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TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY 



for ideal ones. Every one of these 

 ought to be a work of art, unless it is 

 to be a slur on the neig-hborhood 

 where it stands. 



In a new country like this, with 

 ideas of art so unsettled, with great 

 numbers of people of small taste and 

 education continually attaining to po- 

 sitions of wealth or influence, with the 

 purely commercial spirit so rife among 

 those who control and those who con- 

 struct public works, there is inevitably 

 a large proportion of public work exe- 

 cuted in style and design unworthy of 

 an enlightened people. All these con- 

 siderations point to the control of the 

 design of public structures by a cen- 

 tralized and competent art authority. 



No building can be said to be the 

 exclusive property of the community 

 that puts it up and pays for it ; for it 

 is very often seen by a far greater 

 number than those who live in its 

 neighborhood, and contributes its in- 

 evitable share to the art product of the 

 entire country. It affects the minds 

 and helps to mould the taste, not only 

 of its nominal owners, but of every 

 passer-by, no matter whence he comes. 

 Every traveler can see it, and even 

 those who paid for it can do no more, 

 excepting that they may see it oftener. 

 It is a gift presented unasked by the 

 locality to the nation. 



Most large communities and many 

 small ones have art commissions which 

 ])rol)ably accomplish much good on 

 the whole. But great numbers of pub- 

 lic buildings and monuments are put 

 up under no responsible art super- 

 vision, and these, as well as all struc- 

 tures and parks on State property, 

 should be subject to the veto of the 

 State Art Commission, which should 

 be made up of the best qualified pro- 

 fessional and lay talent obtainable. 



It would be for the common advant- 

 age if found to be practicable that 



works which pass through the hands 

 of local art commissions should also be 

 subject to the approval of the State 

 Art Commission. 



HOUSING 



The A. S. L. A. holds that good hous- 

 ing conditions are the right of all who 

 contribute the labor of their hands or 

 brain to the common cause, and are es- 

 sential to the national safety and pros- 

 jierity, that amenity and convenience of 

 living conditions without as well as with- 

 in the home are necessary to content- 

 ment and happiness, and that the en- 

 couragement of such conditions by the 

 dissemination of information to all desir- 

 ing it is a proper governmental function. 



COMMENTARY 



The question of model housing for 

 workers has passed well out of the 

 range of mere idealism. A model 

 community is valued now, not merely 

 because it is good to look at, but be- 

 cause it is a good place, and often the 

 only place to raise good citizens. 



During the recent war it was found 

 to be impossible to keep great num- 

 bers of workers on their jobs because 

 of the scarcity of decent living con- 

 ditions, and this not only retarded the 

 work of the war in quantity and quali- 

 ty, but was a source of enormous ex- 

 pense. To remedy this evil the Hous- 

 ing Bureau was created, but, unfor- 

 tunately, suspended just as its work 

 was beginning to be effective. But 

 the accomplishments of this and other 

 Government Departments prove what 

 can be done by intelligent and sympa- 

 thetic planning, even under the ab- 

 normal conditions of war time. 



All those who have had to do with la- 

 bor of any kind are now learning that 

 to be really dependable and efficient, it 

 must be contented. A man cannot be 



