The Washington herald., 1907-08-23

club. every advocate OF the establishment
Of parks in village, town or city. and ev-
cry planter OF trees. shrubs and flowers
Is a participant in a great movement in
America that Is resulting in bringing
back into dull towns OF trade" some
thing of the beauty of field and forest.
This movement is aiding in bringing life
giving air into crowded centers Of popu-
lation, where mortality rates are visibly
affected by the absence or presence OF
growing things. The spread Of the public
park ide is one of the greatest factors
in the modern problem OF how TO preserve
the public health in cities. both By pre-
venting disease. and by providing means
for inexpensive and healthful recreation
for the masses. The beauty Of landscape
gardening, and the delights Of parks and
flower gardens have been appreciated by
the aesthetic throughout ali history, and
the value OF trees as agencies for health
was known centuries ago. The hanging
gardens Of Babylon. although not per
haps as beautiful as many Of to-day,
were the wonder Of the age. The Ro-
mans planted olive trees TO absorb the
malarial ohiuvia from the Campagna.
Formerly parks and flower gardens
were for the use Of kings and the nobil-
ity, and the common people were allowed
10 enter them only upon stated occasions
or al the pleasure Of owners. The for
ests Of London and Paris were originally
reserved for royalty. At present almost
all cities. large OF small. have their pub
lie parks. and before long the United
States will have. by far. the finest system
of both municipal and national parks that
the world has known. Fifty years ago
there we're few parks, even in the older
cities
TODAY towns in the West where
blanket Indians arc stin seen on the
streets have their parks reserved as
lungs" Cor cities OF the future. Whereas
the parks Of the Middle Ages were dis
tinetly aristocratie, the modern parks are
democatic, and are as much the property
Of the people as the streets
When this country was settled the col
onists cut back the woodland from their
cabins, because it afforded cover for saw
ages. From that time until the last half
century the beauty and value Of trees
was but little appreciated by the public,
although many early settlers in Virginia
and elsewhere preserved forest trees
around their residences and initiated the
English gardens Of their ancestors. Fin
ally the reaction came and all cities
set about making spaces for breathing
and planting trees and flowers in the
wtldernesses OF brick and mortar. At first
the cost was considered gravely. and
many movements looking TO the opening
of parks were defeated on the ground
that the expense would be a burden 10
the people, but much TO the surprise Of
unprogressive citizens the parks greatly
advanced the prices Of contiguous real es-
tate. to say nothing Of the gain from
the saving in human life.
Gov De Witt Clinton, of New York,
was one of the few Americans Of a cen
tury ago who foresaw the need for ven-
tilation in great cities. He mapped out
a plan for parks in New York. giving one
acre Of space for every $50 inhabitants.
and making a park area OF 400 acres south
of Fortieth street OF this original tract
but siXty-siX acres were left in 1851. be-
fore the era Of downtown park making
began. Small parks since made have cost
about 100000. and il has been demon
dreamer. but a clear-headed economist
In 1867 St. Johns Park, in New York,
with its fine elms. was oblitersted by a
freight depot, and when the elevated
railroad was built in Manhattan. Battery
Park was sadly dishgured. City Hall
Park IS still a considerable space but is
curtailed by the Federal court house.
Central Park seemed 10 many New
Workers a great piece of folly when it
was proposed to improve IL and make it
what II Is to-day. II was too far up
town, it was argued. and the city would
never grow TO II. Moreover the expense
would bankrupt the treasury. The land
was ecquired in 1885, but for long
time il remained a rocky and swampy
waste. used as a dumping ground. and
occupied by squatters. The land cost
SS00GC0, and to complete the park cost
$4,000 an acre. and fifteen years work.
but the increased value OF surrounding
property was so great that it paid the
interest upon the I per cent bonds and
the principal as we'll and its value 10
the city could hardly be estimated to-day.
Greater New York now has an area Of
295 square miles and 10 square miles IS
in parks. Chicago has three park sys-
TENS, aggregating more than 100 acres,
connected by handsome boulevards Phil
adelphia has one park Of $500 acres, and
twenty-five small ones aggregating S1S
acres. san Francisco's system embraces
1,O90 acres in three large parks, and 224
acres in forty-four small ones. Balti-
more has nine large parks, with an area
Of LOO acres, and twenty small ones con
tanning 81 acres. Detroit is fortune in
having beautiful Belle Isle, which is two
miles long, and partly improved, while
another part Of it is in the primitive
state. Another Detroit park embraces 723
acres, and there are seventeen small ones.
Kansas City, although comparatively a
new city. has 1S28 acres in parks, and
Minneapolis has devoted 1,500 acres to
eleven large parks, and twenty-five
small ones. Boston leads all American
cities in the extent of her pleasure
grounds, having 2,337 acres in the Boston
system proper, and 5000 acres in the
suburbs. Bostons' experience as to the
economy of parks has been similar to
that Of New York. When Back Bay was
converted from a morass into a park
surrounding estates increased 80 per cent
IN value
In Chicago a map OF mortality to show
the effect Of parks upon the public health
has been made, and it has been demon
strated that even in densely populated
districts the death rate is appreciably
lowered by proximity to trees and spaces.
Even the small squares down town de-
creased the death rate not only BY al
lowing the free passage OF air but also
because trees are actual arteries for the
distribution Of vital air Another effect