The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1891-07-02
The Journals New York Letter.

land Park, once the lordly home Of the family
of that name. Health and cheerfulness make
beauty wrote shrewd Cervantes in the reign
of that slave to etiquette, Philip III. of Spain.
"fiealth is the vital principle of bliss" adds
Thompson years later, and upon all coming
| generations did Thackeray, the gentlo-hcarted
| lay the warning injunction that "man subsi>tS
| upon the air more than upon his meat and
| drink The benign influences of forest and
| glade, or lake and stream, are nowhere better
eXemplilied than IN Central Park, where nature
| IN all her marvellous revelations of impartial
| prodigaity stands as the symbol of unarres ted
| progress towards moral excellence, and the
| positive advancement of human thought. Ma
| ture ever voices the Infinite in the calm grand
eur OF the hills and the everlasting protGndity
| Of the deeps.
Thirty-One years AGO Central Park was a
dreary region interspersed with Shiny pools
! plies OF rubbish, and the unsightly makeShitt-
nohltS Of the wandering squatters who now
dwell, for their brief season, on the unnhabt-
! Ell rocky lands of upper Harlem, from whence
| ere long the tide of ever growing population of
this wonderful city viii drive them forever
| over fifteen millions of dollars added to the
expenditure of mans creative faculties and
| the labor of his hands have conduced to the
| converting Of the bramby and weary region
| INTO the haudsomest public garden in the New
| World, embracing over eight hundred acres in
| all, four hundred of which are woodland and
one hundred and eighty, water. Diversions of
| every kind are offered in Central Park. to the
| Unsuitable and changetul public That the ef-
| fort Is fully appreciated may be seen every
| Sunday when the Park is thronged with seek
/ er> after pleasure. and its popularity eagerly
| atte>ted in Il thousand different ways. Grounds
| in this sumptuous domain have been especially
| set aside for the amusement of youth lawns
| laid out where tennis and baseball NAV he in
| dulged in without tear of rehuke, the CarrouseI
| for those of smaller growth, simply equipped
! with swings and merrv-go-r rounds, While not
| far of is the Dairy where milk, bread and but
| ter, ice cream and sodas are iberalil dispensed
| AT very moderate charges. Perhaps ,iearer
| than all else to the hearts Of the little folks il
the menagerie, occupying few acres near the
| Fifth Avenue side OF the Park. What a stu
| pendous treat to be allowed to wander at will
| among the safely caged-iu ,ienizens Of African
| deserts, Indian jungles. and Asatic >teppe>
| and what an added. though "fearful 10Y" in
| the vague possibility that by mi>chance they
might get loose. Here guarded by the watch
| fui care of supt. tonklin and the Jealous min
| i>traton> of his suborrnates. twhO often
make pets of their savage charges are
| groups of lions, panther> puma>, tigers, bears,
| elephants. and wolves, ETC., etc., while the
| family of three hippopotam excite endless re-
mark and curious comment by their ungainv
appearance and strange habits
"a tree is a nobler object than a prince in
mis- coronation-rObe>, said Alexander Pope,
III the hey day Of his genius, and the MALL the
| promenade Of the people, is lavi>hly adorned on
| either side by tall and noble elnlS, the thick
foliage casting refre>htul shadows upon the
resting crowds beneath, while at the Music
| Pavilion, a few steps further on. Cappa'S
band each pleasant Saturday afternoon during
the summer, gives forth its hcguiling sym
| phonie>-erhOe> Of the airs of fathtrIand. bring
nE back their happy memories whether they
he those of Germany, Itah, Spain, Bohemia,
France, Poland, Hungary, Ireland or any 9TH
er Of the nations Which are included in the
ho>pitable home-ll>, Of cur cosmopolitan city
Statues OF the prince Of musicians. Beethoven,
and the poet of the daisy, Burns, one the en-
bodimtnt OF rhy thin III music and the other Of
melody III literature, adorn this part of the
Park. Not far from this spot stands the Beth
>eda Fountain designed by Emma Stebhin-
and made in Munich. The lake winds in and
out, through twenty acres of water, laden in
the heated term with gay pleasure craft, the
melodiou> voices of the inmates sending TO-
mantle strains over the uuiet spot at twinght,
answered only by the SOFT ripple of the water
As 1t is disturbed 10y the gentle passing of the
swans. The scenery at this roint would have
charmed the soul Of Pan The lake Is over
>hadOWcd by massive rocks at hose base the
ti5er-lil} lifts its regal head, and cemuts lends
its rich fragrance to the bamv air. In winter
the keen edge of skates and the boiSterou>
laughter which belongs TO robust health MAY
be heard rtsounding on the clear and frosty
air. Higher than the lake, and at the other
end Of the Mall is the Casino, a restaurant par
tlcuarly adapted to the needs OF quieter folks.
II happened last year however. when Mt st.
incent was temporarily closed, that all We're
Obliged to 20 to the Casino in >elf-deteuce. The
ttmbIe is a series of picturesque and uneven
walk, vending their way through tall shrub
berry, high edse> of rock, sweet beds Of cuIti-
waited lowcrS, with here and there level
patches OF green sXard ri,iuu ever and anon
into abrupt hill-top- of hrauty crowned with
profu>iun of wild flowers in luXuriant bloom
the spot OF aII others chosen Ll lovers wherein
TO exchange mutual confession, Of surrender
| to Eros, speeding away the hours of courtShtp
in this Eden created bv man. M'Gowan'> Pass
i rep ray inc. celebrated In American lis
tory a, the place from which Leslie, British
ight-infantry drove the Continental troop, III
l-16. rhi, historical circumstance ha, giyen
lis name to the old time ho>tclry of Mount 81.
Incent. the resort of all lovers of delicate
feaSting and The VITALITY of kindred spirits
bent oil merrv-inakng. Years ago the old
Convent of Mount ST. Y incent stood ON this
site, and here the cardinal virtues held full
sway. and holy PRAYERS and silent meJitations
sanctilied the place The solitary paths were
filled with low voiced Euus counting their
ANes. many a murmured Invocation for the
welfare Of the sleeping city ascending to the
throne on high What Il contrast arc tbe ores
eut uses of the place TO the hallowpd neart. auI
quiet of that other time, The lofty tower on
| the Belvidere, of Norman architeGture IAN he
seen from this point and from the summit OF
the tower itself can be obtained a most Inauni-
iceut view of New York the Palisades. West
| chester County. and Long island
The Reservoir, containing millions of gallons
of water, has at its base the driveway through
the Park as also the equestrian path which is
The daily haunt of all true advocates of mi,
most generous exercise. ALONE these smooth
roadWaXS Suryeved honrlv =, i've VIGILANCE nf
| the mounted park police wealth. ana fashion
sends her most hrilIi.nt renrasentativps III rake
uart in the afternoon narpant whirh ,,iy4s ,dd-
ed life and color ia thp lrInri4s ~ \,turp H.
Vulnerable Are the statues which adnrn Central
Park The German citizens nf thp ritv aIu
rtpreeantcJ bv their ,rjft Of the Lroula IL
schiller. the Italian colony hv that nf N.lziui
and the Scottish elan bv a snlpndid ip,lrr ot
Sir Walter Scot. with his ,Io,c ,rnurhin7 IN, his
II ile
..'Cbe Indian Uuntar'' Inv / q W,rd tho
c,t,'S favorte il nI.red in a most ,lv,nt,.,,o,,l
nnsitjon near rho Mall and 80 Iife-IiLa in ii. Of
titnde that il reuuires N n rraat fr.a Of inn,i,n
tinn tn rnnure m, in rn sIty ,Il tbs f,lrin.tin
| rnmances If the 81 e.thar sto.tin5. mi th-
witrhery of urimeval l.ys \ot les. nntali.
| i. me ..StiI Hunt !" the vork Of kann,s
whirh rauraSents . nanthar rrouchi,,, u, ~.
| rorks naar mo nhaIisk h.If hi,iIaI 1, ~,
| hrnhharv q trne tn n.tnra l. th; ,,;ana +ha+
Il i not ditirult to f.nrv tha craat,,rn ~ ~
| ranei from thr Menagarie Ioyar down in ia
phi p,triotism AMI t,ratitnI. IRA aynLaJ N,
| tha vtatuas nf Webster ShakaSnaara anI Ei,y
greene U,Ilnrk wbile tha notpwnrthv ,lrn'I,,,.1
| ,jan of EoSonet th Eroncb s,,,,nta .rpplot',l
| hv am individual citizen to the rity IN 1sre i;
| ,t onca an ins,,ir.tinn and :, .h.rm tn ,II ,,,hT
| .tuI, If If il am .llnunrir.I frura of boroi,.
| SiIe and rruresents "52ommnrre > ..Tba p;I-
| GRIM If spif-Ienyiuo asnert ami ou,int ,,,rh
| na.r tho seventy. second street a,ytarn an
| trance is also the work of Ward Other mon
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