Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-06-11
BREATHING SPACES

hlaufer Sectlon down TO the lehlgh Valley bridge. Drive slowly
or speed, as you wish, the breeze that your highest speed will
make will be as hot and sitting as the heat waves that roll up
from the pavement and from the surrounding landscape of
hard-baked, red soil, No grass at all, and almost no trees to
soothe the aching eye. Heavens, what one wants to do is to es-
cape as soon as possible, and get to some scene that God
hasn't seemed to forget!
Last week when / passed over this desolate, sufocating
stretch, | didn't hurry. l tried to visualize LIVING there.
Where could one sit out on his little porch after supper, and
rest his tired body with the sight of a bit of gracious green
eryY Where could his children play except on the hot pave
ment or on the equally hot red clay And what was there for
the swelterng mother to look forward to at the end of her
toiling day, except more heat and more exhaustion9
Then I visuaized a little further. A little park, right
there where a park is needed more than in any other part
of the city! Why, I could see it. A green spoti-a breathing
space, with grass and trees and benches and winding paths
and even Towering shrubs. Why not?
Of course the first objection is always money. Well, the
city has a pretty big income, part of which is intended for civic
improvements. OF course, there is the initial purchase price OF
a tract of land to. be considered. That in Perth Amboy Is
something to consider. Property seems so prohibitively ex-
pensive if the city wants to buy it. AS to the bringing IN OF
top soil and planting trees, grass and shrubs, that expense
would have to be met just once, too. Then as far as the up
keep was concerned, there would be the expense OF policing
the tract-which one of our neighborIng communities gave as
the astounding reason for rejecting a public parkl-and the
expense Of a man to take care OF the grass and the SHRUBS and
the trees. Frightfully expensive, you say9 My dear friends,
the property tax paid each year into the city OF Perth Am
boy by any one of the many industries located mere gT WOLF
more than pay the upkeep of such a park II IL "EhE
But the purchase price of the necessary piece of groundG
where is that to come from, in a city whose finances are not
in a very healthy condition?
THE CITY ALREADY OWNS A GOOD BIG PIECE OF
PROPERTY, almost four blocks deep, In the very heart Of
that Godforsaken tract. | went to see IT. III ism much 10
look at now. But it's all there. -Four blocks deep and a block
vide, the tract back of st. Mary's cemetery. 1t is easily
reached from Amboy avenue, by way OF Eagle avenue or
Myrtle street, and by a little piece alongside the cemetery on
the Eagle avenue side. 1t is also accessible from Penn street.
And if the proposition alresdy made the City Plan
Commission, TO build a school on the eastern end OF this
tract should be adopted, there would have to be a bridge
built over the railroad tracks, to enable the school children
TO get TO school in safety. Such a bridge, then would also
= offer the other much desired entrance 10 our pam ~" ''
east side.
1ae:o,+ ~ m,o;po+i land nroud of fly who cOuld look
upon that tract and see only a city dump. l admit 1T re
quires imagination to see a beautiful park there: But
have seen many a beautiful park maze Where houlns d u dh
existed before.
There is a city not so far from here called chicago;-soms
of Won NAV have heard of it,-where there are miles and
miles of beautiful park built up where part oil Lake Mlcn'
gan used to wash. -. ~. Ia. ~
and then the filing in process was completed. Top SOL was
finally added, grass and trees were planted, and now you can
drive, if you have a car, or you can rae I % i've tTo Iohta olwavs
street car, all along TINS peauthul palA' WIN ''
New York has its Central Park, right in the heart of the
CITY. There is a breathing space for thousands and thou-
sands. That property could bring in an unbelievable amount
of money if it were built up with apartment houses! Put
some time, years ago, there were wise men VINO Sau' N'
there be a park! p And there was a park.
What's the matter with us in Perth Amooyf Are we
ignorant, or just plain stuplda cam we u see e ,no ot ' Of I the
tremendous amount of money that Is poured INTO us coneiS
every Wy YEAR. know what YOUR taxes are. Well, just multiply
vour taxes by only a quarter of the population OF the city
of Perth Amboy, and see what you get. F1nd OUT wnaI 1t
industries and the railroads, including the street railways,
are having into the city each year. 1t will give you some idea
of what the city's income is.
It's time we women came to. It's time we found out what
Is being done with OUR money. It's time we insisted that 1t
be spent only by men who can be trusted to spend 1t wisely.
If we want to have enough school buildings ana playgro1noS
for orr children. if we want to have parks for us all, II we
want to have decent streets, let's find out VINO the ignorant
or selfish or the dishonest men are, who are blocking al meSe
+bnos that we are paying for, and lets throw them out SO
forcibly that they will never come crawling back a1ter a CITY
berth again! And then let's put in their places men VINO nave
tha hra;ns to nlan for the city and the character to carry out
their nlans, and let's back them to the limit, knowing them
by their deeds! II,
Women, we have waited in vain for the men to build
II citv as it should be built. Let's get together IN heart TO
make breathing spaces for our families, to equip our CITY WIN
that to which we are entitled in our pursuit OF Life, Liberty
and the Pursuit of Happiness"
We can begin right now to create sentiment in favor OF
BREATHING SPACES. This is the most eloquent time OF
wear to begin. Talk parks. Don't quarrel as to where they.
shall be. Save all your force for getting over" the idea OF
HAVING A park The City Plan Commission will include
several parks, no doubt, in their plan for a beautiful PeTt9
Ambov. YOU TALK PARK. WE'LL ALL TALK PAhhl
All together, nowl