THE PROPOSED MEMORIAL.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3346, 26 November 1919, Page 5

THE PROPOSED MEMORIAL.

(To the Editor.) Q sir Jlln the course of his remarks on the above subject your correspondent E. Lenihan says that “If a memorial possesses anything of utility, then it is not a memorial.” From this I, for one, strongly dissent, and with your permission I will quote a paragraph from an illustrated American society journal, briefly outlining what is being done in the way of “Memorials” in the United States;—“Below is shown a design for the Roslyn Memorial Building, Roslyn, Long Island. This is planned to have small district organisations; the town library, an auditorium seating six or seven thousand, committees and so forth. It give s the effect of a country home suited to its surroundings and still , expressive of the types of 'buildings embodied. The basement contains a gymnasium, swimming pool, bowling alleys and a shooting gallery.” This is simply one of many such memorial buildings which are being erected all over the States to perpetuate the memory of those who fought in the great war. This would be a memorial after my own heart and one which would be much more warmly both by this and future generations, than a useless obelisk, triumphal arch, or vendome column. “My soul abhorreth” sueh trumpery—they are in my estimation but monuments to our own egregious vanity, for the dead never see them, and I don’t believe they would care for them if they did. They would much rather see their descendants properly housed, fed, trained, educated and looked after in every possible way, Yerbum sap.—l am, etc., JAMES SMITH.