Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1911-04-14

One of the great attractions of Staun-
ton as place of residence and one
that excites comment from strangers
who visit it, is the clean attractiveness
of the homes and the beautiful lawns
that surround them. In Staunton, as
IN many other cities and towns in our
country, there is an increasing tend
ency for the people to cooperate in
identifying their homes so as to make
'sthe city beautiful" and we here have
great advantages over many places in
this respect. The terraced hills lend
themselves to landscape gardening and
readily can be made to produce strik-
ingIy beautiful effects, the handsome
grounds and buildings of the Deaf and
Blind Institution and the Western
State Hospital; the grounds of Stuart
Hall and the Mary Baldwin, Seminary
and the beauties of Gypsy Hill Park
and Thornrose Cemetery, make a
foundation on which place of beauty
can be easily made.
The first step in this direction is the
removal of fences. With neighbors
living in harmony with one another,
each having shady lawn, there is no
use for ugly, disfguring partition
fences. The block on Frederick street
from Stuart Hall to the next corner
west, furnishes an object lesson in the
beauty of an unbroken expanse of
grass and trees, and there are many
such areas that can be made equally
attractive and restful by doing away
with fences that have no valid excuse
for standing. Az impression of size
and of expanse is given by the lack of
fences, while..the little sharply defined
lots seems ''cabined, cribbed, confined"
in contrast.
The pleasing effect given by the re-
moval of the interior fences is increas-
ed and intensified by abolishing the
street fence as we'll. Those who have
seen the beautiful residence streets of
Cleveland, Atlanta and other cities
must have noticed the charm or the
broad, smooth streets running between
smooth shores of we'll kept lawn, with
nothing but an ornamental curb be-
tween the sidewalk and the grass. On
many of our streets just such an effect
could be produced, and our citizens
are willing to do their share, # only
one nuisance be abated, and that nui-
sance is the loose cow.
The city ordinances require that
cows be driven to and from pasture
when passing through the streets, but
they do not specify the age and size of
the driver. 1t is not uncommon to see
a considerable drove of cattle wander
ing feisurely through the streets with
one or two boys of tender years trying
to care for them and to prevent them
from wandering and trespassing. If a
a broad, green, freshlooking lawn was
accessible, such drove would defy
their juvenile guards and make ruin
of the lawn in short time. The idea
that the Council had in view in enact
ing this ordinance, was to have cows
going to and from pasture under cafe
that would be able to prevent the ami
mails from trespassing and injuring
private property, but as at present en-
forced, it fails to accomplish that end.
The ordinance should be amended SO
that all animals habitually passing
through the streets to and from pas
ture be haltered and led, not driven in
droves that cannot be kept from wan
dering and trespassing. Were lawns
secured from the wanton destruction
to which they are now exposed, we
feel sure that our residential sections
would become things of beauty tina,
would be joy forever.
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