Evening star., 1925-03-18

REPRESENTATIVE WILLIAM c.
HAMMER.
out, are impressive in proportion to
their commanding military positions,
and they are we'll worth requirement
IS future local parks in addition to
any claim their historical and mill
tary interest may afford. The move
ment now in progress to secure the
fort drive should be pushed vigor-
ouSly to it's realization"
Would Park Palisades.
The palisades of the Potomac are
a natural gift that must be preserved
for the future as well as made avail
able for the enjoyment of present
residents and visitors. according to
Representative Hammer. He says:
The desirability of widening the
Conduit Road from Georgetown to
Great Falls and securing the control
of the Potomac banks was dwelt
upon in the report of 1901 This
project depended more or less on the
necessity, even then apparent of in
creasing the Washington water
supply. That necessity has now be-
come so acute that Congress has been
forced to act. In the work of in
creasing the water supply the park
features should not be lost sight of.
An area on both sides of the river
at Great Falls necessary to protect
the Government works should be Sc
cured and become a portion of the
park SYSTEM The road leading
thereto should be boulevarded and a
driveway now much used-narrow,
dangerous and i'll kept-should be
turned into a well ordered and well
policed pleasure drive"
That Congress and all the people
of the country should feel it their
sacred duty to help develop the Ma
tion's Capital, year after year, on a
broad, comprehensive, idealistic plan.
is the little sermon preached by Rep
resentative Hammer in concluding
his survey. He says:
In comparing the projects for the
Improvement of the park system of
the District of Columbia as presented
in the report of the Senate Park Com
mission with the actual accomplish
mcnt during two decades one must
be struck with the largeness of the
actual accomplishment. Professedly,
that report outlined development to
cover an indefinite period of years;
and even the most optimistic of it's
authors could not have anticipated
the actual strides toward accom-
plishment that 20 years would bring
about. 1t is a tribute to the inherent
worth of the plan that while SO little
has been done contrary to it, so much
has been achieved in accordance with
it.
1T IS doubtly fortunate also that the
great feature of the plan. it's general
outlines, its fundamental principles
as to the disposition of public monu-
ments and buildings and parks and
parkways. have been adopted and are
the controlling motives for future
work This is due largely to the fact
that the plan of 1901 was based on
the LEnfant plan of 1892, the au-
thority of which plan needed only
to be asserted 10 be recognized. 1t is
no disparagement, but is rather a
tribute, to the authors of the plan of
1901 that they recognized the excel
lence of the work done in the begin
ming and set themselves to the task
of carrying on what has been so well
begun.
Plan Misunderstood.
This is a restless era. All sorts Of
suggestions are being made for i'm
provements and changes. Many of
these new projects are based on the
desire of individuals to exploit them
selves. Others are due to ignorance
of the existing plan and the progress
of the work being done in accordance
with it, or to impatience at delays in
accomplishing results. The Commits
sion of Fine Arts are not concerned
with the rate of progress; they are
vitality concerned that the progress
shall be always toward the goal set
in 1892 and again in 1901. 1t is
matter of satisfaction to them that
both Congress and the executive de-
partments are giving an increasing
support to the plans, as the under
standing of what they mean and
whittier they tend become apparent
in the unfolding of the designs
Every year sees progress toward an
ideal of the American people, that
Washington shall be unsurpassed
among the great capitals of the
world
The lesson is one for the future.
No living person can foresee or even
imagine the future of the United
States in wealth and power. The
utmost one can do is to build as wise
ly and as adequately as his limited
vision will permit. No plan is final
in so far as comprehensiveness is
concerned. No plan Will be large
enough for the future.
The spirit that should animate
every person who has to do with the
of Washington should be
one of modesty as to his achieve
ments, and optimisms as to the future
He should understand that in his day
and generation he is building accord
ing to his lights, and should seek to
understand what has been done in the
past, as the sure foundation for his
work of today, and also as to his
justification for so ordering affairs
that what he does now shall be
worthy to have it's place in the pro-
gressive development of his Nations
Capital city"