Evening star., 1937-05-03
Thinks Cherry Trees Are
Not Suitably Located
To the Editor of The Star:


Now that the cherry blossoms are gone
and the ecstasy of some over them also,
may we not descend from the clouds to
common sense in this local discussion
over the blossoms and the Jefferson
Memorial, which has occaSioned it. In
the first place there are lots more beau
tiful things to see in Washington than
the cherry tress. Our own native cher
ries are handsomer and they do bear
fruit. Our dogWoods are far more at
tractive, just to mention q few of our
own good things, but we do not 20
romanclng over them. Moreover, the
Japanese blossoms are with us only about
10 days and then usually in inclement
weather. So for 355 days we have to
put up with rather scrawny tree. the
least attractive of trees suitable for park
Verdure.
To be seen better they should be moved,
and the memorial plans provide most
appropriate time to effect this. Every
year we ballyhoo to thousands of people
to come to us from afar to see the cherry
trees in bloom, and when they come they
find themselves herded in their auto
mobiles four abreast, travelling at
snail's pace in the road alongside the
basin, with little opportunity to see the
blossoms If one is not on the inmost
side OF the trailing cars. True, one can
walk, but the trail alongside the basin
wall is very narrow, and somehow walk
ing underneath boughs of blossoms is
disappointing.
II the cherry trees are to be on show
to visitors they should be planted along
straight roads, thus being seen without
difficulty and without traffic snarls. If
the trees are to be transplanted opportu-
nifty beckonS in the four long drives in
the Mall from the Capitol to the Wash
lngton Monument, where only recently
there has been tree planting
But am sure that any reconstruction
OF the Tidal Basin, and that is con-
templated, will take care of the cherry
trees to show them off to much better
advantage than is now possible In this
1t would appear that Washington would
agree. AS things are the citizenry do
not take in the blooms with any en-
thuslasm or in great numbers. They
say they know better, and that the en-
chantment the cherry blossoms are sup
posed to have is lust talk" Whatever
may be the beauty of the Tidal Basin, it
leaves much to be desired The thing
that impresses one most about it is that
it is a dead sea. There is never any
life on it. In all the years have seen it
l can recall only two canoes, a roWboat
and swan boat, which has been re-
tired apparently because it does not pay,
hoS chN he
recreatlonal boating and other water
sports. There was a popular bathing
beach in 1t several years ago, but it
disappeared through the ukaSe of a
Chicago Congressman.
Evidently the basin as now laid out is
too expansive for safe boating unless
many guards are about, but in the new
layout that could be taken care of. Any
way that should be the chief objective
OF the reconstruction apart from pro-
Vldlng beautiful setting for the Jeffer-
son Memorial, which, in turn, would be
beautifully set off. But just now the
basin is the deadest piece of water to
be found in any large city.
The Pope design for the memorial in
vites comment. Nothing more appropri-
ate could have been asked. 1t is in
Jefferson spirit and he was America S
first great architect. The design, more
over, is in complete harmony with the
Federal architectural treatment of the
Capital.
And this memorial is not a Washing
ton affair, as some seem to think. 1t is
the Nations tribute to jefferson and will
be paid for by the Nation. Washington,
in its aspirations for an auditorium and
a stadium, at little if any expense to
itself, has been made to appear as If
seizing upon the Nations desire to honor
Jefferson as peg on which to hang and
realize its ambition. Finally, the memo
rial should be monumental and have
nothing utilitarian about it.
JOHN LORANCE,