Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-15
A LOOK AROUND.

THE City Of Washington to q great
extent, and Chicago TO lesser one, have
been greatly benefited by their tree-plant-
ing policy. do not see why similar plan
cannot be adopted by Pittsburg and similar
benefits obtained rs u result. In Washing
ton there is a District Board made up of
United States Engineers and officers of the
Agricultural Department, which in the past
five or six years has planted in the neigh
borhood of $4,000 shade trees on the Wash
ington streets. The commission has sole
| charge of the work. When a street has
been graded and when all pipe connections
have been made, the commission begins its
planting of trees all along the streets uni
formly. The lot owners have no voice in
the matter, pay nothing for the trees and
have no hand in caring for them. The cost
| comes out of q fund created by general tax.
alton. The commission has its own nurser
| les and its corps oflnen who fully understand
the planting and the care of trees. The
washington streets speak for themselves
and for the energy and intelligence of the
members of the commission.
IN Chicago the new streets and driveways
are in charge of the Department of Parks so
far as the trees go, and they also have ex-
elusive powers. Now is surely the time for
Pittsburg to adopt this plan, while so many
new streets are being laid out. 1t is not i'm
probable that in the near future q new
branch of the citys government will be
formed by reason of the necessity for its
operation as separate organization. l re-
fer to the Department of Parks. 1t is unfair
and unwise to crowd all this work upon the
Department OF Public Works. There is,
however, no need to wait until such q de-
partment is erected. Let the Department of
works have the power and the money
until the Department of Parks comes
into existence. 1 do not suppose there
Will be much serious objection to
placing the power of selecting the
variety of trees and taking care of
them in the hands of the department.
Repeated experiments the world over have
shown the necessity of taking such things
out of the hands of the individual property
owner and placing them under municipal
control. One man would want Lombardy
poplars, another naples another lindens,
Still another would insist on horse chestnut,
and the result would be a Falstaffian reEi-
ment of shade. Some would die, others
would flourish and others would spin out a
sickly existence. BY all means let US have
this matter taken up by Councils, an inteIli-
gent estimate of its cost given, and then
proceed to shade all principal streets where
such course is possible.
IT is noticeable to many people who ride
in the street cars in the early part of the
evening, when they are fullest, that num-
Der OF young men seem to think tired work
ing girls rejoice in the smell of cigarette
and toby smoke. Young men who have the
appearance of average intelligence and
ordinary good manners on finding the
smoking compartment full, hang on to
strap with one hand and hold smouldering
cigar or rank toby in the other under the
noses of ladies and children, with cheer
ful disregard of results that is delightful to
behold. The conductors are so busy col
lecting fares in the crowded cars that they
can hardly be blamed 1or overlooking all
such cases, and the companies have posted
notices forbidding the practice, so it is
matter for the passengers to take up for
themselves. Night before last 1 saw an
incident in q Fifth avenue car which was
certainly suggestive in this line. A tall,
thin youth with collar like an EliZabethan
ruff and wearing an ulster, sickly smile,
stood in the center of the car clutching O
toby from which the smoke curled up into
the face of delicate looking young girl
who manifested her appreciation of this
burning of incense before her shrine by
coughing from time to time. finally made
up my mind to interfere but before could
do so little, dried-up old gentleman with
the most pacific air shortened his grasp on
his heavy cane and raped the knuckles of
the hand which held the offending toby.
The fingers opened with IL twitch, the to-
bacco or Whatever it was that burned fell to
the floor and the young man with q savage
exclamation turned to look for his assailant.
The old man met his angry glance with
placid smile and, nodding his white head, he
remarked: ayes, it was l." The incident
closed then ard there and so did the mouth
of the man in the ulster, while the girl di-
vided her look between gratitude aud fright.
WALTER