THE NATIONAL WAR MEMORIAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 290, 1 September 1920, Page 7

THE NATIONAL WAR MEMORIAL

Sir,—ln the recent discussiion in Parliament on the national war memorial the 'Prime Minister eaid Now Zealaud would do well to choose some design like the Aro do Triomphe in Paris. ' But the Hon. C. J. Parr said the memorial «hould be a great work of art. Now a great work of art must be a creation, Hot a more imitation. It should give artistic expression to our own feelings regarding the war, to our adm.ratiun and gratifjude for the heroism of our soldiers, to our sense of the greatness of the victory and the vastness of the tragedy, ,1s British art dead? Must we borrow our symbolism from another country and ano-uhor age? That would, be a sod confession of artistic bankruptcy and a poor compliment to our heroic dead. Is there no one in New Zealand or the British Empire with sufficient imagination to conceive an adequate memorial whioh we can call our own, and witlh sufficient skill to cieate it? We must not be content with anything second-hand or second-rate, Let ns have the best—a veal work of art, not an imitative manufacture,—l am, etc., NORMAN E, BURTON. Auckland, August 28.