We have found that those cities which retain their domination over the imaginations of mankind achieve that result through the harmony and beauty of their civic works; that these artistic creations were made possible largely by the gains of commerce promoted by years of peace; and that intense loyalty on the part of the great body of the citizens was the chief impulse which led them to strive to enhance the prestige and dignity of their city. We have found, also, that in modern times the cities of Europe are everywhere making those changes which a rapid increase in trade and population requires, and which the awakened artistic sense of the people demands. We turn now to our own country, to note the conditions which have controlled the development of the American city, and to recount briefly some of the more noteworthy attempts that are being made in the United States to give form and comeliness to our great towns. [Illustration: XXIV. THE L’ENFANT PLAN OF WASHINGTON AS DEVELOPED BY THE SENATE PARK COMMISSION OF 1901.] Washington was planned and founded as the capital of a nation. The architects of Louis XIV. drew the lines of the new Paris beyond the walls of the existing town, and mapped avenues converging at central points where only gardens and farms then existed; and their plans were a wise provision for a not distant future. Under the direction of President Washington, and with the aid and encouragement of Secretary Jefferson, Peter Charles L’Enfant, a young French engineer, deliberately drew the map of an entirely new capital city designed to accommodate a population one-third greater than was comprised in Paris at that date. In that plan no element of civic convenience, beauty, or adornment was lacking. The entire city was regarded as a unit, and that unit was to be developed in a form not surpassed by any existing city. Upon a rectilinear system of streets L’Enfant imposed diagonal avenues of stately width, converging upon focal points designed to be the location of important public buildings, statues, or monuments commemorating historic events. The Capitol and the President’s House were connected by a spacious park, and axial relations between the two structures were developed; every other building necessary for national uses was provided for; and canals, cascades, and fountains were located with reference to existing springs and watercourses. This comprehensive and magnificent plan, designed for an area which then consisted of wide swamps and wooded hills, became the laughing-stock alike of foreign traveler and American citizen. But fortunately the foundations were laid broad and deep by means of the donation of the lands necessary for streets, avenues, and parks. Fortunately the plan was adopted and the streets, avenues, public squares, and circles were fixed; and although the development of the city during three-quarters of a century was slow, yet the rapid increase in wealth and power that followed