Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-04-26
PLEA FOR BAND STAND
People Who Enjoyed Concerts
 Sorry It's Going.


 works in voting to remove the Dand stand from the green has aroused a storm of protests and some have gone so far as to threaten to ask the
 board of aldermen to intervene on
 behalf of citizens who want the Dand stand to remain where it is and to
 see the green used as breathing spot for men, women and children, now as in the past. It is question II the aldermen would care to meddle in the
 matter and besides the charter gives
 the board of public works control or the public parks of the city so that 1t would appear that the aldermen
 have no jurisdiction ip the premises.
 anyway. Of course there are two sides to this question. Folks who ride by the green in autos and other splendid equipages and spend the
 warm weather at the shore or in the
 mountains, like to have the park free from all signs of activity except sucn
 as they see in the waving of the foli-
 age on the umbrageous elms, the
 song of the robin and the hum of the
 bee. The presence of so many old
 men on the seats is very objection-
 able to some while others draw the line at baby carriages and babies and
 consider 1t no place for them. The Iprelim Sary step to driving out these
 so-called objectionable things from
 the public park is the removal of the
 bandstand which has long since come
 to be regarded as an eyesore, not on
 account of itself but because while | 1t was there there was the incentive to use 1t for concerts and lectures and thus attract large numbers from all parts of the town into the con- gested portions of the city. Then to make things worse it was report
 ed that somebody wanted to talk re- ligion with the bandstand as pulpit
 and while one might say this should be encouraged, 1t didn't appear to be
 so. but on the contrary proved to be the last straw and the word was passed along to get 1t out of there by any means before anybody had an
 opportunity to bring people into the green for any such purpose.
 People who oppose what the com missioners have decided to do are
 composed almost exclusively of the
 working classes. who come into the
 center frequently, but who rarely find time to visit Hamilton park.
 They think it would be nice to have a concert there Saturday afternoons so that women folks could attend
 with their little ones and while lis- tening to the music also enjoy the satisfaction of seeing the youngsters sport about on the velvety lawn, kick at stray sunbeams, take libation from the fountain and take part in such other amusement as might be carried thereon without offending
 public decency or in any way harm ing the trees or the grass. Besides these, many who are just recovering from sickness and people who are lingering on the border on account of ills of one kind and another and are unstable to get into the centeE find the green very desirable spot to spend half hour every other
 daYsand the melody of the band would tighten their woes and mako them happy for the time being, at least. But there is no use indulg-
 ing in this sort of talk. A man has no business being sick and less still to be poor. If he has no money let
 him get of the earth and if his health
 is not the best and he can't afford to
 make tour to some more congenial climate, the public has no use for him and he had better remain in the house. If he doesn't want to do this
 he can pay trolley fare out to Ham,
 ilton park. The five cents that he could get nice glass of soda for must go to the Consolidated road and all the other nickels, say four or five a day, handed to the conductor, would meet other demands, but that can't be helped. The concert on the green, the melody of which still tingles in the ears of all Waterbury boys and girls, will soon be but a memory. and henceforth the most the public will be privileged to do in that con- nection will be to pay for keeping it
 in first class shape to look at.