92 CONFERENCE ON NATURAL BEAUTY 



Mrs. Johnson pointed out this morning in her marvelous talk 

 that the nice thing about this problem is that each individual 

 can do something about it. In fact, that is the way it must be 

 if we are going to plan intelligently for urban renewal, city beau- 

 tification, or anything else. 



In some of our cities in the Midwest, it is a problem of know- 

 ing what is good because we have been so long without beauty. 

 There are generations that have not seen it. We felt that some 

 of the wisest expenditures we could make would be to use money 

 to send people in positions of authority landscape architects, for 

 example, folks from the Peoria City Beautiful Association, from labor, 

 management and men in public life to see good things around this 

 country and in foreign countries. 



One of the practical results of this has come about because one 

 of the members of this trip was the chairman of the Public Build- 

 ing Commission which was building a new courthouse. The County 

 Board of Supervisors were drumming the tub to use two-thirds 

 of the area left beyond the building for parking. 



We hope that if any of you come to Peoria in the next year you 

 will stop and see a beautiful landscaped courthouse with night- 

 lighted fountains the direct result of some of these expenditures 

 to let people see things so that they know quality when they see 

 it. 



I think setting up a nonprofit corporation to send people who 

 will make decisions at the local level out to expand their own 

 horizons is one definitive action which can be taken. 



HAROLD SCHICK. Mr. Bacon mentioned planting 2,000 trees. We 

 will be doing the planting, I assume. This is news to me. We will be 

 with you, and just to carry the point further, Mrs. Mauntel said we 

 hope to have a little perfume in our plantings and put some flow- 

 ers in the downtown area. We think we can extend this planting 

 into the downtown area with some help when our budget comes 

 up for review. 



NATHANIEL O WINGS. I have had the privilege of working with 

 Mrs. Johnson to beautify the Capital City. It is a good example and 

 should go on the record as a case where through grass roots action, 

 with no Federal or District financial support, enormous strides have 

 been taken. 



I would recommend that this type of operation be put into action 

 in every city and every town in the United States. 



