The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-06-29
CRY FARES What hns become az the great pre-

CRY PAREs What hns become az the great pre-
Jet much discussed las, ear, of est og II
or adjacent to New York n splendid park, &c iarrs
dinensont, for the health, enjoyment, and resfca-
ton Of our tesmiu : population? rna iesisn " ,4s
affair was on comnrc hcnsivc scale The rar. was
TO be situated ,hc Fast river. ~ in the eeotrL
Part ri The island aud i ~ n sort Of delightful
ms in urbe. t vas T. comprise several hundred
acres Of ground ana 80 b. laid OUT in the most tas.e
fol and picturesque style. with lakes, waterfalls
slopng h.lsdes, sleepy yaleysaud mn'',tsre forests.
How is it that tt's project has been allowed, after
30 much talk ani ass about it. 70 fall 10 The ground
Enacted upon! The pubic has heard nothisg of it
FOR many months back, and IL would appear as if
,hc whole matter had been, by common consent,
suffered 10 fat into oblivion or disregard.
The civilized world does not perhaps contain a
city If the gntude Of New York, so destitute Of
public paris end sqnai and plaeas as this is The
Special Committee on Parks. appointed by the Com
mon Council, assert this broadly and distinctly
their report Of last January. containing the fol-
lowing paragraph relating to it:-"Our beautiful
c is entirely unprovided with anything Of
this kind, on scale Mt all commensurate with
it's wants or its grandeur in other respects and
it is n remarkable fact that it is the only large
city on this continent which is thus destitute
openings. which are very appropriately termed the
lungs Of cities" This is an over true statement
We have nothing in New York but the petty, mise
rable little espanades up town, dignided with the
name Of parks, and tho Battery down town and
these are removed at long distances from the centre
oftbe city But, strangely enough. even these open
spaces arc completely summed and neglected by a
tiopo f rr;ti1 vhn An 10
have any real appreciation of their advantages.
Take. for instance the Battery, which is one Of the
most healthfal beautiful p!aces fits dimensions in
the civilized world half surrounded by water, and
commanding prospect Of bay competing, in point
of beauty with that of Naples and yet in that de-
ghtful spot, you will hardly, morning or evening,
frd more than dozen or score Of persons enjoy
ing the scenery, inhaling the pure treezc re-
cliping beneath the trees. The same evidences oil
neglect are to be observed in the Union Park uf
town, and also in Washington Square, which i. the
next most beautiful place On Sundays indeed, the
German and Irish population avail themselves of the
leisure afforded them by the Sabbath. and crowd to
the Battery Washington Square, and the other parks
and make excursions, for health and recreation, to
Hohoken, Staten Island, Coney Island. aud up the
Hudson river. But as to our indigenous, or Ame-
rican, poruation-particularly the fashionable part
ofi-they seem to avoid most reigiously all health
tnl places Of resort preferring to saunter langudy
up and down Broadway, jostle each other on the
crowded footpaths and meet with not over virtuous
characters in ice saloons, where they adjourn
| to sip wine and negus. and swallow ices la mode
But Notwithstanding this fashionable avoidance
of the parks, they of essential service to the
hardwolhing, industrious portion of the community,
and we would therefore urge on the Corporation to
call up again the subject of the great central park
as projected, and to have the matter brought to
final issue soon, that the ground may be pro-