556 CONFERENCE ON NATURAL BEAUTY 



title should also be mentioned where the proposed act dealing with 

 urban extension is mentioned and an existing act dealing with the 

 same subject is neglected. 



I am sure that these omissions are the result of unconscious neglect 

 and perhaps of the negligence or inability of the Housing Agency 

 local officials and others who ought to be concerned. Nevertheless, 

 when so much lip service is given to the importance of the urban 

 population in our society, it is a tragic miscarriage that these problems 

 and the programs necessary to solve them should, in effect, be ne- 

 glected so fully in a draft report developed by so distinguished a group 

 of national leaders in this field. 



The President has shown magnificent leadership in this whole pro- 

 gram. He recognizes that the problems of the future are urban and 

 must be solved in great degree by new urban instrumentalities. I 

 fear that we will do him a disservice if we fail to examine our own 

 historic biases and to devise those new approaches. 



Mrs. J. M. P. WRIGHT.* President Johnson's call for beauty 

 comes at a time when a crisis faces America's old cities, the land- 

 marks that record its history. They are disintegrating under the 

 complexities of modern investment and development techniques. 

 From coast to coast the unique values they bring to the American 

 cultural scene are vanishing. 



Occasionally old mansions are saved. Isolated victories are gained 

 by embattled citizens' groups. But this is not enough; the beauty, 

 the distinction, the regional character of our cities lies in their total 

 environment. 



Can this trend be reversed? What resources can America marshal 

 to bring beauty back to the old cities? To salvage the architecture of 

 preceding centuries? Can concerted effort save and maintain this 

 heritage as a valuable part of America's growth? 



Its value is established in Annapolis where a small but successful 

 educational program developed by Historic Annapolis, Inc. over the 

 past 12 years has awakened young people to their surroundings. 

 Here in the authentic setting of an original city plan, the buildings 

 of three centuries speak directly of the history and culture of each 

 period. The connection established between the people and processes 

 of today and the people and processes of yesterday is clearly stated ; 

 it has meaning for children of diverse ethnic groups, it is a common 



*This is an extension of the remarks made by Mrs. Wright during the panel 

 discussion. 



