The New York herald., 1871-04-03


The National Quarterly ON "rhe Central
Park Under Ring-Leader RuIe.0
A striking characteristic of the National
Quarterly is its interest in what the French
call questions of GctualitS. This feature is a
happy deviation from the custom of some of
our ponderous American quarterlies, which
are chiefly remarkable for their antediluvian-
ism, both in the selection and the treatment OF
topics. Their lack Of vitality doubtless ac-
counts for their limited circulation and in
fnitesimal influence. But with display Of
erudition, equal if not superior to theirs, the
National Quarterly combines the matter-of-
fact, direct and trenchant style effectively
employed by the modern newspaper, the end
of which like, according to Hamlet. the
end of playing, is 'sto show the very age and
body Of the time, his form and pressure"
Thus the March number contains an article
on ''The Central Park Under Ring-LeAder
Rule" which is a spirited, if somewhat vio-
lent, attack on president Sweeny." The
anecdote with which the article begins is its
text and the keynote Of its complaint against
the President of the Department OF Public
Parks. "When Gustavus III. requested the
great Linnmus to give him some hints for his
new park on the banks of the Dahl the philoso-
pher sent him the following among others:-
Your Majesty should commit your favorite
horses to the care of an ignorant groom,
or place your choice cattle in charge
of an ignorant cowboy, rather than
entrust your trees and shrubs to the manipu-
lations of an ignorant gardener But above
all the candidates for the supervision Of your
park, beware of petty politicians. The writer
of the article, while emphaticalIy dsclaiming
any political motive for his complaints, does
not mince matters at all, but bluntly declares
that all the newspaper complaints bestowed
upon the object of his wrath do "not prove
that Mr.. Sweeny is fit and proper person to
have the chief control of the Central Park"
After indulging in certain facetious remarks
by way of illustrating his want of confidence
in the president" as, for example :-''As
for plants, we should trust none with Sweeny,
except very few of the harder species, such
as the genus ga6disdhe (Irish for cabbage),
the genus prdto Qrish for potato) and the
genus ri-dhuite (Irish for shamrock)." The
writer says :-"But the question now is,
How does Sweeny manage the Central Park?
No intelligent person in the habit of visiting
it who makes any use of his eyes needs any
reply to this. But those who are short-sighted,
as well as those who live too far away to
Judge for themselves may justly be told
that no park involving half so much
expense has been so grossly misman-
aged. We exaggerate nothing when we
we say that an amount of damage has been
done to the Park since spring last, which it
would take five years to remedy did the work
of the spoiler cease at this moment. We think
we hear our sagacious and accomplished natu-
ralists exclaim, with derisive smile, 'Why,
he knows nothing about It'll he means the
pruning, and thinning, and transplanting;
what nonsense!' 1t is very true that we
partly mean what you designate by these
terms it is also true that we believe in prun-
ing, thinning, and transplantng; but we be-
lieve in them as we do in the use of the Ian
Get, the scissors and the razor. Does 1t follow
that, because these are useful instruments in
skllful, experienced hands, no mischief will be
done if almost anybody takes them up at ran
dom, and cuts and hacks and mutilates what
ever he imagines he can improve in its health
or appearance by his newly acquired art3"
Such unskilful handling the writer charges
against Mr.. Sweeny, averring that after visit
ing several parks in England and on the Con-
tinent, and observing, as he took "a hurried
glance" at each (for Tammany might 60 to ruin
If he was long absent), that some little branches
had been Topped off here and there, a few trees
transplanted, and few diseased ones cut
down, he returns as hastily as he went; and
he was scarcely two days back in New York
when he began to prepare for general on
slaught on every grove, shrubbery and tree in
the Central Park; his first attacks being on
those groups that had begun to afford de-
lightful shade-one of the most fascinating at
fractions in public park, especially in cli-
mate like ours, where everybody longs for it
in summer, "as the hart panteth for the water
brooks The Quarterly not only gives the
result of personal observation as to the inju-
ries wrought by eth ordhers" of Mr.. Sweeny
himself, but also brings forward in support of
an eloquent protest against the alleged brutal
ity of Mr. Sweeny's onslaught on the trees OF
Central Park a number Of apt citations from
such acknowledged authorities on landscape
gardening as Figuier, DR.. Hales, London,
Wilson of Edinburg, old Evelyn-who, long
ago, exclaimed, ''It is q misery to see how our
fairest trees are defaced and mangled by un-
skilful woodmen' Burke, Walpole,
Knight Virgil Cicero, ysrro, Pliny, aud,
above all, Milton, who, before he wrote
line Of his description of Eden,