Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-06-29
Grass is Free to the Multitude in
London.
FAIRGROUNDS PROVIDED FOR CHILDREN
Washington Needs Increased Fa.
cilities for Recreation.
A SENSIBLE ARGUMENT

| play in the public grounds, and II is to be
hoped that in future the provision will be
extended to other portions of the city. and
grounds be set apart sufficient to accommo.
| date all.
| There is no other city In the world which
| has as many parks or reservations as this,
and in which there are so few that may be
| occupied by the children or citizens gener.
| ally.
| The prohibition against any one stepping
| on the grass in the Capitol grounds. es-
pecially when thu band plays there once q
| week. is to my mind simply absurd. At the
Executive Mansion the band and the popu.
| lace occupy the grass plat, and it Is not
| ruined by such use. Before the Capitol
| grounds were enlarged the grass plat there
| was occupied in the same way, and there
was no trouble. lived for years adjoin-
| ing the grounds, and know 1t was COM
mon practice for the women and children
OF the vicinity to go there and sit in the
| shade Of the trees during the day. and
when the band played 1t was always on
the grass. Why this change do not UNI
| first seeded, and before the sod was render
| ed rirm and compact. there was good rea-
son for keeping people OF of it, but that
| reason does not exist now.
! In Philadelphia, Paramount Park is con-
| stantly occupied by the populace, who
| walk and sit on the grass. In Chicago the
parks are similarly used. The following
| statement by the engineer and superintend-
| ent, made couple of years SINCE may be
| of interest in this connection:
Total number of acres, 324 This includes
| eight miles Of drives, fifteen miles of walks
| and twenty acres of inland water. Total
| acres of lawn mown. 179.
| The force employed to care for the lawn,
edgingS. etc, Is as follows:
Twenty men with mowers. 81. IS per day.
| $35; two trimmers with sickles, 81. 40 per
| day, $3.50; four men edging. cleaning walks.
| day, $. Total. $500.
In ordinary times this force will begin at
| one end OF the park and be at the other
| In five days. But give them six, which will
bring the total cost of moving and dress
ing the whole area to S295.20 each time.
In the full tide Of grass growth in the
where they firstolsegan. but as warm sum-
| mer days come ehere is less growth. TAX
ing sixteen mowfngs. probably, as a fair
average, we have A.123.2 % as the cost for
| the season, ard surely a very excellent
| record. Keep Off the grass" This sign is
used to but very moderate extent in this
| park. 1t is to be seen only in the flower
| garden, some of the steep banks, and in
| spots where 1t may be thought advisa BILE
to recuperate the WORKOUT patches. The
eastern idea of all but absolute prohibit
| ton from the grass would not answer in
this city. This park is the peoples for the
peoples use-under the trees. the grass
and all. Last fall, as late as the middle of
November on visit to Washington Park,
| in Albany, to see the gardener, we almost
| drove him into Mysteries by taking bee
| line across the grass to speak to him;
| there was hardly a soul in the park. All
signs were put away for the winter, and
| ore would have thought no great harm
would result from walking on the grass.
But it's way they have east as compared
to the west What would they think in the
east of park the size of Lincoln, requir-
| ing force Of six to seven old men, at 81 40
| per day, being all the time employed as
paper pickers" to keep the park in order
| after the publicS use. Of each day? Yet
| that is what is actually expended.
| In European cities far more provision Of
this kind is made. as shown by the follow
| ing from Meehan's Monthly: "PhiladeI-
| phia is getting a great deal of credit by
| proceeding vigorously to provide open
spaces and small parks over its wide ter
great city of London. in the old world.
| seems to be getting ahead of Philadelphia.
! The park area of the city has been increas-
ed 1000 acres during the past four years
| they claim now to have fourteen large
parks and thirty open spaces that are
| chiefly play grounds. and twenty-five small
parks that have been fitted up as gardens.
| on which they spend for maintenance an
| nually about SjO0.Oo0 1t is said that there
| is no items of taxation which the people
| Of London more cheerfully pay than those
| for the maintenance OF the small parks"
| One of their parks is thus described: "A
| press party was lately shown over the new
| Wembley Park pleasure grounds where
there Is now In process of construction a
gigantic tower which Is to overtop the Eff
| fel by 115 feet, and which, with its base
| 165 feet above the level of the sea- will
| reach 1900 feet above sea level. The posi-
| bf!lties attached to an enterprise of this
description are very great. and with the
| concert hail. restaurants and side shows of
various kinds. which will be erected on
pendous erection WILL of itself, prove a
! constant source of attraction. says the
| Pail Mall Budget. Apart, however, from
the tower. the park itself will form pleas
ant resort OF very complete description.
| This portion Of the undertaking. indeed, is
| already nearly finished and is intended 20
be opened to the public soon. The extern
| sive grounds. which are well wooded and
| of picturesque confguration have for some
time been undergoing suitable adaptation
and transformation
| grounds until it reaches the tower. and the
| Intervening spaces hare been set apart for
| sports and other purposes, including a
cricket ground, an extensive cinder track
| and a foot ball ground. There is lake
| with a uniform depth of three feet, to
| which the little river Brent which runs
| through the park. is made to contribute
and boats will constantly ply on the water
| while the beauty of the scene has been en-
| HANGED by the erection of pretty bridges
and by the introduction of waterfall and
| other attractions.
THE lake covers altogether eight acres
The running track will be one of the larg-
est in England, having only two laps to the
| mile. with a finishing stretch of $50 yards
| ON the straight Al fresco entertainments
| of various kinds will be given from time to
| time. and ample provision has been made
| cult to bestow too much praise upon the
| general treatment which the landscape has
| received.
Charming pathways. bordered with
] strawberries and flower beds, have been
laid out. while trees of fair growth have
| been successfully established in every suit
| able position: and there is wood on the
north side Of the park, which will form
| charming retreat and will be illum-
| mated every night by fairy lamps
| Music will have a considerable part in the
| entertainments provided, open air concerts
| being given during fine weather. The fall
| est advantage has been taken of the nat
| ural beauty of the landscape, and quite
| apart from the tower, which is to rise in
| the midst and form the newest wonder of
| London, there will always be plenty of
| amusement going forward to engage the
attention of visitors"
1t is sincerely to be hoped that at no dis
| tant day We may have something of the
| kind here, and ] glad to see that the
citizens of Northeast Washington are CIV
| ing the matter attention. in connection
| with the street extension plan. With a lit.
tie care and forethougnt in that direction,
and with the future improvement of the
grounds made by filling up the river fats
| the District can. in like manner, be pro-
| yided with parks where children can play