It is charged against the French system of “star-places” that they invite congestion by concentrating traffic; and doubtless they are open to this accusation when placed on great traffic thoroughfares, unless pains are taken to insist on a movement similar to that of a whirlpool, so that each entering vehicle shall be required to move around the circumference until its particular street shall be reached. The solution of a gentle junction of two lines in a common line for a certain distance, like that of a railway, has advantages which the city planner will not overlook. Whatever the form taken in a particular instance, the angles in the lots produced by the junction should be studied in order that the open space may not seem to be unfinished, and also that the architect may not be compelled to utilize sharp points unfitted for architectural treatment. It should be borne in mind that directness is not the only consideration. Traffic wagons when loaded naturally seek the shortest course, but the great majority of vehicles and of pedestrians as well are lured out of the direct line to streets made attractive by the shops, the trees, or other embellishments. Often it happens that unattractive streets, in spite of being shorter, are quite deserted because they are spotted with vacant sites, ugly buildings, and dreary spaces. Beauty allures while ugliness repels in city architecture as in everything else. Moreover, every consideration which affects the planning of a city as a whole is truly architecture, and wherever there is evidence of foresight and the relation of one part to another, there the mind finds the highest satisfaction. Paris is the international capital because in its planning the universal mind recognizes that complete articulation which satisfies the craving for good order and symmetry in every part. [Illustration: XCVI. SYSTEM OF TRAFFIC CIRCULATION PROPOSED BY M. HÉNARD FOR PUBLIC PLACES. A continuous gyratory movement reduces conflict of currents to the minimum.]