Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-01

| WiilCil HI my Noii ebiih SilCNAN
be followed.
Central Park
Central park is practically the cen
| ter of the city. Hill and Olive
streets, Fifth and Sixth streets, sur
rounding it, are well paved and clean.
| Around it are gradually arising impos-
ing business blocks, and it will be but
q short time until the entire park will
be surrounded by handsome business
! structures. 1t has been suggested that
this park should be made a botanical
feature, so that strangers might con-
| Veniently see our wealth of trees, foil
age and flowers. This is not possible.
The dust and smoke Of the heart of
q city are not conducive to the perfect
development of botanical specimens.
| But it can be made q gem of another
| kind, and in planning for this park it
| should be observed that mornings and
evenings thousands of people make
this park thoroughfare in passing to
and from their work. In fact, it seems
to be a business necessity that this
park should be made a thoroughfare
! from it's corners to its corners. With
! this necessity in mind, 1t is easy to
I picture a beautiful vista-a perfect
green lawn, with handsome arboreal
effects, looking through the trees with
an unobstructed view from Hill street
to Olive and from Fifth to Sixth--the
picture enhanced in its beauty by the
distance of it's view, the whole sur
rounded by clean exterior walks and
the interior cut from corner to corner
by well laid brick walks and the whole
well lighted for beauty and safety. Add,
at the entrances and at other proper
places, masterpieces of statuary-not
too many, but what there Is such as
we can be proud of. Submerge the
public utilities and make them ade-
quate and keep them adequate to all
demands.
Provide an adequate water and drain
age system, so that laborer can speed
lily wash the walks, usng not more than
a 25-foot piece of hose, and have the
walks dry and clean for foot passen-
gers before o'clock in the morning.
Such a picture is possible and can be
produced, excepting the statuary, in a
short space of time. 1t has been no
ticed that our city is without works OF
art in public places, when we have so
many beautiful points where this could
be placed and an air of finish ana re-
fnement thereby given to our clty.
Surely no one having inspected Central
park in its present condition, coulu
have the courage to attempt TO per-
suade our wealthy citizens to make do
nations of statuary for such place.
1t has also been suggested that such
donations cannot be procured. l think
this Is a mistake.
san Francisco, long before she had
the population of this city, had master
pieces of art in her public parks and
in her streets, all of which were DO
mated by her citizens. An appeal TO
our people on proper lines has never
vet failed, and 1t will not fail now.
Let us ask our Native Sons to under
take the placing in Central park of a
monument commemorative of the early
pioneers Of our state. II they UNDER
take It II will be a certainty. Let US
ask our Catholic fellow citizens to erect
in the same park a monument COM
memorative of the heroism and re-
ligious devotion of their pioneer priests
whose careers and work form the be-
ginning Of our history. Let our city
spend $4,000 for a like piece commem-
oratiVe of our city, and with this pe-
ginning II will not be hard to supply
the requisite balance. And thus finished,
what an air of culture and rehnement
will be given not only to that particu-
lar park but to the SURROUNDINGS anu
to the whole city!
Central Park as II ls
Here everywhere there is evidence
Of almost criminal neglect. The clos
cts and their floors under the band
stand have been allowed to become
SO impregnated with filth that they
poison the atmosphere not only within
the walls but about the bandstand
above, and a large part OF the center
of the park ] cannot find that any
systematic effort has been made to
either prevent or remedy this nuisance.
The walks are no better They are
dirty and dusty filled with the sputum
of the idlers occupying the many
benches, until the walks smell as bad
as the closets. They cannot be washed
and should not be swept because or
the dust thereby created which must
be poisonous. The little attempt at
flower beds and at shrubbery but adds
TO the appearance of dirt and neglect.
Even the granite soldier of the Sew
yenth regiment monument might be
made to look more happy by giving
him his first bath. Here there is no
longer any lawn worthy of that name.
The grass is virtually dead. am told
by the foreman in charge that 1t has
been feterlized but three times in
five wears and then only by dumping
some of the street sweepings from the
adjacent streets. The trees also show
the same neglect Here are large and
handsome auricaries tramped around
until the earth about them has be-
come as hard as a pavement with ap-
parently no effort made TO protect or
save them, yet they are invaluable as
a part of the ornamental park plant
ing. 1t is useless to enlarge upon these
conditions. They are plain to any OBJ
server passing through the park.
The Remedy
This mark should receive our first
attention and should be reconstruct
ed without delay. Here is an appor-
tunity to show what can be done. The
closets should be entirely closed or
cleansed Immediately as temporary re-
lief until better conditions can be pro-
vided. The further planting of flower
beds and shrubbery or the mainten-
ance of existing beds should be aband-
oned as a useless expense; the dirty
shrubbery and plants should be cut
out and the beds left thereby should
be cleaned and left In at least clean
condition. What is left of the park
including the desirable trees should
receive immediate care to prevent fur
ther decay. AS to what should be done
with the bandstand and the place of
nublic convenience, where the band
stand, ETC., should be located, and
whether a bandstand and convenience
station should be at all maintained
in this park, are questions for future
discussion. They should, however, be
at once determined so that reconstruc-
tion on the new lines will not be de-
layed. 1t is questionable whether a
comfort station can be at all kept
clean except by the constant presence
of an attendant in each department
and by keeping out the coarser persons
who make this station place of