Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-01

later cf the Evsmswo PSblic Ledser:
Your well conceived and well
EDITORIAL Of Saturday. April y
1lne the Sessui Centennial should
~ under every one OF us. NJ
4, S have been kind enough in tht
3 Nv months to see In me the mate.
IN ~ 4 ''Director General. because
Il TT M direction Of the Philadelphia
Il 411dhts. I am not candidate for tha'
X io6H. The man indicated for that pos,,
Y tton IL one who will set large hnahcia
end political influences at work Tor tne
4 Gdvantase Of the enterprise. What !,
Iss3{,d. i dare saw. many other citizens
would do for this undertaking. ano
Z would do for it at once, If We were un :
X lenshed for the service. would De 10
n 1iyQ some new. characteristic. genera,
" Ansm to the celebration which wou'u
Y Hk1Waken the deep interest ana sympatns
~ the community, and then carry u u
4. - -neonle until we had rolled up
~ 9ish money TO put the necessary
i1nsies at work to make the thing o
kNty. We need doers Of the word
X preachers of It. -,
i Il This celebration is to be historical
!, u cOmmemOration Of one OF the grca' :,
I. eEt events in American history. ana OF
great matter in the history OF tne
\ world. Why not make it seem to u
this instantly? Then we shall get some
, response for 1t at home and abroan,
4 No long as it Is visualized as merely
another worlds fair. with Cover 1menL
!, exhibits and State buildings: tuil or
!, muslins. hardware and CANNED goods
!, plus q hotchpotch Of concessions on
|. midway. not fit for county fair. now
y hall we expect to attract good men ;
notice to it?
This exposition needs to be vitalized.
( 1t should have great distinctive note
1 cut of the artists mind. 1t should DC
q thing of color and motion and pay-
eantry, which would make 1t unlike any
thing that this or any other country
vet has seen. II we can have pledges
!, that the celebration will be vast
FESTIVAL or congress of nations, 1t Will
, stir the imagination.
There is allusion to this being an
International celebration. 1t is there
3 fore not SO much Philadelphia re-
sponeibility. Who says so? Why is II
not ours: our very own? Was tht
Worlds Fair not Chicago's? the Pur-
chase Exposition not st. Louis! the
\ Panama Exposition not San Fran
cisco's? Our chief duty in connection
with those celebrations was to 60 to see
what those cities had done in 1898. l9Of
and 1915, and we gave them praise for
what we found there. 1t is our duty
now, and ours only. here in Philadel.
phia, in regard to the Sesqui- Centennial
of 1926. We shall be judged by IT
fow all time to cOme--answerabl Tor
III failure, commended for its triuinphs.
Then let us find men who can give
expression to the feeling of the city,
erystallize it and put it into harness
for work this day. We should have
had ali our women s clubs. our historical
societies and other groups at these tasks
months since. Everywhere. within n
radius Of 200 miles, especially in Penn
aylvania. young men and women like
those who played their parts In thc
Martha Washington Tea Parties
prior to the Centennial. should have
bosn ready to 90 into costumes this May
and June for the presentation of pa
tx1otic plays and festivals and rag
oants under the trees. to raise money for
~ Sesqui Centennial. Five thousand
iyoune men and women could be on the
aeRoets now selling scrip or stock, with
~ hundred times the enthusiasm which
& they ever displayed in a welfare drive
- even in a Liberty Loan campaign.
There are ways and means Of doing such
things, the people in this city to do
them. II they can but be furnished
/. With the picture Of n great new kind Of
!, historical celebration, and shall be au-
thorixed to proceed under direction.
toward the one Immediately indispcnsa
/, ole end.
HhS1adelnhia Anril q 1922