BEAUTIFUL CITIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 31 August 1939, Page 8

BEAUTIFUL CITIES

MRS CLEGHORN’S IMPRESSIONS. ADDRESS AT ROTARY CLUB. Ladies’ Day was celebrated at lhe weekly luncheon of the Masterton Rotary Club today. Rotarian H. H. Daniell presided over an excellent attendance. An interesting and instructive address on “What I Consider to be the Three Most Beautiful Cities in the World." was given by -Mrs Max Cleghorn, Principal of St Matthew's Girls’ College. Masterton. The three cities selected by Mrs Cleghorn were Venice, Rothenburg and Washington. Today also marked the end of the Masterton Rotary Club's year, and the various outgoing officers handed over to the incoming officers. The presi-dent-elect is Rotarian J. J. Hunter. “Venice is, in my opinion, one of the three loveliest cities in the world,” said Mrs Cleghorn, in the course of her address. "Standing in the centre of St Mark’s Square, one can look in any direction, and nothing that is not beautiful can be seen. To the visitor perhaps the most impressive spectacle is at 6 o’clock in the evening, when all the people gather in a certain area and the band plays. It is a sight that has bo seen to be appreciated. “Another feature of Venice that strikes the traveller is that the buildings have remained the same for centuries, that is, as far as architecture is concerned. Whenever a building is reconstructed in Venice it has to be exactly the same as it was in the first place, thus the style of hundreds of years ago is preserved. Through all my travels 1 have not seen a more perfect mah-made spot anywhere. “Rothenburg is actually not a city, in fact the population is only about three thousand. This quaint little place is situated about 40 miles from Nuremburg. The town is built on the top of a hill and is surrounded by a low wall made of stone. All the buildings are of 13th or 14th Century design, and have never been altered. Permission even to erect a door or to replace a pane of glass must be obtained from the town board. As in Venice buildings are erected exactly the same as they wore before being demolished—even to cracks in the walls. This town can be summed up perfectly as ‘the garden of Germany.' “The American people have decided to make Washington the “garden city of the world,” and if they continue n the future, as they have done in (he nasi, their dream will come true. The. l beautifying of Washington has been entrusted to three men, whose appointments are permanent. Their job is to do nothing else but beautify the city. "One of the many beauty spots in Washington is a great round pond, which is about the size cf the Oval -at the Masterton Park. All along the drive leading up to the pond and around the pond itself are planted weeping cherry blossom trees and ’hose, when in full bloom, are a sight ! never to be forgotten. The day that' I visited the pond over 50,000 cars drove around the pond, so its popularity with the tourist and the American people is evident. The absence cf manufacturing factories and buildings of that nature is noticeable in Washin glen and actually the layout of the city bears a decided resemblance to Paris.” concluded Mrs Cleghorn.

Mrs Cleghorn was accorded a hearty vote of thanks.