The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-06-22

ing up his voice and moving his arms
10 Such an extent tnat no one in The
park need have any doubt as 10 whom
he was addressing. II dawned upon
us that lii sitting on the grass we wore
violating the instructions which say
Keep Off-Use the Walk
We arose with much dignity and
each took step. twenty inches long
south by southeast and were on the
gravel walk and out of the Jurisdiction
oil the Man with the Hose.
The Jap convalescent with the
bandage over his left ear remained
In his reclining position on the grass,
about fifty feet away. and Grinncd a.
us.
The man on the lawn mower looked
over his shoulder and I am certain he
also grinned.
The old claybank glanced our way
and seemed to have hard work to sup
press horse laugh.
The children stopped their game and
the peopc on the benches discussed
us.
The man with the hose, having
strutted through his brief moment Of
authority, turned away-a righteous
soul we'll pleased with himself-"hc
had saw his duty and he done It,"
The thing that hurt most, was that
the Salt Lake man seemed sorry for
me. To help the situation out he said.
why don't his nibs make the Jap get
off the grass?"
| could not offer an explanation. /
was too badly hit to think straight,
The pln-headedness of the scheme of
raising ten acres Of sacred hay in the
heart of the city was just dawning on
me-
Then the Salt Laker made a guess,
Maybe your park commission is
afraid of international complications
with Japan?"
| tried TO defend the park commits
sion, but | could not make 1t go When
] looked at the ten acres Of hay land
being watered through $500 worth Of
rubber hose at a cost Of about So day
and realized that 1t was simply to
look at and not for a white man, 4
citizen and a taxpayer. or his guest.
to walk on or to sit on. | would get my
adjectives mixed.
AS We walked out toward the car
line the Salt Laker said, You were
saying something about moving the
capital up here"
How | hated that man.
| tried To take up the argument
where | had left off, but somehow. aft
er having been ordered to get off the
earth, Ogden did not seem to have
such cinch.
We stood out in the sun long time
waiting for that car. When we got
on he insisted on paying the fares and
urged me TO take a seat on the shady
side. He was very kind to me AS
soon as we got down town | made an
excuse to bid him goodbye His train
did not leave for two hours, but he
went at one to the depot.
Now, Mr. Editor. really and truly,
don't you think that it is time to let
people get some benefit from the
parks? Is it or is it not tommy rot
to tax the people to keep the parks
and then order them to keep off the
grass?" Is the grass worth the risk
of having strangers offended and made
to feel unwelcome oy some over-of-
fcious park-keeper
Is 1t not possible that If the peo
pie could once get $4,000 worth of
benefit and pleasure out Of our parks
in year they might be willing TO have
that much money spent the next year
on the parks?
Some day the Park Commission will
go before the city council and want
some more monev TO spend. When
that happens | want the council to
give them the money with this pro-
viso That the appropriation shall
not be available until the Park Com
shall have removed all the
Keep on" signs and shall have post
ed up at the entrance of each park the
following. to.wit:
NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC: You
are welcome. This park is public
The Man With the Hose
does not own 1t. You are at liberty to
walk on the grass. to sit on the grass,
to lie down and roll over on the grass
If YOU want to, If You wear the grass
out we will simply have the man grow
some moro grass DO NOT KEEP
OFF THE GRASS"
Respectfully submitted.
O. A. KENNEDY.