New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-02-26
LEAVE Us THE GARDEN.
WHY SPOIL. A REAL PALACE OF DELIGHT
TO MAKE POOR PosToFFICE?


Something has been said in these columns previ-
ously OF the proposal happily not likely to be
ried out OF deprlving New-York OF Of It's unique
institutions through the turning OF Madison Square
Garden into postofflce. There two reasons
why II Is 70 be hoped that the project will not be
carried out. hrst because II would make such a bad
DostOflce and. second. because II makes such
good Madison Square Garden.
The present central Postoffice is in a good place
because II is centrally located. with relation TO
great business district; because It near 10 tho
ferries, which connect with many OF the great rail-
way systems, and because 1t is near TO the piers
OF the principal steamship lines The Madison
Square Garden has not one of these advantages.
The nearest terminus Of any great line OF trans
portaton is three-quarters of a mile away and
there only two lines within even this distance
namely the New-York Central and Hudson River
and the New-York. New-Hayen and Hartford For
access to all other railways and all steamship
lines II Is In a singuarly inconvenent place II
should be In the region of Forty-second- 81 That
Is near 10 the Grand Central Station and reason
ably near 10 the Forty-second-st. ferries
But 1t would be such a pity TO lose the Garden
They say that the front end OF the Garden has
never paid the stockholders OF the companv The
concert hall has been almost a dead loss since II
was built and the Garden Theatre not much better
Nobody knows why, but II has seemed impossible
TO get anybody 20 into that concert hall for any
purpose When there is a great attraction they
will go 10 the Garden Theatre, but no manager In
his senses will take any risk on it. Charles Froh-
man. who manages the theatre at present, does
not pay any rent for it, unless his receipts reach
a certain sum- and then he pays in proportion to
what he gets. II proba Bile that the Garden
Theatre has paid this season. And the big Garden
itself has always paid
II would be a sad day for a good many people
when the Garden was taken from them There can
never again be another place quite like II in New
York. Some place might be found for the Horse
Show and the circus might pitch it's tents In the
Borough of Brooklyn or The Bronx. but If the
Garden became postofice palace OF delight of
the children of all ages would be lost.
Think of the children who go TO the Horse Show
having TO go to some out of door place around
one hundred-and fifty ffth-st. no matter what the
weather! Think of the children who like dogs
having to to some stufy little hall where there
is not even room for the smell of the dogs let
alone the dogs themselves and the children Then
think of the children who go 10 the big political
meetings at the Garden and listen TO the silver
talk and decide that if that is all there Is to be
said for silver they will vote the other way, And,
most OF all. think OF the children who go 70 the
circus and to the Wild West!
New-York could be imagined without all the rest
but what would New-York be without the circus
and the Wild West? What is the use for city to
be the second city the world II IL is 10 be city
not worth living in? 1t might as we'll be Chicago
and be done with 1t. And what is a city that has
no place for the circus and the Wild West? New
York could get along somehow with the postofices
their letters somehow. and they will keep on get
ting them. no matter what happens. but the chill
dren Of all ages want the circus and the Horse
Show and the Dog Show and the Chicken Show
and the bicycle races and all the many things that
are always going on in the Garden. and there Is
no other satisfactory place for them to go on any
where. Take away the Madison Square Garden
from New-York. as a garden. and II is backward
step for New-York. 1t is surrender-a confession
that New-York Is not such a big city II thought
1t was. The tower will presumably stand there
whatever happens, but will II be the sight TO
those who understand 1t, when II Is the tower of
the postofice when II was the tower OF a palacs
Of delight for the children of all ages? What diff
ference will it make a hundred years from now
whether the stockholders made per cent or per
cent ON their investments? II win make all the
difference in the world whether the children of the
beginning OF the twentieth century had palace OF
delight and postoffice somewhere in a better place
for postofice, or whether they merely had
pestofiice In the worst place that could be found
Tor one.