The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1915-09-24
Parks as Fairgrounds.

Out-of- doors is more healthful than
indoors.
Sunshine and fresh air-the kind
one gets under the open sky or be-
meath the protection of natures UNI
brellas, the treeS-are more health
giving than the most beautiful homes.
We accept good many things as
facts because others accept them,
without analysing the reasons why we
or they take them for granted. We
believe that public parks are public
necessities, but why?
What are the benefits of parks to
US Individually? They are the breath
ing spots, where we come from our
busy, confusing civic life, into touch
with nature, with natures wildness
tanned and improved in accordance
with natures methods, under the di-
rection of expert observers of those
methods
They are, or they be, the play
grounds where 'keep-off- the grass"
signs have been baniShed and men,
women and children are free to walk
over the smooth turf, to lie on it and
roll on it, to play their games, where
they find facilities for such amuse-
ments, and where theS are encouraged
tc come for health and pleasure.
The public parks of the modern, up
to-date city are object lessons for the
home owner, showing him the posi-
bilitieS for improving his own sur
roundings, for the Identification of
the grounds about his habitation with
flowers and vines and trees.
No argument is needed to prove the
value of parks to the average citizen,
citizeness and all the little citizens.
More important it is to urge their
more general use.
The relation of the municipality, of
the authorities, to the park system is
often misunderstood. 1t is an old
time theory Of government that its
duties are necessarily confined to the
serious affairs of common interest,
such as establishing and maintaining
fire departments, police and jails, pub
lie waterworks, pavements, sidewalks
and the like. Health is considered a
matter for private regulations, excep-
ting in time of epidemic, and play
grounds and amusements are not list
ed as serious affairs.
That theory was discarded long ago
by the advanced students of munich
pal matters, and according to this new
thought, the physical and mental well
fare of the citizen is considered quite
as important as his protection from
physical injury or the vagaries of his
designing neighbors.
The need of Florida cities for pub
lie parks, more of them properly i'm
proved and beautifed and maintained,
is as great as that of northern mu-
inequalities. Nature is prodigal in her
aid in park construction here. As
population increases greater cities
will stand where are now little viii
lagos. and it is a duty that the au-
thorities of today owe to posterity
that large areas shall be set aside for
the parks Of by and by. More than
this. it is much more important that
there should be a number of sn7"'
breathing spots scattered about in all
parts of these coming cities, than that
all the playground space should be in
a single area. To be useful, they
must be convenient for those whom
thew are to benefit.
Hardly a better illustration of this
point can be recalled than Chicago.
which has thousands of acres in beau.
tifUlly improved parks, scattered
through the two hundred square mile
within the city limits, and nearly all
these areas were set aside when land
was cheap and before the tide of pop
ulation preemnted these lands.
Why should not Florida be known
in the years to come as the state of
beautiful cities, as she is known now
as the Land of Flowers State
Board of Health Bulletin.