pleasure occasionally accessible to city
populations by means Of parks and gardens which