The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-05-24
WHATNOT /,
"DIes crit proegellda slnlstra.
quum."

lN>~~~~N~~N~~~N~>O
Having come over TO participate on
behalf of the French people in the dedi-
cation OF the Rochambeau monument
built by the national government in the
city OF Washington. IL Is natural and ht-
ting that the distinguished body OF
French visitors. who are headed by the
general in chief of the French army and
include high officials Of the army ard
navy OF the republic. should stop off at
Newport long enough To lay a wreath on
the grave OF Chef Escadre, In Chavalier
de Ternay, who commanded the fleet that
brought Rochambeau and his six thou
sand To this land--that splendidly sorgan-
lied fighting force that joined Washing
ton. went through the campaigns TO
Yorktown and returned TO Rhode Island
for a rest after their chvalric service.
The remains OF Admiral de Ternay lie
In Trinity church yard at Newport. The
tombstone was erected by order OF the
congress and In the church Is VA tablet
To the Chevalier's memory dedicated by
His Most Christian Majesty Louis XVI.
Indeed. i'm Newport where the French
fleet brought the army of Rochambeau,
are many historic associations OF the
commander his officers and his troops
and the men OF the navy The only
American troops under Count Rocham-
beaus command for several months af-
ter his arrival were the Rhode Island
line I'm Newport When the Rhode ISL
and Continental line of the Revolution
organized the Rhode Island Society OF
Cincinnati several French officers became
original members and. i'm later years, de
scendants OF original members in
France have generally applied TO the
Rhode Island society for their hereditary
membership. In the chamber OF the
House of Representatives at Newport in
1880. Rochambeau received Gen. Wash
ington. So, next only to the fields where
these gallant Frenchmen fought. New
port has almost a monopoly OF Rocham-
beau history and "reminiscences in this
country.
That reminds me. that II was the old
camp ground of the French contingent
here i'm Providence that a latter day
owner with fine public spirit designed 90
give To the city for park purposes. IL
Is rather a pity he did not do IL. Pos
sibly, IL he were living now, he would do
1t. But that is frutless conjecture. The
reason that Ia said to have caused the
withdrawal OF the gift is that the city
would not promise not to fll I'm the old
smelly Cove and the owner OF the prop
erty insisted that the Cove lands should
not be abandoned. The Cove was then
an issue i'm public affairs. and the city.
against strenuous opposition and much
high times. politically. was slowly NOV
ing toward the inevitable decision to fiji
the old mud hole and abandon the ven
cradle park. The owner of the French
camp ground expressed the view that he
wanted to add TO the parks OF the muni-
cipality and not simply make up, by his
gift. for n lovely park already estab-
lished and which II was proposed TO do
away with--the Cove
why. believe that If that citizen were
alive today. he would cheerfully give the
town the camp ground. because of the
plain evidence that we have abandoned
the old and odorous Cove only to reclaim
the space for something vastly superior
i'm the way of a park. But i'm those days
IL was held as high treason. not to say
sacrilege, in some quarters, 10 talk OF
filling I'm the old Cove.
For example. an eminent citizen, whom
| have in mind. declared the place to be
only the resort OF peanut eaters, and
that epigrammatic argument contributed
immeasurably TO the opposition to the
abandonment of the sacred shades. In
cidentally, II settled the eminent olu-
zens claims TO popularity and possible
political preferment and contributed TO
sidetrack his progressive notions for many
years.
The effect OF Commodore Vanderbilt's
"pubic be damned" remark was less
erence OF the eminent citizen. We. the
plain people, for whom public parks are
maintained, promptly assumed that the
eminent citizen. who was and is silk
stocking. meant us. We were seriously
Offended at being referred to pea
nut eaters. We did not like the eminent
citizen a bit for saying such a thing. III
the Cove controversy hadn't interested us
in the least before. indignation over the
peanut eater fling aroused us to pas
sionate loyalty in behalf of the old stink
hole.
And the clock that marks the progress
of the city was set back twenty years.
OF course, the Cove lands were finally
abandoned as a park. Sentiment died
hard, and the peanut eater incident was
not soon forgot. But the Cove was filled
In solid, it's stencil was boxed up and
taken away somewhere-perhaps II is
stored I'm the archives OF the Historical
society-and the eminent citizen lives TO
see his own ideas carried out in the
building of the new railroad depot ana
the splendid Improvement OF the adjoin-
ing spaces, far beyond anything he could
have imagined at the time he INDUCED in
that fatal bon mot about peanut eaters.
Who would go back and swap that
splendidly improved area for the old Cove
today? Not even we peanut caters! Look
on that pcture-the Cove, with the old
state prison over beyond, its fringe of
trees it's walk around the iron fence and
a few benches-muck and mush on its
placid surface. dead rats reposing in the
bosom of Its murkey waters, and smell. all
sorts of smell. hanging in festoons above
It, anon TO be waited as the wind listed,
strong enough to drive the most senti-
mental peanut eater off the grounds and
out Of the park 10 windward.
Now. look on the picture today. the sub
stantial and handsome railroad station.
the broad park and them III I'm Exchange
place. and the unsurpassed sweep up the
bills beyond surmounted by the state
House and the Normal School-absolutely
the finest municipal gateway that any
city In the country can boast
DAN III LOW.