The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-02-28
Beauty the Squares aud Streets.

/ Beeutify the squares aud Streets.
There is a growing sentiment in favor of
making the squares and streets more at
tractive. Savannah is beautiful city, but
/ it can be made much more beautiful without
I the expenditure of great deal of money
The first thing to be done is TO impress upon
| the people that they must keep of the grass
in the squares and along the sides and in the
middle Of the. streets. There are plenty
Of sidewalks for the accommodation
Of pedestrians, who can get where they want
/ to 20 just about as quickly by using them as
by crossing the squares and streets here
there are no crossings, and the only way 10
impress the people in this matter is 10 pass
aud enforce an ordinance making it a
Unable offense to walk upon the grass. II a
few persons were fined for deliberately
trampling upon the grass in the squares it
would soon come to be generally under
stood that those who take no pride in the
city, and who are disposed TO nullify all eff
forts to improve the appearance of the
streets and squares, are not to do Just as
they please.
johnson square is an example Of what
can be done. Only a few years ago that
square presented shabby appearance. It
was cut up by paths and was Uttered with
rubbish OF one kind and another. Now it
Is covered with grass which is green nearly
the whole year round. and its beauty is the
constant subject OF remarks. What has
been done with that square can be done
with all the squres on Bull street-in fact,
with all the squares in the city, and with
no IN
Liberty streets.
But before anything can lie accomplished
the council must take hold of the matter
with vigor and determination. II it will
lead the people will follow-at least enough
of them will do SO to make public senti-
ment that will support it in all it undertakes
TO do in the direction of improvement.
Why, only few nights ago a man delib-
erately drove horse and carriage across
Chippewa square. He ought to have been
arrested and punished, and he would have
been if the people felt the right sort of pride
In the city.
We are all the time talking about Savan.
nah's beauty. and yet we do little or moth
ing toward improving these features of
our city which are its chief attraction.
Liberty street could be made one of the
most beautiful avenues in the wo'd but the
disposition to care for the grass and plant
trees, which was manifested soon after the
street was paved. is beginning to disappear.
And it is not matter of wonder that it is.
The city makes no effort to protect the
grass, and permits street cars to stop be-
tween streets, thus rendering it impossible
to preserve the grass
Let us grApp.e with this question of
identifying the city in vigorous and in
telligent way. Let the proper means be
taken to protect the grass, and let trees be
planted where they are noeded-the right
kind of trees. Now, along some of the
principal streets there are great stretches
where there are no trees at all, and many
of the trees that were planted year ago
are dead.
Savannah is the great seaport of the South
Atlantic coast, and it is going to be a much
larger city. Let us begin the work of
making it by far the the most beautiful city
in the south-in the country, for that mat
tor. What is the use of waiting a dozen
years before beginning this workl Begin it
now, and we will be enjoying the fruits of
our work a few years hence. And let every
one take hand in it. A few can't do it and
won't do it. Nothing can be done until the
influential part of the community joins
hands and insists that It shall be done.