Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-06-06

OPE~ PUBLIc GRoUSDs. The stranger visiting
Nashville. whether for business or pleasure
whether as " bird Of passage" or in search OF n
home ia struck with the absence Of squares, parks
and open public grounds. lie locks in vain for
those green spots in the city's crowded area which
elsewhere add so much to the comfort and plea
sure Of the population. If in the heat Of summer,
the citizen or wayfarer desires breath Of pure
fresh air. he must 20 beyond the city limits or to
the suburbs TO get it. The thousands of little
children, whose parents restrict them from the
corrupting streets, imprisoned in their rooms.
or cooped up in back yards throughout the day.
If they visit each other the same is the case, and
they must turn everything topscy-turycy within
the household or romp in the narrow and uncouth
space bordering the back alley.
This l. neither the way 70 build cities, invite
population. nor raise children. 1t is a shame and
a constant injury 20 Nashville. that with a popu-
lation of fifty thousand people, energetic cultiva-
ted and generally well to do there is not sin
gle foot of ground that can be employed as a pub
lie promenade or that contributes to the public
comfort and pleasure. That which was originally
intended for the purpose is a burlesque Oh every
thing like an open public square. 1t is a public
"e0semmenf," where people assert their rights 10
carry their hunger, and their grievances, and to
drive their carts and wagons. and TO do ali sOrts
Of business. Nobody goes to the Public Square
Of Nashville for pleasure, or recreation. no more
than they send III cir children there for exercise
and mirth. The City Hall, the Market House,
House, the Court House, and the drcary and
rough iuterspacc of rocks, wagons, cows and
calves, horses aed colts. and the thousand
other things that take possession Of it from hour
to hour. is all that Nashville can claim rs a Pun
Lie SQUARE.
There is no other city of equal business and at
fractions in America that shows 80 little regard to
this vital matter as this If there was. it ought
to be abandoned and destroyed, and a new one
built somewhere else. There is reason for it.
and Nashville ought not to let another day pass,
without taking steps to procure and open grounds
that should be forever devoted to the health,
pleasure and exercise Of the public.
We may be asked. where could the grounds ap-
propriate to the purpose be obtained. We an
gwer that is none Of our business: but squares we
must have and ,rW have, one day or another
Wherever they are placed. they will cost less now
than at any time hereafter. If we had the selec-
ton. we should go TO that unsightly and unwhole-
some and cheap low ground South Of Broad, and
purchase a square between College and Cherry
streets-and then go over and purchase another of
the same dimension, between Cherry and Summer
streets We would fill them up above high-water
mark. placing a strong culyert over the stream
which runs through them, and make this culvert
the Lasc Of the future sewerage system
of the city. These grounds yield norevenues TO
the city and can be had OF better terms than any
one we know Of They will soon be central TO a very
large proportion Of the population, and are sus-
ccptibIe Of being made, in this way, most beauti-
ful and attractive II necessary, 20 to the North
orn portion of the city and do the same with a
portion Of the low grounds Of that section. But
the place in which is is not so much the question:
as the thing itself. The public demands that they
have open public grounds and we respectfully
commend the subject to the Mayor and City
Council, and ask their attention and action up
on il.