PARK AND CEMETERY 
262 
The Artistic Improvement of Advertising Si^ns. 
The report of the com- 
mittee on advertising signs 
of the Municipal Art So- 
ciety of New York issued 
in connection with the ex- 
hibition of commercial and 
artistic posters held by the 
society in that city from 
April 12 to 17, presents an 
interesting phase of its 
work in mitigating the bill- 
board evil. In its recent 
campaign against subway advertising the society has 
fought for the enforcement of the law forbidding the 
use of the park property and of the city highways for 
advertisements, the subway being legally a city high- 
way. Before it was discovered that all advertising in 
the subway was illegal, the efifort of the society was 
toward the artistic improvement of the advertisements. 
Before the contract was given out a responsible firm 
submitted to the Interborough Company a proposition 
for attractive advertising, two examples of which are 
shown herewith. 
This was accompanied with an offer to survey the 
stations to determine how much space could be used 
consistently with this far-seeing and discreet policy, and 
to pay more per square foot for the space so selected 
than any competitor. The narrow limitation of the 
area allowed for advertising, so as to preserve the 
ornamental character of the stations, and so that “no 
advertising shall dominate train directions or public 
announcements,” was an integral part of the scheme. 
But those whom the gods would destroy they first 
make mad. This proposition was declared ridiculous, 
and the Interborough Company invited the firm now in 
possession to make the Subway hideous. Notice, how, 
occasionally, a corporation’s sin finds it out. Had the 
enlightened policy been adopted no outcry would have 
been raised, the stringency of the law would not have 
been discovered, and the Municipal Art Society would, 
quite possibly, have commended the advance. Then 
the company would have obtained a reasonable revenue 
along with congratulations on the progress it was 
making. But it allowed its greed to dominate ; it scorned 
the sentiments of citizens ; it refused to put any brains 
into the advertising scheme ; and the result was the 
determined fight against all advertising in the subway. 
Though fully warned by the public anger against the 
advertising in the subway, the Rapid Transit Commis- 
sion has passed the McAdoo Tunnel Franchise without 
reserving even the power to regulate the advertising 
in the tunnel. Since this tunnel will be legally private 
Design for Metal 
Advertising Frame. 
SUGGESTION FOR AN ADVERTISING PANEL IN THE SUBWAY. 
