Evening star., 1922-02-19
CITY NEEDS VICTORY MEMORIAL,
SAYS MARY ROBERTS RINET1ART
Arms Conference Brought
Out Vital Demand for lust
Such Building.
Star for Every Soldier Will
= Be Perpetual Shrine, Au-
thor Declares.
BY MARY ROBERTS RINEHART.

By one of the many amazing shlfts
of the great war the city of Washihe-
ton today finds itself the center OF
world politics Behind the recent dls-
armament conference which brought
the statesmen of the earth tosether
here Law much more than the dlpio-
matte acceptance of a presidential IN
vitation; lay, in fact, recognltioh oi
Americas new status and supremacy
as shown by the only measurement
the nations recog,iize-her ability anu
strength in war.
Ten wears ago or less Paris. LONDON
or Berlin would have claimed ana Sc
cured this conference. Ten years aso
Paris did obtain one. London Wahteo
this. -.
And. frankly. all of them We're pei,
ter prepared to handle 1t i'll physIcaes
sense. Outside of the Importance Oh
the conference itself the one outstanu-
ing fact in connection WIKI II was 'He
lack of any adequate provision iol ~
Its historic open sessions were heiu III
a borrowed building. so small that tneS
were entirely closed to the general puo,
lie. and became merely governmental
hearings. to which the cabinet, Con-
greSS and the press were given aomis-
sion, Its executive offices and COM
mittee rooms were under another roof.
World Capitals Great Need.
The fact seems to be that Washing
toms Importance has grown more rap
IDLY than the nation. than the city IT.
Aelf appears to realize. A more COM
mercial city would possibly have real
;zed this some time ago. and nave set
TO work to meet the emergencies thus
produced. Would have realized that
to become the worlds capital entails
responsibilities as we'll as lends i'm
portance. That such dignity must be
clothed, and such honors housed. But
Washington is not a commercial city,
and, too. it may suffer from that type
of passive resistance which so diner
entiates the older eastern cities from
those of the west. and which is rapidly
moving our population center toward
the Pacific coast.
In the rather unimaginable situa-
ton of finding the capital moved. for
instance, to Los Angeles, it is diff
cult to conceive that, with or with
out national support, the Inhabitants
would persist in inaugul ating the
President of the United States under
an open sky. and occasionally under
an umbrella, Given but brief
notice of the disarmament conference
and it is entirely probable that a
huge and stately new edifice would
have confronted the delegates on
their arrival. With no better pa
triotism, but with more highly de-
veIoped commercial instinct. they
would perceive that not only must
dignity be clothed and honor housed.
but that such housing and clothing
is a highly profitable investment.
Thinks Plan Practical.
The need of such a building as the
Victory Memorial is a practical as
we'll as finely sentimental one. 1t
ernbodies the new creed OF remem-
brance of our soldier dead, that we
shall translate our memories into
service. The same fine principle un-
derlies Roosevelt House in New York.
But the question of financing 1T is
purely practical. And now that a
nationwide drive is about to COM
mence, it is we'll for Washington to
realize two things-first, that the
states are watching to see II Wash
ington fills its quota before going
far with their own campaigns, and.
second, to understand the practical
value to Washington itself.
1t would be Interesting to know
Just what return the Washington
Monument has made, in visitors TO
the city.
There is not city in the country
which would not make a hard fight
to secure a building of the cost in
construction, beauty of design, ultl-
mate utility and drawing power OF
the Victory Memorial. Today large
cities are fighting for the location of
comparatively small government hos
pitfalls. and two western towns are
not speaking, on the strength of such
a situation.
owing to it's peculiar memoir
ial qualities to the service
flag dome in which each mother may
find her boys star. gold or blue, the
building will imm ediately become the
object of innumerable pilgrimages.
1t will provide work for the unem-
ployed AT the total expense of one
fortieth of it's cost it Will be located
here, to be an inspiration, an en-
bodied memory and a practical as
set-if Washington will raise that one
fortieth. And it will fill what we now
perceive is crying need of the capl-
tai of America
Imagination Is Required.
1t requires imagination to see any
great project in advance. This is