[untitled]

THE method adopted by the trustees of the McKinley National Memorial Association to secure a design for the memorial to President McKinley at Canton, O., is adapted to secure a more satisfactory result than could probably be had in any other way. The four successful competitors in an open competition are asked to compete in a final competition, not only with one another but with half a dozen architects of known standing carefully selected by the trustees. The trustees in this way get the possible assistance of any undiscovered talent that is willing to risk its time in an open competition, and at the same time are not deprived of the help that may be given by men of the highest attainment, who feel it would be a derogation of their dignity to take part in an open scramble. In this case, it happens that the four men successful in the open competition are all well known, though in years belonging to the second and third flights, and grade in capacity very satisfactorily with the specially invited competitors in the final trial. In such cases as this, however, perfect fairness would require that the subject of the first competition should not be the actual subject: the object is to discover the performer, not his performance, and it may be as unfair to give the first men practically twice the time given to the second ones, as to pit the somewhat jaded minds of the first ones against the unjaded perceptions of the specially invited men.