Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-06-15
Billboards vs.. Beauty
by Frederic J. Haskin

| again being attacked as an evil OF tho
modern commercial system. Toledo has
recently added its name TO the list OF
cities where outdoor advertising IL strictly
regulated. Joseph Pennell has just faced
n convention Of fellow artists to deliver
| one of his violent denunciations against
| the nartistic billboard, as result of which
the convention passed resolution urging
laws TO drive hoardinRs out of existence.
The American Civic Association has
issued pamphlet showing that, accord
ing 10 recent decisions, the courts arc Mt
last concedng that beauty as well as
utility has rights before the law.
All Of this activity indicates that If the
signboards arc not in danger OF immediate
banishment, they arc NJ least beng
checked in their apparent aim to cover
the earth
Mr. Pennell takes n rather gloomy
attitude toward our chances for siRniess
cities and highways. He is sure that,
unless reform ia spoeded up, generations
of the future will get their ideas of art
largely from billboard ads. lie fears that
the public is losing its capacity Tor ENJOY
ment of beauty, because so little beauty
is left IN its environment Unless the
billboard reform Of the cities Is extended
TO the country, he prophcslcs that soon
we shall ride through lane OF signs
whenever we board q train.
ADS As FARM BY-rRopuCrs.
This last is scarcely "a exaggerated
prospect The average property owner
whose land is near a railroad IS easlly
bought over TO allow n series OF huge board IS
to decorate his premises. Sometimes
even one side Of the farmhouse ls protnned
by q big red and yellow mural depicting
the wonders of some article no household
should he without. whilo the barn is usual
lv SO decorated.
Anti-bllboard aRitators usually try
10 make graphic this boarding M ot the
countryside by n story II IS always the
same story, though sometimes the adlec-
tives are different The hero is man who
has not been on train since hiltboards
were introduced, and who has never
apparently been awakened tn the awful
ness az signs in his city He takes n
tram for anywhere NJ all. loyiuiiy expect
ing fo reiuvcnate his soul by q panorama
Of hoskv groves, verdant fields, and other
phases OF nature IN the rough But he
is in for shock
Instead of green and white farmeteads
SHINING past him. there come variegated
boards extolling the merits 81 Won I
Run Hair Dive. Safety First Suependers,
and "Gotsum Rat Biscuit The gentle
faced COWS which he had looked forward
"a seeing do indeed flash past NJ frequent
intervals. but they arc painted cowH on
signs urging him 10 remember that milk
from Hapryland darics Is pure
tNJrpr REAr ESTATE VALUES.
The artistic offenseE Of the billboard
arc more apt To Ire noticed when one has
- fErYt Ints
That people do object 20 signs near their
homes on aesthetic grounds IH testified
10 hv real estate men, Property facing
n slgnboard Is almost sure TO dopreciate
in value. The immediate nelehborhood
deteriorateq. and in the end the man who
allowed the sign 20 he put mp finds that
his nroncrty has gone down with that of
his noighhors
Because of protests Of resident md
difficulty Of renting houses near hillboards,
as we'll as for aesthetic reasons, number
of cities have enacted Eonlng ordinances.
New York Is one Of these. For some years
Riverside Drive Central Park, and other
sections Of New York were made beautiful
hy the CITY. only TO have their attractive
moss marred hv rows of double decker
Signs on their borders. Finally n commits
sion was appointed and the boards were
removed hv ordinance from the city $
residential sections.
When outdoor advertising was first
attacked by local regulations the "bili
hoard trust" raised tho question OF the
legality Of such restrictions. The New
York courts then held that aesthetic
considerations are matter Of luxury and
indulgence rather than Of necessity.
and similar rulings were handed down
where their uglincss was the main reason
for legislat ION against street signs.
Civic Associations objected that this
attitude of the courts was illogical. A
busgInr sawmlll or a smelly sulphur works
would not be permitted by law IN the
midst Of a residential section. Why,
then, should taN-paylng citizen have 70
look out at bum artist idea OF college
boy radlating Joy because he ls attired
IN a near-Panama hat-sold At Bili BROS. /,
Main and Carter streets? Such an out
look. il was claimed is as eSasperatmg
"a tho average person as living next to
an offensive factory, and some OF the
courts have come 70 agree.
Resides the generally admitted fact
that they are a blot on the landscape,
boardinrs are considered an evil in more
tangible ways. When they are not strong
~ supported there is always danger Of
their falling over in storms. Unless they
are Of firenroof material they are easily
infammable and often serve 10 carry fire
from one building 10 another IL the
boards are not raised several feet from the
ground. the space back OF them almost
invariably becomes a dump for refuse and
a convenient place for criminals to hide.
Signboards nearly always shut out some
sunlight and air. To prevent this as much
as possible. some cities limit the height
and width OF the boards The Importance
of breathing space around a building is
recognized by number Of our million
aires. notably John D. Rockefeller Jr,
who is said to have bought three houses
so as to insure himself against tall build
ings being erected on either side of his
home
Our most progressive towns have nearly
all demanded safety and sanitation in
billboard construction and a number
of places limit the signs to business dis
tricts, or else require the written consent
of majority Of the property owners
before q sign can be inflicted on resi-
Dental block
The billboard companies have fought
reform strenuouly. In some States,
Civic Associations claim that they have
defeated legislation; in others, it was
said that they tried to have ordinances
put into effect which would not restrict
use of boards TO any extent, but which
would make it appear that the town had
settled the question