Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-02-02

There are evident signs Of reaction
from the somewhat torrid wave of popu-
lar discomfort that lately involved the
parks commission and swept Mr.. Had
wen from his position as special Gus
todian of Elm Park. Certainly nobody
desires anything less than the best
available wisdom in the management of
the parks, and sensible honest and we'll
informed criticism should be welcomed
both by the public and by the commits
sion. The contention in the present in
stance is that the criticism has not
been always or in all respects well-in-
formed, and that to this extent injustice
recent and somewhat neurotic outbreak
in this city is no new thing. All cities
that have parks have suffered from it.
AS eminently pertinent to the discus
sion, and as presenting in logical form
an ample citation of facts the follow
ing quotation from the Boston Tran
script will be read with interest:
'In every community and in every
land there are persons who honestly be-
lieve that a living tree should not be cut
down; unfortunately, this love of trees
is not always accompanied by CORE
spending technical knowledge, and park
managers have before now found them
selves embarrassed by free and liberal
contributions of advice about the man.
agement of their trees In New York
such a feeling at one time was reused
by lovers of nature against the use of
the axe in the parks that the trees in
the border plantations along the eastern
boundary of Central Park have become
so deprived of branches because they
were not thinned at the right time, that
they no longer shut out the city, which
is plainly seen between their tall spind-
ling stems; while in the north end of
this park the once fine natural woods
are perishing because the hand Of the
aXeman has been too long stayed. In
Prospect Park in Brooklyn, once per-
haps the most beautiful of all the large
urban parks, incalculable damage has
been done by the neglect to thin the
border plantations which no longer
SHUT out the outside world.
THE once really noble woods in Fair
mount Park, Philadelphia, with their
great oaks and tulip trees, have fallen
into an alarming condition because the
park commissioners have allowed them
selves to be intimidated by a popular
dislike to the use of the axe; and in
Buffalo, Baltimore, st. Louis, Chicago
and San Francisco the value of the pub
lie parks is endangered by sentiment
which does not rest on sound knowledge.
Even in England where they know
more about the necessities Of trees than
we do here, such a row was made two
or three years ago, when Mr.. Dyer un-
dertook to do little much-needed tree
cutting in Kew Gardens, that the mat
ter got into parliament, and he was
abused in every paper in the country.
Just now Boston is suffering from-a
mild attack of this peculiar malady.
The particular form it has taken Is
both fortunate and unfortunate-for-
tunate that the criticisms made against
the park management have been so ex-
aggerated, as we are assured by the
highest authority, that they must nee
essarily fail to produce any bad results:
and unfortunate in having been thus
rebutted, for we feel sure that the park
commissioners themselves would value
more than any one else wise and honest
criticism which could help them to i'm
prove the parks and lessen the labors
Of their pulblic-sptrited and really oner-
Gus duties"