The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-08-24


 When this country was settled the col onists cut back the woodland from their cabins because it afforded cover for say 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 wilder nesses 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 to the people, but much to the surprise of un- progressive citizens the parks greatly ad- vanced the prices of contiguous real es- tate, to say nothing of the gain from the saving in human life.
 Governor Dewitt Clinton of New York was one of the few Americans of a cen tury ago who foresaw the need for venti- la ton in great cities. He mapped opt plan for parks in New York. giving one acre of space for every 160 inhabitants, and making a park area of 400 acres south of Fortieth street. Of this original tract, but sixty-six acres were left in 1887. before the era of downtown park making began. Small parks since made have cost about s17,o0o.000, and it has been demonstrated that Dewitt Clinton was not dreamer but a clear-headed economist In 1867 St. Johns park In New York, with its fine elms, was oblit- erated 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 to many New Workers a great piece of folly when 1t was proposed to improve 1t and make 1t what it is today. It was too far uptown, it was argued, and the city would never grow to it.. Moreover. the expense would bankrupt the treasury. The land was ac- quired in 1S53-1S55 but for long time it remained a rocky and swampy waste, used as a dumping ground and occupied by squatters. The land cost s6Oo,Ooo and to complete the park cost s20,0o0 an acre and fifteen years work, but the increased value of surrounding property was so great that 1t paid the interest upon the ' per cent bonds and the principal as we'll and it's value to the city could hard ly be estimated today.
 Greater New York now has an area Of 295 square miles and ten square miles Is in parks. Chicago has three park sys- tems aggregating more than HOO acres connected by handsome boulevards. Phila- delphia has one park of $500 acres and twenty-two small ones, aggregating 3lS acres. San Francsco's system embraces 1000 acres in three large parks and 2o4 acres in forty-four small ones. Baltimore has nine large parks with an area of HOO acres and twenty small ones containing thirty-seven acres. Detroit Is fortunate In having beautiful Belle Isle. which Is two miles long and partly improved. while another part of 1t Is in the primitive state. Another Detroit park embraces 723 acres, and there are seventeen small ones. Kansas City, although compara- lively a new city, has 1928 acres in parks. and Minneapolis has devoted l500 acres to eleven large parks and twenty-five small ones. Boston leads all American cities in the extent of her pleasure grounds 2337 acres in the Boston system proper and 5000 acres in the suburbs. Boston's experience as to the economy Of parks has been similar to that of New York When Back Bay was converted from a morass into park surrounding estates increased 50 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- crease 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 of opening spaces in crowded districts Is to lessen crime. It has been shown that every new park works material i'm procement in the morals of the locality. One of the greatest early advocates of the improvement of American cities with parks was Frederick Law Olmstead of Connecticut, who studied agriculture and engineer ring at Yale worked a farm to get a practical knowledge of agricul- ture. then farrned on Staten Island and