PARK AND CEMETERY 
and Landscape Gardening:. 
Vol. XVI. Chicago, October, 1906 No. 8 
Annual Convention of American Civic Association 
The approaching annual convention of the Ameri- 
can Civic Association, which is to be held in Milwau- 
kee, Wis., October 24-26, is an event anticipated with 
much pleasure by all acquainted with its objects or 
interested in its various activities. The work of the 
association has been carried on during the past year 
at what may be styled full pressure, much of which 
was exerted upon the preservation of the Falls of 
Niagara, and which resulted in complete success. The 
vigor and far reaching efforts involved in this cam- 
paign had a bad effect on the treasury, and debt, to 
the amount of some $4,000, remains to be lifted, all 
of which can well and fairly be charged to Niagara. 
But the preservation of this historic and world re- 
nowned cataract has been, and that largely due to 
the association, a very cheap acquisition, and being 
decidedly in the interest of the whole American peo- 
ple, such an insignificant deficit in such a grand cause, 
ought to be immediately wiped out by grateful citi- 
zens. Notwithstanding the attention given to Niagara 
none of the other numerous activities was neglected, 
and it may confidently be expected that the reports 
rendered at the coming convention will be fully if 
not more interesting than any hitherto presented. In 
a general way besides the attention due to national 
civic problems, such matters as San Francisco’s prob- 
lem, what women are doing for civic improvement, 
outdoor art, civic improvement work in the South, 
mosquito extermination, and many other topics will 
be considered, and besides, the opportunities for the 
exchange of courtesies, for discussion, and for fur- 
ther incentives in the good cause is an inspiring invi- 
tation to all interested to help towards a large gath- 
ering. Milwaukee is in itself an interesting and pro- 
gressive city, and it is certain that a warm welcome 
will be given the asociation. It will be the visitor’s 
own fault if he does not profit largely by an attend- 
ance on the convention. 
Vjg sg 
Municipal Art Commissions 
A Municipal Art commissioner must be selected, 
not only for the qualifications he may possess as to 
art, but also for those characteristics which declare 
for firmness and decision. The Municipal Art com- 
missions, both of New York and Boston, have re- 
cently been “under fire in the one case on account 
of the rejection of the proposed design for the Rich- 
mond County court house, and in the other for refus- 
ing to permit the erection of a memorial of the late 
Mavor Patrick A. Collins on Boston Common. And 
these decisions were made in spite of political clamor, 
which, as usual, was the preponderating force in 
pressing the projects and consequently the most pro- 
nounced in condemning the commissions. “The 
American Architect” very pointedly commends the 
commissions in both cases, and as regards the Collins 
memorial it says : “We feel that the commissioners 
were absolutelv right, for monuments should be al- 
lowed a place on Boston Common only when they 
possess the unchallengable permanent public signifi- 
cance, and that can hardly be claimed for a memorial 
to Mr. Collins. Boston has had many mayors as 
worthy of public honor as he. They have as many 
influential or moneyed admirers, and if each is to be 
honored in turn, the venerable Common would soon 
put on the air of an Italian ‘Campo Santo.’ ” To load 
our cities with incongruous, inappropriate and utterly 
uncalled for memorials, receives unfortunately much 
encouragement from certain classes of citizens, either 
by reason of self interest or lack of culture, or both, 
and this condition demands in our Municipal Art 
commissions strenuous qualifications l>oth to ensure 
artistic monuments and to protect prominent sites 
from the invasion of effigies. Improvement associa- 
tions might well take interest* in such an important 
question and boldly declare for art considerations in 
all cases where a public monument becomes the ques- 
tion of the hour. Had this been the case in the past 
numbers of soldier's memorials would be honored as 
much for their artistic excellence as for the cause 
they represent, a combination the most likely to hand 
them down undisturbed to posterity. 
Parks as Memorials 
Looking at the worth and permanency of parks 
as memorials, it is a wonder that more frequent do- 
nations and bequests of land for park purposes are 
not made in memory of living or departed citizens. 
Such gifts are as welcome from the person unknown 
to fame as from him of international renown, and 
there is scarcely a more far-reaching benefit that can 
be bestowed upon a community than the donation 
of a public park. As a memorial it has no peer; it 
increases property values, improves the morals and 
physical health of the citizen and becomes a per- 
l^etual reminder of the ])ublic-spirited benefactor, 
whose only claim upon the memory of his fellow 
citizns may well be that he gave them the park. 
To urge gifts of this character should be an impor- 
tant matter for improvement associations. 
