The Washington times., 1915-10-08
ROCK CREEK PARK AND THE
PUBLIC

ficcr in charge Of public buildings
and grounds, has been highly ef-
ficient officer, and has demonstra.
ted an imagination, a vision, an ap
probation Of Washington's future
and its needs in the way cf amuse.
ment grounds, far surprising most
officers in his position. Therefore,
some hesitation may be justified, in
criticism of an important recon-
mendation coming from him, deal
ing with the realm in which he has
done such good work.
Nevertheless, The Times feels i'm
PEELED to protest against Colonel
Harts' recommendation, just made
public, that Rock Creek Park be
placed under the jurisdiction # the
chief of army engineers.
There exists a division Of control
over the public grounds of the city.
The small parks, the triangIes, and
ornamental spaces in general are
under the chief of engineers, while
Rock Creek Park is the one excep-
ton, being under a commission,
composed of the Chief of Engineers
and the District Commissioners.
There is justification for criticism
against this division of the park
jurisdiction; but it is not apparent
that better situation would be pro-
duced by turning Rock Creek Park
over to the sole domination of an
army engineer officer.
Conceding that nobody could pro-
vide a more satisfactory physical
management FOR the great park, and
conccding that the business of main
tanning and improving it ought to
be left with the engineers, 1t must
be said that Rock Creek ark is not
thus far producing social returns on
the investment in it, and that this
seems largely the result of j rath-
er too militaristic management.
There is too strongly entertained,
seemingly, the opinion that a park,
properly beautified, with streams
and drives and woods and open
spaces, is a finished product. The
notion of getting the people into it
doesn't seem ever to have been
within the purview of the authori-
ties. Rock Creek Park, as The
Times has said good many times
before, is a wonderful playground
with nobody playing in it; love-
ly place to go, with no way to 20
there; Little Trianon, for the ia
vorites of the court, with their mo-
tor cars and their permits to en-
JOY its beauties. It isn't a people s
park, and that is exactly what it
ought to be made.
1t is difficult to believe that under
the permanent control Of the army
engineers chief, this condition
would be remedicd as effectively as
it ought to be. There are TOO many
restrictions, upon the use OF the park
now. despite the fact that the Dis
trict Commissioners have voice
in it's management. Not long age
some boys wandering in the park
saw another group of their contem
poraries swimming in the creek
The newcomers produced bathing
suits, and in perfectly proper array
took to the water. In a few min.
utes they were chased out by q
park policeman, and one of them
pleaded for the privilege OF tele'
phoning to an influential friend tc
get them out of the laws clutches
1t developed that the first crowd
Of boys had proper permit tc
swim; the second, never having
heard of permits, were not so arm.
ed; so one crowd was arrested, the
other went on swimming.
This isn't the sort of park ad.
ministration that the town wants OF
needs. There is a requirement that
picnckers must get permits from
some downtown authority before
they can use the park for their pur
poses; and when thus armed, they
must get the park superintendent tt
indicate where they must spreac
, their provender. That doesn't en-
courage the use of the park as il
ought to be used.
To place Rock Creek Park undel
the exclusive control of the chief o
engineers might prove serious
obstacle to development of trans
portation facilities which arc abso
lutely necessary for popularizing th'
: park. The time is not far dist ant
when the Public Utilities Commits
sion is going to take vigorously II
hand this matter of providing adc
quate transportation; and wnateve