The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-08-05
WORLDS FAIR CITY.
An Interesting Letter on Chicago's
Parks and Drives.
The "Sparrow Cop and the Keep on
the Grass Sign Indispensable to
Their Preservation-A Su-
perb system.
Especial Chicago Correspondence.I

| IL must occur TO an observer OF nuIndu
nature that the average American
takes his citizenship of the republic
and the advantages that attend it too
much as a matter of course. He does
not seem TO appreciate them properly.
This may be natural enough, asmost of
them never experienced any condition
| less enviable than that which they en-
! Joy here and hence are not aware of the
difference between their condition and
that of Europeans. e
| This reflection is caused by seeing
the willfulness and carelessness exhib-
tied by so many people who enjoy our
public parks. They will tramp across
the grass with greater delight if they
see sign to ''leep off the grass than
where It says common In walking
along they will pull off leaves and
break twigs off the shrubbery or over
! hanging limbs of trees. Overgrown
| children will throw stones at the swans
and ducks that are left at liberty in the
park. They will pluck flowers and de-
stroy flower beds or, in the early spring
time, pull the lilac bushes all to pieces
in order to get the flowers.
1t requires quite an army of police
| officers to preserve order and protect
the park. There seems to be natural
antagon ism between the people who
use the park and the authorities who
| try to keep the park in proper condr-
| ton and add to its attractions. Does
! the average citizen never feel that he
is part owner of the park, that it is
III hot
every act of destruction is directed
more against himself than against the
authorities of the park?
1t seems strange that such feeling
of the common, joint ownership of the
! park never governs the actions of the
average visitor. 1t appears all the
more remarkable when contrasted
with conditions in other countries
where provisions for the comfort of the
| common people are not SO elaborate as
in this country, where the parks are
neither so large nor so numerous nor
| so convenient for those very classes of
people who in big cities in America,
like Chicago. derive the greatest bene-
| fit from them.
Speaking about this observation
some time ago with well-bnown Chi
cagoan who has travelled abroad good
| deal the remark was made that the
| city of Hamburg, for instance, in Ger
many, which is acknowledged to be
| one of the most beautiful cities in the
world, maintains an extensive system
i Of boulevards and parks all around the
| city. Where the Notifications used to
be at the time of the great Hanseatic
league in the middle ages which
marked the beginning of the enanci-
patton of the world from the feudal
system and the establishment of
the modern commercial and indus
trial society - all about the city
has been established a most picturesque
circle of parks and boulevards, part of
| if being elevated, and the former moat
of the fortress, ditch almost as wide
as the Chicago river, remains IN many
places. forming pleasing sheet of water
to which the banks descend on either
side from height of fifty to seventy
/ five feet.
Now, all these improvements are kept
up at the expense of this wealthy city,
and they are open to the public. But,
strange to say, there are no more po-
lice officers there than in the streets of
I the city. In fact. it is rare thing to
see an officer there. Yet the park is
not destroyed. the grass'is not trampled
on, the flowers are not pluckcd nor
( the shrubs broken. How is this ac-
| complished?
At intervals of quarter of a mile or
so you will see sign placed somewhere
amid the shrubs SO that the post is
! hidden from view and only the board
itself, displaying an inscription some
! thing like this:
These improvements are commended
to the protection of the public"
/ Immediately every visitor becomes
| an officer in charge of the city's prop
erty. If he sees boy tramping across
, the grass he calls him off. In most
! cases it is sufficient to stand still and
4 look at him hard, and he will sneak off.
; Everybody watches everybody else.
! Or, rather, the feeling produced is of a
better kind. Every one feels that he
| cannot watch others unless he does
right himself, so everybody tries to set
| an example to everybody else. Any
! destruction of anything in these parks
| is an extremely rare occurrence and
| the offender is looked upon with posi-
| tive horror, for every one feels person
ally injured by his acts.
1t is doubtful if this precise scheme
! would work well in Chicago or other
big cities in this country after having
| accustomed the people to the opposite
! train of feeling. But something SINH
! lar, have no doubt, could be made
| successful. 1t is the observation of
most men who have had much to do
with the practical side of government
| that the common sense of the people
and their natural feelings will, on the
whole, lead them to do right, and that
to make too much of an exhibition of
power and authority will only stroke
their fur the wrong way, so to speak.
| If the sense of personal interest and
proprietorship in the parks is awakened
and cultivated it will bring along
corresponding sense of individual re-
| sponsibility.
| / dom: want to deprive the park
policemen of their jobs. There will be
plenty OF work for them. In big city
like Chicago there are two officers sta
toned at each street-crossing in the
business center. not TO protect people
from criminals but to regulate and di-
rect traffic, to systemic travel, alter
nately passing vehicles and passengers
across, plotting women through the
throng, or acting as guides TO stran-
gers.
There would be plenty OF similar
work for park officers. But they should