Letters on arts, trashy neighborhoods, landscaping, act of kindness
Get far more than we invest in arts
One the most profound arguments for having art in the world can be summed up in a description of Florence, Italy, in the late 15th century: “Florence had more wood carvers than butchers, suggesting that art, rather than meat, is the necessity of life.”
We have to eat to stay alive, but as far as I’m concerned, art gives us a reason to get up in the first place.
A recent letter writer suggested that public funding of the arts is robbing Peter to pay Paul, and that only private funds should ever be used for such a purpose (Nov. 29 Letters to the Editor). I disagree.
Michelangelo and his contemporaries worked in Florence for years and had rich patrons to invest in their art. We are all the beneficiaries of their genius.
Last time I checked, we don’t have dukes and popes financing artists anymore. We have rich people in this country, of course, but do we just want to rely on their largesse, or do we all have a stake in making sure beautiful things get created?
A pittance of our tax dollar goes toward subsidizing the arts in all its forms, and we get far more back than we ever invest.
Kathleen C. Butler, Wichita
Looks like landfill
We who live in the south-central part of Wichita have put up with a troubling problem for too long now. It’s gone on unchecked for years.
We are plagued with bulk trash sitting curbside, sometimes for months at a time. It is centered primarily around several fourplex apartments stretching along Hydraulic. It ruins the appearance of our neighborhoods and the value of our homes.
Our city councilman, James Clendenin, has worked hard to reverse this trend, and we appreciate his efforts. Unfortunately, the problem continues. We need for the city to go after the slum landlords who own these apartments.
We are tired of looking at the messes. Sometimes it looks as if entire households have been thrown out by the street.
Please do something to crack down hard on these property owners. There are still clean, respectable smaller homes and long-term residents living in this area, and we’ve had enough.
The social decay and crime in our neighborhoods are bad enough. But do the neighborhoods have to look like a landfill? Enough.
Douglas Simpson, Wichita
Landscapes matter
I have missed subjects concerning gardening and landscaping in The Eagle’s Home and Garden section on Saturday. The positive influence that urban horticulture has both for aesthetics and health are far too important to ignore. I, for one, believe that what is outside one’s house has far more impact than the fabric on a couch.
Marshall McHenry, Derby
Welcome surprise
Our special thanks to the lady and young man who paid for our meal at the Subway in Derby on Nov. 22. We had just returned from a funeral visitation that evening, and this was a very welcome surprise to a very long and sad day.
Jim and Toni Warren, Derby
Letters to the Editor
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Phillip Brownlee at 316-268-6262, pbrownlee@wichitaeagle.com.
This story was originally published December 3, 2016 at 12:03 AM with the headline "Letters on arts, trashy neighborhoods, landscaping, act of kindness."