Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1853-12-19
A PnhIin sanare

We published on "Wednesday last, by order of
the Common Council of the City, Report of a
Joint Special Committee of the City Council, on
the subject Of Public Common. 1t should have
been accompanied BY lhs order of the Board in
pursuance to which it was published, so that the
action Of the Council would have been seen and
understood. For this, however, we are not res
ponsble. We published it as we received 1T,
which was at late hour, when we had no time
to examine it, and in the suppOsition that it would
be all right, as a matter of coarse, without any
explanation from Us.
We would. now, however, earnestly call the
attention Ct our readers 10 the subject. Ii is
in which the people Of Worcester have deep
and abiding interest, affecting the well being not
Of the present generation alone, but Of our sue
cessors, for all time TO come. 1t will be seen by
reference 10 The report, that the Committee maxi
ing it, have had the offer of lot Of q acres,
extending through from Elm 10 Highland Street,
directly west OF the land of the Agricultural So
ciety, and adjoining it. This land is offered at
400 dollars per acre, with the addition of $500
to pay the expense of Esegiss MIR. diamonds
Barn, which now stands on the premises, on con-
dIton that the City shall keep ii forever open as
public common, for the public use of all the
citizens.
We consider this offer remarkably favorable
one, and one that is creditable to the liberaty
and public spirit of the owners, for we have no
doubt that they could take much larger price
for the land, for other purposes. 1t is an offer
which, it appears to us, should not fail to be
cepted. The Board of Aldermen, In fact, have
passed an order authorizing the purchase, but it
has not been de6nirively acted upon in the other
Board. We hope, when it shall again come up
there, that no narrow views and no sectional bias,
will inierpose, TO prevent SO desirable an acquisi-
ton, as this would be, 10 our city. Such COM
mon, ornamented so as to make ii pleasant and
desirable place of resort, for recreation and exer
else, would be boon TO the people, both present
aud prospective, such as could hardly be confer
red in any other mode.
The want of spacious, open, and airy public
grounds, is that is felt and regretted in almost
all cities, every where. AS the laws of life and
hedlun are more known duu Detlet understood,
such piafs will come 10 be considered public ne
cessiiy, which must be provided for, whatever
may be the cost. Ii is wise then for US, to pro-
vide for this necessity, nolo, while we can do it
at a reasonable rate, and before the growth of
the city shall compel US to 60 still further from
the center of population. The annual taxation
necessary TO pay the cost in ten years, will be Sc
small as hardly to be felt, and we have not
doubt, that it will be met by citizens with
cheerfuness and alacrity, which hardly any
other expenditure would secure.
We.feel the more solicitude on this account,
because we understand that il the offer Of this
land is mol accepted, it will be withdraw and
not renewed, and because we believe the city
will never again have so good an opportunity of
securing large and Commodious common, reas-
onably near TO the center Of population. We
have always considered it mistake, that the
Jaques grove was not secured, when it might
have been had at reasonable price, and we
think it will be still greater one if this opportu-
nifty shall'be lost