Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-07-23
Ehrrttttg Ulrat

At the time of the outbreak
the last war Harrisburg's park sya
tenn consisted of q small area abou
the Reservoir and strips of gras
and lines of treeB along the Rive
| Front which seemed to Just grow
and were preserved from destruction
| by popular sentiment. The repor
of the city officials in charge of tn
parks, just published, shows tha
| last year there were visits paid b
over 1,672,000 persons to the seve
units Of the Harrisburg municipa
park system. or this huge numbe
approximately 950,000 were visitor
to the long-neglected Riverside, nov
the jewel of the park system AM
the admiration of men who hav
travelled in every land. The city
park system is something which ha
| aroused other cities, some as fortu
nately situated as Harrisburg, an
the effect of what has been don
here can be seen in a dozen Pennsyl
Vania cities. Repeated efforts t
peautify the River Front brought lit=
tie support for years and the faith
ers who planned il to be a creditabl
part of Harrisburg were sometime
eXcorlated in conversation for fail
ing to realize it's business possibilitie
ana with inculcating a spirit whicz
prevented 1t from being converte
TO commercial use. The mere state
ment that nearly a million peopl
VISITED 1t in year ought to stimu
iate the effort to make the Rive
front parking complete and to ex
tend 1T beyond the northern gates
lt is even possible that in years
come the treatment of the Riversid
wnlch mas won so much attentio
may pc pushed south through tn
nllll district and link up with sim
lar improvement by Steelton. Ped
pie hereabouts are lust undergoinH
a revival of appreciation of thei
River Front and place to walk be
SIDE the waters is appreciated
these times of whirling dust an
speeding automobiles.
To return to the park figure
which V. Grant Forrer assures u
were conservatively made, it is in
terestlng to show that not only ha
tne Riverside with its fifty-fou
acres or parking doubled it's visit
ing list and boone an object of mi
nicipal pride. but that Wildwood
Fark' which was called Horace Md
| farlands dream years ago an
winch 1T was predicted by lovers
asphalt to be sinkhole for cit
cash, has had an attendance of 100
700 persons a year. There is not
prettler place in the country roun
ABOUT than this natural park and
only needs extension of trolley sery
ice 10 treble its attendance and
Justify for all time in the minds
the people of Harrisburg the buyin
or 537 acres of swamp, water an
WOODS and conversion by use
oraln pipe and money into a charm
ing resort. The food control wbic
is blended in the park scheme ha
more than. paid for itself and ha
oeen referred to in state reports a
nouel TO follow. Reservoir Parl
whose advocates had to beat dow
opposition, will be pleased to knoJ
that it had more than 325.00o Wis
tors last year and that its eighty-ninz
acres are Harrisburg's great play=
ground. And all of this is in addz
ton to the two islands, the narkF
ways, which traverse some of thE
prettlest bits of country for miles
} and the Fairgrounds. Compared Il
tne gain for the men, women an
children of Harrisburg in healtf
ana pleasure the interest and sind
ing tund charges on the bonds issue
Tor park improvement are a merE
bagatelle.
one of the shrewdest of men whj
takes a hand in politics the otheI
day was talking about the greaI
popularity of the park system wheI
he was asked to recall the opposi!
ton to loans for parks some ten oI
nfteen years ago and to say whaI
ne thought the result would be II
the votes were taken now.
Oh, that's not a guessing game,
ne replied. The guess would bI
what would happen to any one whl
would take the field against parks. |
The demand for pens with which
Governor Brumbaugh has been signI
mig bills is growing virulent again
1t is always under way during /
session, but when the Governor getI
down to the home stretch on billI
ana things are pressing, the demand
Tor pens rises like the mercury |
mid July. In the last Fortnight Ioh
Lucas, who looks after office deI
tails when Executive Clerk DeiningI
er is occupied with bills, has comI
mandeered the pens as fast as thI
Governor signs the bills so that thI
requesters can be taken care Of
|
One of the things which has conl
tributed materially to the success
which has attended many of thl
war gardens" about Harrisburg ha
been the multitude of birds whicl
nave been present since the EARL
spring. The weather conditions hayl
been favorable for bugs and Dam|
Nature has provided birds to ea|
them. In some districts about thl
city more birds have been seen thai
known for a long time. Blackbird|
have been so busy with bugs ami
worms that they have not been al