The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-05-11
IFor the Dispaich.l
A Word About Chin bOra no Pa RI. .

Our people are cultivated and refined in
their sas'es about order and beauty OF our
public grounds and matters Of public inter-
est OK the kind. This being admitted, it is
strange that 80 little notice is taken Of
ChimbOraZO Park and its surrounding val
leYs. dehles. aud nelghboriDg prominences.
These beautiful and almost unequalled nat
ural attractions must be visited by few OF
our citizens, or the interest in them would
swell 10 an excitement that could not be
repreSsed or silenced until they had teen
properly arranged for the public comfort,
and provided promptly with walks, sewer
drains, statuary, seats, and enclosures,
&c. We walked over these grounds
the other dav, and verify we felt that
such a combination OF attractions is
rarely met with in this or any cOun-
try. We need not 80 10 the mountains
for prospects to enchant the eye with
distance and the display OF a little world
spread out 10 our view, for here on Chin
bOraZO we have it. Not that Rockets and
Manchester are so slightly IN appearance,
but they can all be seen at lance. They
are not grand, but distance lends enchant-
ment TO the view y; and, as II great works
OF panoramic art, they surprise Us. for we
can hardly believe IT'S they. People that
have not gone crazy about great marble
structures and mighty steeplCs and columns
may see much TO admire IN these humble
appendages 10 Richmond that, like the
sweet faces OF our cleanly-clld poor, are tit
to be seen by their rich neIghbOrs. But
the river scenery below for six or
seven miles il stretched out in
plain view from an hundred differ
ent points, and the valley OF GilIie's
creek 20 the mort beast lies open to the eye,
clad with dark.sreeu Yerdue and dotted
with cultivated fields and habitatiOns, with
its recediug sleeps, slOpiug away IN the DIS
tance. With simple tarn round in our
footsteps three-tOurths Of the horizon is
submitted to our sight, and earth and >ky
are blended in the distance in harmOniZing
cOlOrs, a II we were peering from some
summit OF mountain range. Then the up
per portion Of the river, with It's Islands
with luXuriant foliage, and currents bOund-
ing abOu, them over ledges OF prOtrudlng
granite. and near them i've mighty bridges
spanuinc the stream (the lovely and maies-
tic James, with their busy travellers and
vehicles passing and repls-ing. still fur.
ther up may be seen Belle Isle, with lis
great furnaces in blast, and 10 the right
RichmOnd's Water-wOrks and the beauli-
iu Hollywood cemetery. Besides, the
harbor and shipping lies IL il at your
feet. and Fails plantation" with beau
tiful earth figures, is Clrpeted to the
south, fringed by the distant Verdure Of
Chesterfield, where The curling smoke Of
the passing trains 20 and from Petersburg
are ever and anon seen far away TO the
south, while the York River aud Cbe-a-
peake and OHIO railroad trans and the life
moving steamers in the stream are also fre-
quently in view. Can grlnder galaxy OF
subjects for human vision be found
where? We think not. Those who
have not seen them. let them go
and see for themselves. Richmond
NAV he proud OF such wonderful natural
di> plays, that serve not only 10 crafty the
sight and nyigOrate her wearled workers
and pIeasure.> eekers, but also her children
and those feeble with age ond disease.
The Sc grounds should be worked on unre-
mittingly until completed il the present
generation are TO shlre in the enjoyment Of
them, unless indeed there are more Methu-
seiahs among u than we can conceive OF.
No work 10 our mind would 50 rebound
TO the honor and credit OF the City En-
gineer az the completion OF this park, and
the adaptation of its surrounding grounds
TO order and beauty commensurate with IT,.
And - 10 the City Council, II should wake
up, and each and every one NJ them 20 and
see Chlmb0raz0, or 20 in body; and they
would no longer treat these lines a. the
work II an enthusiast. IL may be that our
own taste is poor; If 10, then ignorance i
bliss. I.