The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-10-02
Humanizing Influence of the Central
Park-A Metropolitan Want.


Humanizing Influence OF the Central
Park-A Metropolitan Want.
| Now that the Central Park has become
| fixed metropolitan fact an institution duly
| cherished in the hearts ut our people, and
properly appreciated by visitors from other
| sections Of this country and from Eu
rope, it is interesting to notice the silent
yet sure manner in which its humanizing
influences are affecting the habits and manners
of all conditions OF men and women who have
been brought within its sphere
The Central Park is the first great public
attempt that has been made TO improve the
grand natural advantages this city enjoys over
| and above the chief cities of Europe, whore
everything is cultivated to the highest extent
Neither Paris nor London have such magnif-
cent surroundings AS those Of this island.
Compare the Seine or the Thames with the
river. 1t is vastly in our favor. Our facilities
for all aquatic sports are unequalled by any
European city. Neither can you obtain SO
splendid view from the Bots de Boulogne or
Hyde Park as from the Observatory in our
Central Park. On the south you gaze with de
light upon the great city, with its countless
buildings, its splendid churches, its forests OF
masts, its eternal hustle; while looking to the
north the eye is charmed with rural beauties,
hill, dale, river, here a lordly mansion, there
quiet rustic cottage, and far away the ma estic
Palisades, standing out in bold relief to the
wooded heights of Fort Washington. The Cen
trail Park, with the free concerts, The drives and
rides for equestrans, the quiet ramb,es for pc
destrans, brings to the enjoyment Of suburban
luxuries thousands of people to whom such
things have before been denied. Previously,
New York had no drive worth mentioning.
The Bloomingdale road was always dusty or
muddy, and made rowdy pandemonium.
But the Central Park drives, already partly
finished and now a favorte resort will give us
this valuable desderatum. Equestrians can
fine equipages find an opportunity to display
them to the best possible advantage.
Well then, we have begun TO humanize the
people by giving them charming park, where
they may enjoy fresh air, exercise and all
healthful amusements without money and with
out price. These will give sound mind in a
sound body. Now we must look after the sus-
tenance of the body. Thousands of people,
citizens and strangers in this great city, are
every day asking: "Where shall diner" The
hotels are good enough in their way; but every
body don't like their way There is too much
ceremony about it, and through the system of
bribing servants which prevails in all of
them more or less, stranger is never quite
certain that he will have good meal. Board
ing houses at the best are meager places and
the down town eating houses are places where
a man seizes hasty lunch bolts it and runs
off as rapidly as Mr.. Brick and the French sol
diers ran away from supposititious Austrian
hussar What we want is the Paris cafe: Ex-
actly the Paris caf6 one of the most remark
able and entertaining features of the gay CAPT
tai. We want the dinner at fixed price. mot
the table d'h6te), say fifty cents for soup, fish,
meat and dessert, and the dinner at any price
that the diners purse will allow, with good
light wines at reasonable tariff. The nearest
approach to the Paris cafe is Demonicos;
but that is beyond the means of many people
who would like to dine well. The prices here
are something higher than in Paris, while the
cooking is not SO good. But, admitting the ex-
cellence of Delmonico's. that is only one res
taurant, and for late diners too far down
town. We should have in upper Broadway
several restaurants like those on the Boule-
wards and in the Palais Royal, where you may
dine at any price. but where your table furni
ture will be uniformly good, your napkin and
cloth immaculate, your attendant intelli-
gent, clean, active and respectful. A cafe
where the proprietor is not too grand
to wait upon customer, and where
the half dollar dinner is cooked as well as the
ten dollar a head banquet, is what is wanted
IN New York, down town and up town, around
the Park and out upon the Bloomingdale road.
If half dozen Paris restaurateurs should come
out here and set up cafes on the French plan.
they could make fortunes by the labor which
now secures them bare subsistence. The
cafe business in Paris has been overdone; here
it has never been properly begun. The prices
here should not be higher than in Paris, mar
keting being nearly the same in both placesfor
meats. Game, fish and fruit are more abun-
dant and cheaper here than in Paris. We have,
in fact, every good thing with which to make
good dinners, plenty of people to eat them,
and nobody to cook them. We must dive
into oyster cellars, or be bored at hotel
tables, or disguised with dirty table
cloths, unclean and stupid walters, simply be-
cause everybody does it. 1t is great shame
that in such city as this, with so much to en-
terrain and delight citizens and strangers, one
is at loss to know where to dine well at
moderate price.
To the men who supply this metropolitan
i, L. y