Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-03-02

full valley. If You take the Chevy Chase
car until it crosses Rock creek and then
walk up on the west side for four or five
miles, then come back and walk on the
east side of Chevy Chase road all the
way down to Washington. following
Rock creek the whole way, you will pass
through a variety of scenery that Is re-
markable. Some day or other that will
Washington when they want to enjoy the
beauties of nature.
Forest Reserve Possibilities.
While on that subject l would like to
refer to still another subject which has
been mooted by those who are interested
in public parks and which found some
favor in Baltimore. as l think it will find
favor here. That is the creation of a
large forest reserve between Washington
and Baltimore. within say twenty-five
miles of this city There are pieces of
woodland on the Maryland side of the Po-
tomac behind Cabin John bridge and
above Cabin John. running along toward
the neighborhoOd of Rockville. They are
old woods now. and cannot be of much
value. They are not valuable for agri-
cultural purposes. evidently, or they
would have been turned into cultivation.
So far as We can see, however, nothing
land to make much profit out of it. There
are many other pieces of woodland of
great beauty running to the southwest,
to the line of the steam railroad. l take
it that all those woods could be bought at
moderate prices And what thing 1t
would be for the people of Baltimore
and Washington to have an immense
open space like that, where they could
enjoy themselves and have the pleasures
of nature. which are the purest and hap
Id hos hoe
creatures.
Now. ladies and gentlemen. You will
say this is all very fine and pretty. but
where are the funds to come from:
Well. as 1 have said. I think Uncle Sans
purse is long ways from being ex-
hausted, and all you have to do is to
convince Uncle Sam. You say that is
difficult, but I do not believe 1t is so
difficult as you may think. I think that
no people is really more idealistic than
get hold Of their imagination and appeal
to their ideals they will respond.
True Value Of Site Some Day.
Some day the people are going to set
the true value upon these sites around
and everything back of
Rock Creek Park and these various other
places and you will have to pay far
them now This is the favorable mo-
ment, and if you can but convince those
who hold the purse strings 1t will be
good business to buy them now. But
outside of taking this land for the pur-
poses of q park, and for the purposes of
increasing the beauty of Washington,
and it's surroundings, what a good in
vestment it will be? You would be able
to sell it for much more than you paid
for it. leaving out of consideration en-
tirely the question of using 1t for a park
Therefore, l should not be afraid of put
ting this forward as business propo-
sitfon to any one who would appreciate
what the future of Washington is going
to be.
The trouble has been with you. as ii
has been with us, that YOU have not been
sufficiently hopeful 1t may seem strange
to say so TO an American audience, be-
cause they are supposed to be hopeful, but
the trouble is you have not been hopeful
enough You have not appreciated that
you are going to be a great nation. You
have not understood what rich and
populous nation you are going to be. and
rs the result you are going to have an
enormous capital, even If 1t has no large
Industries. We made the mistake in Lon
lon, when we began to build the railway
stations of making tiny stations, not real
Zing that the country and the city was
going to grow enormously and that we
would need far more space for our in
creased population. 1t seems strange
low with what is SO obvious, that every |
nan of sense did not foresee il. But now
certainly you have reason to foresee the
growth of this country. l do not know |
that European countries are going to |
grow SO much in the future. but about
This country there is no doubt.
You are going on increasing in. popuri