Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-01-20
BIG CITIES NEED LUNGS.
Air Makes Good Blood and. Therefore, Good
Boston Herald

/
Gould on Park Areas and Open Space:
III Cities, - which contains important
facts relating to the rapid growth of oul
large towns and cities.
! 1t is found that in the United States
! since 1860, the Inhabitants of the cities
1 have gained so per cent Dr. Gould
| thinks that if the present rate of increase
III the twelve principal cities of the
| country should be maintained for the
next 100 years their population
would equal thar of the entire
Union of to-day In view of this
advance downward it has been re-
marked that the further progress OF
civilization is TO depend mainly upon the
Influences by which men S minds and
characters viii be affected while living in
large towns. - The advance of civil So
ciety used to be called the influence of
the country upon the town, but now it is
the city that solves the social problems
and notes the progress of the race, and
it is not probable that the country at
large will ever again regain the suprem-
acy which it enjoyed from fifty to a hum
dred years ago. 1t is the cities which are
to rule, and it is recognized on all sides
that in the cities we are in the closest
general touch with our KIND.
1t is in this light that the sanitation of
cities is one of the foremost of practical
questions, and that the increase of air
holes and breathing places is of the ut
must importance to health, strength, life
and morals. The New York legislature
recently authorized the appropriation of
81 900 200 yearly III order to make air
spaces in the sluIns of New Yorl1scity and
Vrs9V hp
ceased to exist This has been done in
London and Glasgow with very crafty
ing results. Currents of fresh air have
cleared the effiuvia from the slums and
made narrow quarters habitable. But
these open spaces are quite as useful for
recreation as for the prevention of di-
seaSe. No one who mas seen the public
squares of New York on a hot summer
night will begrudge the space for those
who live in the tenement houses, and the
closer these squares are to the houses the
greater service will they render to the
community.
In France, Germany and Denmark,
the working people understand how to
use these parks or gardens or city air
holes better than do our own citizens.
In the summer months their leisure is
largely spent in these healthful quarters,
and they greatly assist in uplifting the
lives of the masses. We are still slow in
adopting the European usages in this re-
Spect. Dr. Gould would not only have
these open spaces for the summer, but
would secure indoor opportunities for the
winter season, where people have pleasure
and entertainments in social way. Here
the Europeans are still in advance of
Americans The great cities of Europe,
ali Do,
are alive TO the need of these open spaces
and park areas, and practically lead the
world.
In this country the cities best provided
with air-holes are Philadelphia, St Louis
and San Francisco, those in the second
rank being Detroit, Boston, Baltimore,
Brooklyn and Chicago. The American
city that is worst off is Pittsburg, and the
next three are Kansas City, Louisville
and Jersey City. The difficulty with us,
as shown by the statistical tables which
DR.. Gould has prepared, and is known,
in fact, is that the public parks are
mostly ornamental neighborhoods outside
of the city instead of wholesome areas in
the heart of the community, where they
are needed the most. In Europe the
breathing space is close to the poor man s
home: in America it often costs him
a double car fare to reach il, and even
then is scantily provided with what he
wants.
DIR. Gould thinks that the small spaces
in great cities are more needed than the
large ones. In the relative rank, where
the areas are five acres or less, Washing
ton stands first among the cities of the
world, and Philadelphia stands last;
Boston is fourth and Brooklyn is thirty
third on the list. New York and Paris !
are about the same. San Francisco and
Berlin stand together. London is unique
and cannot be classified These small
spaces are the first essential, if the people
who most need fresh air are to have 1t in
sufficient quantities to do them substan-
tial service.
The second essential is boulevards and
broad avenues like Euclid avenue in
Cleveland or Commonwealth avenue in
Boston. These link the smaller places
with the extensive park system estab-
liShed on the outskirts. The third ne
cessity is large parks like the Central in
New York, or the Franklin i'll Boston,
where everybody can have fair chance. |
The Deficiencies in many cities is in the /
number of small areas close to the homes |
Of the poor, provided with the means of |
simple employment and entertainments, |
and not fenced off from public use
With all the care that the municipal |
seem willing to take, it is diff |
emit to foresee the growth of cities and |
provide for their breathing |
places, and yet, with the purpose of
every competent American to make his
OWN way in the big cities, it is of the first |
Importance that the conditions of healthy |
md enjoyable living shall be as well as
1Ired i'll the city rs in the country town
rhe caution which Dr. Gould suggests is
he one that cannot be too much insisted
IN, and that is the need of looking after
he holes where the houses are crowd
I'd together, rather than the spending of
90 much money on public parks that APP
zeal chiefly to the pride of the eye.
ODD ELECTRICAL INVENTIONS.