New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-08-03
CITY I7EAS

WRAr Is A PARK In England park i under
stood 10 mean large tract Of grasscoyered land, Or
rsu,ered with few noble old oaks other trees. Il
IS not forest, swamp, or plowed field, or even
piece OF second rate woodland Tic very name con-
veys the idea offs broad expanse OF ground either nat.
uraly or arifcaly beautiful. Il i place Of attrac
ton and adlrirston-sn ornament 70 city gentle
man estate. This Is what understand as the detai
ton of this truly English word IL has no such
meaning IN this City. A park-in fact ." The Park
means a little triangular piece Of land about big
enough Tor the door-yard and ki,chen-garden of
backwooismens log cabin, which is fenced in with
very ugly expensive iron fence, aud planted full of the
ugicst, stbted scragsy tees t. be found on this
continent
These miserable trees, that cannot grow because
there il not room for either tops roots still shade the
ground bu; no; the grass except here and there
sickly patch; for neither grass nor leaves ever
grow to any degree Of luxuriance. There il a good
reason why the grass does not grow the stu
pidty Of the Keeper Of the Park prompts him
agsirs, ali the light OF reason and common sense to
rersist in pimg mp the earth in beds xix or eight
inches hg her than the walks, that water the nat
ua ament of grass, has no other course but TO run
of and settle in the daches which are digniiei with
the name OF walls. They are nothing but cutters
and the cutters cover twice 81 much ground as the
g,ass-what for, TO one knows, bat we suppose that
in a Nev-Ycrk park the ground mus: be cut up
into little triangular patches, each one fenced
IN by chain, and the people fenced ont by
"Keep of the Grass posted upon the trees
Keep of the grass indeed; we wish the keeper OF
The grass would keep some for 70 keep OF fcom.
lie is now at his annual Efforts to make grow ne IS
again spading up his little garden beds, raisng them
a. 10
seed and probably next year spade up again, until
every spear tina. grows costs The City dollar, and
every one of these miserable snted bushes has cost
enough to buy good farm in the country and plant
Il with fruit trees.
If any one that ever saw or heard of park, should
come here without knowing what we dignity by that
uame, and bear us call this inclosure of shrubs and
muddy ground park, be certainly would be amused.
His most natural inquiry would be why we did not
root out hne-tentis Of the stunted trees, and level
Gown the surface instead of building up, and tear
I'D three.iourths of the walks ard cover the whole
ground with gas. Not only cover il, but make it
crow in spite of s the childrens feet tia, might tram
pie over it, as they have in some green turfy door
yards We wo, Of for century without its being re-
oured to he dug up once Such stranger TOO would
INQUIRE by what possible perverson Of sense, common
the ground, so that whenever it rains they must be
flooded.
fit is impossible TO have any other improvement
in this City Hail door yard, for it is not park, let
us at least have the flags of the walks dug ont Of the
mud instead Of that eternal digging and moving OF
the little grass patches. If there is not gumphon
enough in all the hsngerson around the City HAL to
tell how to make dry walks let them come outside Of
the iron fence and learn how easy tue tlng can be
done.
Firstly the flags should be the highest part of the
ground, but even they in the graasplat drains
they might be made dry. Lay down under each walk
a brick gutter six or eight inches wide, and place the
hegs over it with lite openings between each pair
and tie water would run down into the gutter and
run or both from the Top and sides Of the flags, and
not stand as il does now, in puldes, fit embIens Of
the brains that placed them there.
If the great Central Park is to be planned and man
aged by the same heads and heuds that manage toe
little at the City Hail. prey that it may never
be dignifed with any higher title than the City
mud hole