Evening journal., 1911-07-20
NE w NE WIS
A LITTLE STORY OF SOME OLD PARK BENCHES
BY
4" H 0 LII A N D +"

art, the weather permitting, TO leave
his store for one of the benches in the
park. There he would have brought a
large lunch basket, and around him
would gather in the course of the next
few minutes a little group of men
prominent in the business, profess
sional or political life of the city. Then
Mr.. Stewart would open the lunch bas-
ket and he and those whom he had in
vited to take lunch with him would
spend perhaps an hour eating leisurely
and chatting and laughing as though
they had never care in the world.
The last time | remember seeing Mr.,
Stewart lunching in the park he had
with him Fernando Wood, then serv-
ing his third term as Mayor of New
York city: Daniel y, Sickles, then a
member Of Congress- and destined TO
play an important role at the battle Of
Gettysburg, and Charles A. Dana, then
managing editor of the New York Tri-
bune ] can see Mr.. Stewart now, in
the center of the little group, his alert
eyes peeping out from under the brim
of his little low-crowned hat, his little
turned-up' nose apparently trying TO
make connection with the brim.
This was of antebellum happening.
A little later, when the Civil War
broke out, a recruiting station was
opened in the lower end of the park.
From that end. too. companies and
regiments of soldiers started TO the
front and on the benches round about
the soldiers we're accustomed 70 re-
ceiye the members of their families
and their friends for the last good
byes. There my father sat after his en-
listment, awaiting the coming of my
mother and myself. There he bade us
goodbye. And II was a permanent
goodbye, for he was killed in battle.
'Ten years later, ! should say,
learned one day that 1t was the in
tention of one Of the city officials to
have these benches, around which
/ clustered so many historic and roman
! tic associations, removed from the
park. II seemed to me that what he
purposed doing was almost in the ma
/ ture Of q sacrilege, and l determined
/ to do what I could to prevent it. ] call
! ed upon Mr. Dana, then editor OF the
/ New York Sun. whose editorial win
dows overlooked the park. | asked him
/ If he recalled the time when he and
! Mr. Stewart and others made those
! benches their noontime luncheon head
! quarters. I reminded him of the many
pathetic, !he many final partings that
had taken place on those benches dur
! ing the war days. Then | told him OF
the plan that was on foot for the re.
moval of the benches. and l closed by
stating that IL seemed to me that, fol
associations sake, the benches should
be left where they we're.
r think so, too, said Mr.. Dana
most emphatically 1 wish you would
write a letter to the Sun, setting forth
this matter exactly as you have told Il
to me- If you will do so, / will print the
letter upon the editorial page of the
Sun and speak of II in approval in tbs
editorial column. ] think that will keeI
the benches where they are
IT gladly followed Mr.. Dana's sug-
gestion: he fulfilled his part Of the
compact. and to my Joy the effect was
exactly what he believed it would be .
Copyright 1911. by r. J. Edwards
All Rights Reserved.)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell o.
sGrOyer Cieyelonds Gospel of Weaitl
Accumulation"