Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-01-21


Trees and Brooks, Would Bring sInesti-
mabie Profit to the MunicifsaIity ana Its
PeopIe-In Accord With Mayor Medill's
Suggestions.
A. G. Anderson, florist and land
scape gardener, furnishes The ARGUS
with paper that he was to have de-
Hvered at a recent meeting of the
study class of the University Extern
sion center, but did not do so, owing to
his inability to be present. 1t con-
tains some valuable facts pertaining
to the twin-city park system, which
has already been agitated to the ex-
tent that it is hoped it will ere long
becomea reality, and makes extern
sive reference to the development of
Rock Islands park lands, more par
ticularly those on the bluffs. Mr..
Anderson is in full accord with Mayor
Medili's plan. outlined in The ARGUS
of few weeks ago, to carry on the
work by degrees, doing little each
year. Some of the points from Mr..
Anderson's paper follow:
The indirect profits that we will
receive through the improvement of
the park lands are many. l consider
one-the educational-the most i'm
portant. Ought we not to have a
park where we could take our children
and show to them the trees, shrubs
and flowers of our own territory,
our forests, fields and meadows?
Would it not do credit to us if our
children in some future day were
shown beautiful park in some other
locality they could say, oh, we
have one more beautiful than this at
home in our own city of Rock ISL
and Was there ever a source of re-
finement so powerful, or a language in
it's silence so well understood by the
children of men as that spoken by the
children of nature, of God, the flow
ers?
Learning From Nature.
IF you wish your children to become
educated. should you not educate them
from the pages of that great open
book, nature? Gives there anything
in life that appeals stronger to man
kind than does nature in her simpli-
CITY, or in her splendor? And then
how much more still if nature.
and skill, art and the science of
man are blending tremendously to-
gether. Would it not be education to
take your child into the Rock Island
park and point at the different objects
before you and tell your boy or girl
that this is birch tree and that
willow? Inheritance working in har-
meny with environment. Don't you
think it education? This is tobacco
plant, and here is poppy-the Chi
nese squeeze the seeds and get opium
from it.
The park will contain groups of
trees and plants from far-off lands.
and strange, but true, they are all
different in foliage, growth and flow
er. The park has shady arbors and
grottoes for the tired to rest in, grass
for the children to romp on, walks
along ripping brooks, crystal lakes,
cataracts and foaming waterfalls.
The water is brought to the park from
far away. The river is made-the
lake, the cataract, and waterfall, high
towering boulders, that look like an
cient giants, all are made. The art
and intellect of man has created them,
assisted by mother nature. You could
initiate the youthful mind into the
open book of nature. He would be-
come moving spirit among his fellow
men, and thus insure the rapid de-
velopment of his cherished home.
Thus urged on by such motives Rock
Island would see glorious future.
Only One Rock Island.
And have we any other place like
this on the face of the globe? No;
there is only one Rock Island. Go up
on the bluff and let your eye sweep
along the horizon. What do you seeP
A beautiful valley studded with cities,
homes and manufacturing establish
ments; a valley fertile and rich,
central garden waiting for the hand
and intellect of man to produce her
golden crops of richest corn. Should
not this city improve her public
come and settle down along this