Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1883-06-12
About Our East Rock Mountain and Its
Associated Things.

Associated Things.
To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
Certainly not very great among the noun
tains of our continent are our East and West
Rocks, Prospect Hill and the heights forming
the background, just over the Quinnipiac,
the background of that neatest of suburban
villages, Fair Haven. But all these things
are rather great to us. Not only do they
seem to grow with the growth of our little
city, but they have always offered to our
citizens who can afford riding or walking at
their lucid intervals, but very few miles, a
delightful contrast to the generally beautiful
levels of New Haven. And those elevations
always were more than good they were
good enough as nature formed them and left
them, life long legacy to every living citi-
zen. And as one of those citizens, and not
the only one took no pleasure in the at
tempt to artifcialize and to desecrate our
East Rock by calling it park. And then.
what next !? Let US hope it will not be to
make it seductive resort of eVil-doers, and
the occasion of largely increased taxation up
on the poor well as the rich. But the
decree has gone forth it may be we can saf-
fer the consequence and thrive The expert
ment will cost, and in any event we have
chosen very clumsy thing for park. But
now, however, it is proposed to devote it
also to another use and this last suggestion
is better-this, namely, to make it the site of
our Soldiers monument. Such monument
we are to have. There let it RISE by merit
raised to that good eminence. And let it be
monument worthy of its object and of its
place. May every good citizen all through
the far-down time stand for that monument
and for its true meaning. Like the monu-
ment of Bunker Hill everm 1re may the
morning sun gid it and parting day inger
and play upon its summit" But here comes
in somehow, oddly enough, the thought that
it might be grand idea if the Soldiers mon
ument could be made to CO operate in the
great enterprise of tearing down the odd State
House! Was ever yagrant thought SO OBJ
viously ridiculous? Somebody has
said that 'sthere is but one step from
the sublime to the ridiculous"
Well, let the demolishers stand stock still in
their tracks enjoying proudly their nearness
| to the sublime, while we offer a word to the
plain people like you and I, dear reader, peo-
ple who do not forget that dollars are yet
useful among us and that this same old State
House neglected, abused, sneered at, wound
ed and bruised like the poor man on the
highway from Jerusalem to Jericho, even in
such deplorable circumstances the old State
House rents for fifteen hundred dollars
year. If it were well repaired it would be
better than ever, and in all its exterior it
would loom up the most beautiful public
building in our city And let into it the light
and the air, cleanse and sweeten it within and
there will be demand enough for its uses.
For PHYS sake then let the old State House
be renovated and remain, even if it be only to
qualify the appearance of its surround
ings. It is replied that Yale college
will be there and is not that grand enough
We answer yes, oh yes, Yale is grand. In its
true inwardness it is grand, but its outward
and visible signs sometimes those of un-
wisdom And the day is at hand when all
eyes will ache if the State House be removed.
The present beautiful college grounds and
the old, old memories which used to revel,
and the new ones which through the centu-
ries might perpetuate that innocent revel in
the witchery of sunlight and shadow, fitting
through the leaves of those ancient elms,
those memories will be renewed no more for
ever The elms are already doomed Of we
are not quite misfnformed and mural cor
don of red bricks is to advance to the