Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-02-07
WHO CARES WHAT SORT OF
A COURTHOUSE is BUILT?
The People Who Must Pay for Il Seem
to Be Indifferent to the Cost Of
the Projected Structure

IF PRESENT plans for municipal court
L house carry there will be no sarcasm in
the tone of the people who ask the Claude
Meinotte of the court, "Is this thy palace
by the Lake Of Como where the perfumed
lights glcam through the mists of alabaster
lamps and all the air is heavy with the sigh
OF orange groves?"
The Pauline Deschapelles of the time will
be escorted through a palace which will rival
in magnitcence the building that sheltered
Scheherezade and surpass the lordly pleasure
house OF Kubla Khan which Coleridge saw
in dream.
Its corridors will be lined with pillars of
onyx and paved with tesscllations Of topaz
and chalcedony. The tribunals behind which
the judges sit viii be made of jasper, jacinth
ana Jade. On each will rest gavel Of ivory
carved in symbolic patterns. with a car
buncie as large as a chestnut set in the rose
wood handle. A canopy of rare lace and
SIR VIII be suspended over the chair beside
which will rest a cuspidor of chrysoprase
holding down a silken rug wrought by the
| cunning fingers Of Oriental women. The
| windows will be stained glass that will rival
the work of the medieval artifcers who filed
the openings of the cathedrals with jewels of
brilliant color which transformed the light
OF common day into q riot of rainbow radi-
| ances. Those who may by chance be ad-
| mtted to the sacred precincts of the private
rooms Of the judges will find the desks made
| OF the petritcd woods of Arizona and the
electric lights shining, not through the msts
! OF alabaster lamps. but through shades Of
| amethyst The push buttons will be of
| SardonyX and the freplaces will be decorated
with mantles Of agate inlaid with chrysolite.
Concealed behind elaborately carved ebony
screens will be groups of trained tipstaves
| playing gentle airs on the dulcimer and the
| sackbut. And in the courtyards lush foun-
tains will spray perfumed waters, the fra
GRANGE from which will be forced by golden
fans into the courtrooms and throughout the
| connecting corridors.
This is not a mere fancy picture. 1t is
| nothing more than q forecast of what the
city commissioners may do under the present
arrangements II they choose They are nu-
| thorized By law to provide quarters for the
| court and to collect the cost of il from the
| city. There Is no restriction upon the
amount which they may spend. If the city
does not appropriate the money the city
commissioners may sue for 1t in the courts
No plans for the courthouse have been
filed with the city authorities There Is no
official estimate OF the size or cost OF the
| building and no detailed information of any
kind Is available to the appropriating power
| Yet the Council has made a preliminary
appropriation Of 81 600, 900 toward the
construction Of building or buildings for the
| Juvenile and domestic relations and other
! branches OF the Municipal Court" That is
! il has voted n turn nvo- 70 rho c;tr corn
| misSionrrs this money 10 spcnd in env wor
| they see fit toward" the construction of
the courthouse.
| If the Council wished 10 exercise any
supervision over the project 1t could easily
refuse appropriations until n specific and
definite plan had been submitted and until
the Dort Of that plnn that was 70 he corr;sJ
| out bv the nreliminarv augmentation uas
| designated and nm nrchitpctis estimate of tbo
cost was Drovidnd
| Rut mo Tho Corrcu bos ,o+ +bo,ob.
Droppr 70 do ANYTHING of this hind
II has nnparrntIv ,locidod to piva =, +bf
Muricinol Court nv.rvtbira ,bot T. osl,s o..
from salaries for useless sttcndonte - 1O' =
magnificent neIoco So elohoretaIy cnns+rvc,oT
and 6ttnd ont thot - viii rroLn orroirnna,
in II n nriviIooe ~ to so,,abt br .ho 80
tnrotes who i've n droh epd Tnintornatin,
Nfo If or;,,o 10 =, ~ do o...no.i,,a . ,n'
,,islor,ao,, " ou,a',. a" ,,'"H. ah n''
rosnonsibIo tor 80 ,.oi"o. ~ i s'.1 ~"
riaLt ,,.ar obo,. =. P''''IU e''N6 'H'
e" "'
! The Mayor, however. is a sort Of NJ
artistic and sociological philistine. FEc doe
. not believe in appropriating several hun
| drcd thousand dollars for sunerhuous nro
, batiou officers and he reduced tho sun,s ca
| inside TO nav the gentlemen of leisure y,
! tachcd to the court, But the Council ovor
, rode his veto.
. II he persists IN his philistiniem no rri
y veto the million dollar onnronrio+ion Fo- ~
courthouse NOT hccouec II ie nor dosi,oh;
,hot r,.l,,o, ,',,o..o., ~. NV urS's az
t. N"oI'u o' P'"''u'H /"
snopsibilitv for Tho nro+oction ~ ,bo ,ono
4 NJ the toTnovcre 10 knou,S tEot .%o horJ
Il wor,inv mon NM u,oron do rot ,,;sh - y
y c,1noiicd 70 NV for .,r,ot,,no -. .,o, w.
@ and ,v,o,a;yo ,Sot !. r.;i noaLa ,Lo oho1 .n%
=, ".u '~Pe|N'. I"u' II w" ''uN' IN" Sha"'
., VI '''' H"''"' "eSPotS VINO LAY cnah'" upc
" t"' s''ne "ohurr a' 'hc'r own moderation
# fr tharsoI,,oe rboso oLoJo iti. ~ W v,
I'd ,irnsos ~ ,bc rrnon r,o', ,,n :, -
s,o-ao -, ,ho r,raaont ,I''t .T Tao ~ =,
%o u.irin, 70 MIA srob on' %,V ,,", f
Il ~ fn, ,o,.,, an,'rt Gar,nini,' th"r 't w.
D. be free men or they would protest again