The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-03-13

cry, anu captain LeOnaru, WHO mas charge OF tue
the police detailed for the duty, should see hat
they do not occur again. .r a4
The Central Parl-Its Effects upon Business'
Morals, Tastes and Manners.
Thirty years ago the Battery and the Bowling
Green were the resorts of the promenaders of
every class No places on this island were better
fitted to inspire love of the beautiful than
these. On bland summers evening walk on
the Battery, with full moon in the east to ex-
hibit in bold relief the canvass of the shipping in
the bay, with their long and fading shadows ex-
tending to Jersey shore, was especially delicious.
But all this is changed. The wants ofcommerce
have invaded all the lower end of the island
The Weather citizens, as well as the
popular promenades, have for years been
gradually receaing before the pressure Of
business occupations, until at last stand
has been taken at the Central Park, which
is soon to become the permanent and ha-
bitual resort of pleasure, pretension and fashion
To that enchanting rendezvous every equipage
in the city will be daily directed, instead of
taking the drive to come one of the fashionable
dry goods bazaars on Broadway.
All the principal thoroughfares leading to that
grand centre Of enjoyment will be daily crowded
with public and private conveyances, carrying
thousands to the drives, the Fairgrounds, the re-
freshing shades and fountains of the park. This
win give an entirely new character to upper
Broadway and the avenues
The retail trade in all its branches modists,
dressmakers, tailors, and the thousand and one
tradesmen of every sort, whose wares are needed
to supply the wants OF a vast and wealthy popu-
lation-will locate themselves along those tho
roughfares in the upper part Of the city which
lead to the park. The fashionable retail trade
will in all probability, be transferred from lower
to upper Broadway, or above Union square. II
would not be surprising if Stewart should be
under the necessity Of locating himself near
Madison square, in order to preserve intact his
long list of fashionable customers. Certain it is
that thousands Of the weather. families OF the
city will, after the park is open, prefer to supply
themselves on their way to the fashionable
drive.
Lower Broadway will then be entirely given
up as a resort of fashion, as much SO as the
Bowling Green and the Battery are now. That
great thoroughfare below Union square will soon
be invaded by the wholesale trade. In regard
to the fashionable retail trade, the city is about
to be turned upside down.
Individual and public tastes will be greatly
improved by the enjoyments of the new park.
The love of show will entice the rich to mutual
admiration of rival equipages and toilettes. The
graceful movements of well caparisoned horses,
as they pass up and down, in slow succession,
will attract the applause as well as the envy Of
the less fortunate pedestrian groups which Will
crowd to the rendezvous. The rowdy habit of
rapid driving will be banished from this resort
of good taste. Your fast men, with fast horses,
will be at once excluded from the recognized
list of gentlemen. Rapid driving or riding is
vulgar characteristic in every part of the world
except upon the turf; and any person thus de-
meaning himself upon public fashionable pro-
menade would be as indelibly stamped as ILL
bred as If he were to be found running violently
up and down q ball room in the midst of q
dance
The habitual contemplation of the various
beauties which are to decorate the park will
serve very essentially to elevate the general mo-
rality of all those who resort to it. Nothing
tends so much to improve the heart as the habi
tual contemplation of the numberless forms o,
natural and artificial beauty. Whether we gaze
upon the blue and starry armament, or the ever
changing and shapeless clouds above US, the yer.
| dure of the lawn, enamelled with many-hued
| flowers, the budding or mature beauties of the
| female form, we all feel new and stronger SEN
timent of reverential alteration for the Author
| of all Good-in word man is always made bet
ter by the study of art and of nature and thu
| dreamy contemplation Of the beautiful.
| The popular masses cannot be daily brought
into contact with the various perfections o
the handywork, genius and the embellishments o
nature which our Central Park will present, with
out being essentially improved and softened II
the general tone of manners
All will observe, criticise and admire the same
objects, and all will be humanized by the same
studies. Even the habitual congregation of grea
numbers of people together, Of both sexes and
all ages, has necessary tendency to perfect al
those forms of personal relationship SO essentia
to polished popular society. Who ever heard
Of rowdy rudeness on the popular walks Of thu
Champs Elysees, or in the endless and crowded
galleries of the Louvre, when all the world L
pouring into them? That softer tone of man
ners observable in all countries where collec
tons of art and pleasurable walks are open Il
everybody, arises from the natural effect of 9
more elevated order Of ideas and thoughts upor
the masses, engendered by the contemplation o
the beautiful. In the park the same beauties
of nature and Of art will be opened alike to thu
poor and the rich, the depraved and the polished
and all alike cannot fail to be improved by thu
silent teachings of glorious nature, embellishei
by every variety of appropriate artistic orna
ment, which will there in time be submitted t.
the contemplation of every visitor