The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-05-08
BALTIMORE.
TUESDAY, MAY 8, 1860

What constitutes Park? We perceive by the |
proceedings of our City Council that resolution
has been adopted which authorizes the MAYOR TO |
appoint Commission of four persons-the MAYOR
himself being fifth Commissoner-whose
duty it shall be ITO select and purchase sites for
"Parks, to be paid for out of the funds accruinp
'from the one cent capitation tax imposed upon
"the City Passenger Railway Company" tt
would seem from the tenor of the above resolution,
and from the unanimity with which it passed the
First Branch of the City Council, that the hope of
possessing Park, comprising several hundred
acres OF land, and so situated as to be within easy
reach of all parts of the city, must be given up,
and that we must be content to fritter away
the money which it was designed originally to
appropriate TO so laudable purpose upon three
or four or half dozen lots no one of which, if
laid down to grass would afford sufficient to pas
ture a single COW. Such diminutive areas of
greenery can in no sense be called Parks
and it is not possible for them to answer the pur
poses for which a Park is designed. They are
simply little patches of sward and shrubbery
which are very pleasant, we admit to look upon
in the midst of crowded city, but Parks they are
not. Public Parks, properly so called, are extern
slve pleasure grounds artisticaly arranged, with
drives and winding walks-with noble trees cana
BILE in the of years of affordng shade to the
pedestrian, and with verdant interspaces where a
battalion of soldiers may be reviewed with ease
and where children may pursue their sports at
will. There is something grand and generous in
that legislation which sets apart large space of
ground for the express purpose of improving the
health of q city, and of adding to the pleasure and
the comfort of its inhabitcnts But beyond
their ornamental effect-what absolute good can
be derived from little patches of shrubbery shut in
on all sides by tall blocks Of brick houses and
subjectng all who assemble within their scrimp
limits, on summers evening, to the facilitating
influence of the reflected heat from surround
ing walls If the Commissioners to be appointed
by the MAYOR, obey implicitly the instructions
of the Council we shall have several additional
squares, but to designate them as Parks would
be an abuse of terms. 1t is not in this manner
that the popular want can be supplied There
are five or six squares in Philadelphia, ranging
in size from eight to ten acres each but the ne
cessity for Park has, nevertheless become so
obvious of late years, that, in addition to the
Lemon Hill property near Paramount, which was
purchased by the city some years ago, other large
tracts oand have been bought for the purpose of be
ing transformed into pleasure grounds, which shall
be worthy of the name and of which the inhabitants
may have just reason to be proud. In the upper
part of the city of New York eight hundred acres
have been purchased, and are now being i'm
proved as a Park at an expense of several millions
of dollars. Boston has her famous Common, "
tO which Sivn additions bo,o Al.
made from the lands of the Back Bay. In Brook
lyn several hundred acres of land have been
selected as the site for Park; and in Cincinnati
an equally laudable movement has been made in
the same direction. London, Paris, Vienna Ber-
lin-n fact, all the leading capitals of Europe
and many of the chief provincial towns have
their Parks and drives, which are freely thrown
open to the use of the people, and the influence
they exert upon the public health is not among
the least of their merits What we want here in
Baltimore is not half dozen little lounging places
like Franklin Square, whose entire circuit
can be traversed at a moderate walk in five min
utes; bat Park covering several hundred acres
of ground. A broken surface for such purpose
Is preferable to level one, for it is capable of pro-
duclng finer effects under the skilful hands of the
landscape gardener. 1t also admits of holder
masses of trees of more artistic combination Of
light and shade, and of so disposing the walks
that but one of them shall be seen at a
time instead of numerous qualifications being
presented to the eye as distinctly as the net
work OF lines upon Railway map. But
apart from these considerations which have
reference to beauty rather than to utility, it |
must be conceded that if we desire IN haneft b,- |
the invgorating influence of fresh air and fragrant
odors, to obtain some compensation in rural sights
and sounds for the close attention to business
which is demanded of those whose lives are pass
ed in great cities, the wish only be gratified
by the formation of suburban Park free under |
proper rules and regulations, to all corners, and
planned with due regard for the purposes which |
it was intended to serve