For November, 1921 



779 



WAR AGAINST BILLBOARDS 



JUDGING by the various reports in the New York news- 

 papers, the National Association of Gardeners con- 

 vention held in this city made -it fairly evident that even 

 the "Say it with Flowers'' sign is arousing the ire of lovers 

 of a natural landscape. W. N. Craig, president of the as- 

 sociation, declared they were utterly opposed to unsightly 

 signboards of every description, and it was their inten- 

 tion to wage war upon such disfigurements, especially 

 those of the Society of American Florists urging people 

 to "Say it with Flowers." The florists, he said, should 

 be the last people to lend their support to a movement 

 which is ruining the landscape. 



The hostility against roadside signs will surely have to 

 be taken cognizance of for while vast numbers of people 

 have no autos, and therefore see little of the signs, and 

 while many who do possess them, have no more regard 

 for scenery than they have for other people's rights and 

 property, there are, nevertheless many who do feel that 

 commercialism as generated by the advertising man, is 

 an outrage and needs curbing lest he develop it to a point 

 of desecration. 



Of course, the bulk of the signs would never be possible 

 but for the revenue they yield to land owners : they no 

 doubt reap a lietter harvest from a few boards than they 

 would from a field of Corn. 



The Evening World editorially puts forward a sugges- 

 tion which florists might well consider. It is an indica- 

 tion that the press is not specially in sympathy with 

 signs, but has a regard for florists and gardeners. If 

 the two groups can settle the difficulty satisfactorily, 

 other industries mu.st look after their own affairs. We 

 believe the billboard on country roads is doomed ; what 

 may happen in the cities no one can foretell. W'e know 

 that in some quarters, signs, overhead wires, and similar 

 disfigurements of town thoroughfares are being cleared. 



Maybe the idea of the city and country beautiful can 

 be overdone ; we know the law can be directed almost 

 as anv determined section of people may desire. If the 

 sign haters enlist the aid of the press they will win. — Flor- 

 ists' Exchange. 



WHY NOT FLORAL BILLBOARDS? 



nrilF, following is how the Evening World views the 

 question : 



"The members of the National Association of Garden- 

 ers beautify landscapes. They tend the gardens of big 

 estates of wealthy citizens. 



"Naturally they hate to have their efl^orts thwarted by 

 unsightly billboard nuisances along the main traveled 

 ways. If thev can devise any practical means of banish- 

 ing billboards, they will enlist the aid of Nature-lovers 

 everywhere. 



"In particular, the gardeners have a real grievance 

 against their natural' allies, the florists. 'Say it with 

 Flowers' is the slogan of the Florists' Association. Rut 

 the florists have been 'saying it with billboards.' an atro- 

 cious contradiction. 



"Surely the florists ought to take the suggestion and 

 enlist the aid of the gardeners to help them 'say it with 

 flowers.' A beautiful arrangement of foliage plants to 

 spell out their slogan on a few hillsides would have more 

 advertising value than hundreds of billboards. People 

 would motor out of their way to see such a display. Why 

 not? Maybe it would be a les.son to other advertisers to 

 .<av it with flowers instead of with billboards." 



ROADWAY SIGNS 

 T J NDER the above caption the Nezv York Post recently 

 ^^ published the following letter. Publicity of this kind 

 will, sooner or later, have eft"ect. The florists' trade may 

 do well to consider how far its own advertising eft'orts 

 may antagonize public opinion and meet the case accord- 

 ingly. — Florists' Exchange. 



Tall O.-^ks from Little Acorns Grow^ 



Sir: The stand taken by the National Association of 

 Gardeners against the commercial advertisements scat- 

 tered over the countryside deserves wide comment, for 

 it permits the hope to rise that its protest may gather force 

 enough from a like minded public to end this thoughtless 

 spoliation. We have resigned ourselves to receiving 

 advice from housetop and billcard when we go shopping in 

 the city or are on pleasure bent at the theatre. But no one 

 whose patriotism includes a feeling for his native soil 

 can ride along the Boston Post Road to New Haven 

 without a sense of shame that even a historic highway 

 has been fairly hedged in with glaring and generally ugly 

 signs. 



\Mien last year the Prince of Wales' brother suggested 

 to the British Royal Academy that dignified sign posts 

 were a legitimate field for their efforts we merely smiled 

 over here at his audacity. Behind it, however, was a 

 feeling for the English countryside far keener than any- 

 thing we Americans commonly evidence for ours, and 

 the fact that he referred not to advertisements (which 

 have not been allowed), but to road directions, is an 

 indication of how far we are from a proper jealousy to 

 preserve our landscape from desecration. America, will 

 never at this rate become a"garden land" even to the most 

 delirious poet of patriotism. 



I have been waiting for years to have somebody of 

 national standing speak out as the gardeners have against 

 this nuisance. Meantime, however, an interesting piece 

 of legislation has been enacted in ^^ermont which seems 

 to point the way to a cure. Largely as a matter of rev- 

 enue for a relatively poor State, the proceeds to go to 

 improving the roads, "Vennont has required that a license 

 sliall be secured for every roadway advertisement larger 

 than an ordinary placard, the minimum rate, as I recall 

 it. being $10 a year. Indirectly the law will tend to 

 achieve the greater object of ridding the countr\' roads 

 of objectionable advertisements. The criticism that it 

 might "hurt business," moreover, comes at a time when 

 we have, I hope, passed the peak of the advertising craze, 

 and the chances are still fair that our age may leave to 

 the historian of 2021 evidences of our concern with 

 something besides underwear, dyspepsia tablets, and chew- 

 ing gum. Mr.KRii.L F. Cl.vrkk. 



Genius gets the world's praise because its work is, a 

 tangible product, to be bought, or to be had for nothing. 

 It bribes the common voice to praise it by presents of 

 speeches, poems, statues, pictures, or whatever it can 

 please with, (^haracter evolves its best products for home 

 consumption: but, mind you, it takes a deal more to feed 

 a family for thirty years than to make a holiday feast for 

 our neighbors once or twice. — Holwrs. 



"Impatience has prevented many a fellow from takini; 

 firm root in the soil of .success. Don't expect to reap the 

 moment vou sow." 



A CHRISTMAS GIFT 



We .ill appreciate practical gifts, so why not give your 

 friend a subscription to the G.vrdeners' CuROxa-E for 

 Christmas? $2.00 a year. 



The Chronicle Press, Inc^ 286 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 



