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THE SOUTHERN WORLD, OCTOBER 15,1884.
427
For the Southern World.]
About Parks.
In the youth of our American cities
no one could have anticipated their pro
digious growth, few understood the laws
of hygiene or thought of the beneficial
results to the health and morals of their
citizens of broad, open spaces in or near
the centres of population, and few in
deed cared for the refining influences
growing out of highly improved and
well kept parks.
Since the remarkable development of
taste in this direction during the last
twenty-five years, the well meant efforts
of our fathers seem almost ludicrous.
But what was done was largely benefi
cial. Take the city with which we are
most familiar, New York, for illustra
tion. What a blessing was that trian
gular bit of ground of perhaps eight or
ten acres opposite the Astor House,
known as “The Park.” What a joy it
was to the overworked dwellers of the
city 1 and when the great fountain was
put in—which by the way was one of the
finest in the country—what a delight it
was to us strangers to visit the park and
see the spray thrown thirty feet in the
air t Two miles up Broadway was a nice
little place, which being round, was
called Union Square, and still farther,
almost in the country, was Madison
Square, where thirty years ago the cor
ner stone of a great monument to Wash
ington was planted with great pomp and
ceremony. The stone is probably there
yet, it never sprouted, and Madison
Square is quite down town.
Other cities were scarcely as well pro
vided. Chicago had two small squares.
St. Louis, somewhat better off, bad La-
Fayette Park of about twenty acres.
Boston, it is true, had the “ Common,”
in which was the historical frog pond,
but the place was little more than a
common. Major l'Enfaut, under the
eye of Washington himself, had laid out
the capital city on a grand scale, but the
open spaces, which are now so beautiful,
were then without form and void.
I suppose the first impulse towards a
wider and more artistic improvement
came from the lamented Downing—one
of the most accomplished landscape
gardeners in the world. The country
sustained a great loss when, through his
unselfish heroism, he lost his life in
striving to rescue the passengers from
the ill-fated Henry Clay which was
burned just below West Point. He was
just before then engaged in beautifying
the public grounds in Washington,where
LaFayette Square and the Smithsonian
grounds still testify to his wonderful cul
ture and skill.
Out of the interest Downing excited,
sprang the Central Park of New York,
the practical details of which were sug-
| gested by a Virginian. The work on
this noble pleasure ground of 8G4 acres
has been in progress over twenty-five
years at a cost of about $15,000,000. It
isclaimedthat this is the most elaborate
*ork of the kind in the world. In my
somewhat extended travels in this coun
try and Europe I have seen no park
which, combining nature and art in high
perfection, equals Central Park, and it is
to be observed that the city, which paid
the cost, more than recouped from the in
creased assessments on adjoining lands.
To Frederick Law Olmstead and Richard
^aux belongs the credit of designing
snd perfecting this exquisite work of
art.
Kew York setting the example, a gen
erous spirit of emulation spread through
the country. Philadelphia commenced
^airmount Park—a lordly domain of
0Ver 2,700 acres (the largest single park
ln the world) lying picturesquely along
the banks of the 8chuylkill. Baltimore
olio wed with superb Druid Hill. Chi'
Ca 8° began to encircle that miracle city
*ith a chain of parks, one link of which
"beautifo] South Park—covers over
Uoo
acres, and St. Louis, not to be out-
proceeded to lay out a series of
****'» one of which—>Forest Park—em
braces 1,300 acres. As all this requires
a long time and heavy sums of money,
most of these great works are still in
complete, Central Park alone approach
ing the time when the “ construction ac
count ” can be closed. To give an idea
of the thorough way in which this kind
of work is done, it may be mentioned
that the best and most durable roadways
cost from $15,000 to $18,000 a mile.
The above refers to new work. Pend
ing its progress old Boston has braced
up. beautified the historical Common,
added on the “ Public Gardens,” and
projected many enterprises away out
from the tangled maze of the streets of
New England’s hub, while Washington
(with government aid) workingupon the
plans of its illustrious founder, has ex
pended over $20,000,000 on its streets
and parks, so that it is now one of the
moBt beautiful cities in the whole world,
in evidence of which it is to be noted
that some 300,000 trees have been plant
ed during the last twelve years.
All of these grounds have been adorn
ed with costly statuary, fountains and
sculptures—Washington and Central
Park profusely—the former furnished by
the government, and the latter generally
by liberal and public spirited citizens.
This generous aid extends to all the
parks in the country, as, for instance,
the donation to the South Park of Chi
cago of a superb fountain, costing $25,
000, by Mr. A. J. Drexel in memory of
his father.
The limits of this paper forbid me to
speak of the great pleasure grounds of
Europe, many of them the growth of
centuries. The liberal scale upon which
the people have been provided with
breathing places in the midst of densely
peopled cities, may be shown by the
fact that members of Parliament often
drive, in a nearly direct route through
the London parks, to Westminster Pal
ace, for seven miles, without seeing
house.
Looking over our Southern world, as
compared with the grounds mentioned
above, we see but moderate results from
the recent aesthetic awakening. ThiB
comes from two causes: First, the gen
eral devastation and desolation of the
late war, and second, our cities, in the
nature of things, being generally small
and their surroundings affluent of syl
van beauty, highly kept parks were not
thought of. Savannah, the city every
body loves, has numerous little squares
provided by that wise thinker, Ogle
thorpe, and in late years a broad space
of perhapB 50 acres, called, for want of
a name, “The Park” and the “Park
Extension,” in the former of which, en
passant, is a replica of the famous foun
tain in the Place de la Concord. Macon
has a large and lovely park on the banks
of the Ocmulgee, which is the seat of
the Georgia State fairs. I think it has
never been highly improved. Of course
all our cities have, generally, “ squares,”
but they can hardly be called parks al
though they are a great boon to the citi
zens.
Coming nearer home let us look a mo
ment at the “ L. P. Grant Park ” of At
lanta. This came from the munificence
of the public spirited citizen whose
name it bears, who gave the town 100
acres of valuable land on the southeast
edge of the town “ for park purposes for
ever.” Accepting the donation, the city
appointed a commission to take charge
of the proposed improvements.
The ground, which was quite rough,
but with an agreeable variety of hill and
dell, watered by numerous springs and
covered with a magnificent flora, was
singularly picturesque and well adapted
for park purposes. It required peculiar
and careful treatment and an elaborate
topographical survey and map was first
secured and the work begun. Consid
ering the comparatively small amount
expended, the result is most gratifying.
About four miles of avenues have been
opened and scientifically graded, some
three miles of walk* graded, over thir
teen hundred feet of drain pipe of differ
ent sizes laid, and a general transforma
tion effected which indicates the possi
bilities of beauty which the future holds
for the good people of Atlanta and Geor
gia. The superb bronze sun dial (prob
ably the most unique in the world) the
gift of a former citizen of Atlanta, W.
F. Herring, has been worthily mounted,
large bronze drinking fountain for
horses and one for men have been set,
and elegant pavilion completed. As the
purpose of this paper is not to glorify
the Gate City, I will give no further de
tails of what has been done or what is
proposed, but without doubt the city
fathers will cherish this great gift of
Mr. Grant’s, keep its management in in
telligent control and out of jtolitics, ap
propriating from time to time such sums
as may be required, until the park shall
become a “thing of beauty and a joy
forever.”
Other enterprises similar to the above
but for private use, are now projected on
a liberal scale in and near Atlanta—as
the Peters Park on the north side of
town, which is intended for suburban
residences, and which, under the pres
ent able management, will doubtless
become a great accessory in stimulating
a love of nature in its cultivated forms.
You ask me how the present sponta
neous movement in the South will re
sult?
I answer unhesitatingly, beneficially.
The more rapidly the South grows and
becomes more densely populated, the
greater the necessity of encouraging a
love of nature, of preserving and beau
tifying some place as near the centre of
population as possible, ample grounds
where the overworked people with their
families may resort for rest, recreation
and communion with nature.
Sidney Root.
H11U culture.
While some contend that silk culture
cannot be made to return a fair profit for
the labor and capital invested, there are
others who think differently. A lady
writing to thu Housekeeper states that
last spring her family began reading on
the subject and her little nine-year-old
daughter sent for eggs (about 500) the
cost being one dollar. She hung them
in the cellar until the osage or mulberry
leaves should start. She found a quan
tity of old laths, and of these she made
her trays. She cut one-third off the
end of each lath, and used the two-thirds
for length; and the one-third for width
of tray; she tacked these together edge
ways (like a coal sifter) and drove tacks
half way in, all around the under side,
about a half inch apart; then wound
twine around each tack, first lengthways
and then crossways, and drove the tacks
closely down. She made twenty of these
trays. We removed the carpet from a
side room, cleaned the room thoroughly,
hung a thermometer on the wall, and
placed an eye-glass near by; then
brought in five long boards and rested
them on chair backs, and laid newspa
pers over. Placed saucers of water under
the chair legs to prevent ants from climb
ing. Placed the trays in one comer of
the room, and cut twelve squares of
mosquito netting (white) a little larger
than the trays, and laid them ready for
use. For a mating box she took a large
pasteboard box (perhaps 24x24 inches,
and about three inches high) and divided
it into thirty-six cells. This completed
the outfit, and as soon as the leaves
started, she began with her six weeks’
work. She attended to every branch of
the work—hatching of eggs, packing of
leaves, feeding, arranging brush and
twigs for the cocoons, gathering and
steaming the cocoons, and selecting the
finest specimens for a supply of eggs.
Her cocoons brought $5, and the silk
worm eggs, thus far, have netted her
$30; so after deducting the $1 (first out
lay for eggs) she realized $34 for her six
weeks, of tight work. This season she
will try 10,000 eggs, and will use *ho
French Annual principally.
MILK M lip UK l Mi.
ANCLO-SWISS
Milk FOOD
For lifuts nd hntlMs.
IlwnimniW by leading
Phj.icLn. t h roaehont lb*
world. It rcniuHc of rhoic*
cooked r»rt>»l*. re.lnrrf wheat
(Inten. end (’.indented MUk,
end contain* the property of
dU.laae, which con recta toe
atarrh In the Food into anlnbM
and easily di«**t*d dextrin*
and (near.when mad according
to the direction*. ItUaoionljr
TRADE MARK. |„wnl»i»».|* for 8I( K and
WKAK1.Y INFANTS and INVALIDS, hot *lw>
the beat known I'eml for w ell children. When
more well children it re red with It. fewer
Will become tVehle. I'mtillA« pel todd •lilim
the ni'-HT anbelllnt* for MOTHER'S Ml IK la
the ANOLO-SW1SS CONDENSED MILK.
Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk
ta the It KMT and (TIKAI’K.sT
FOR GENERAL USE,
And hae a LARUKR SALK than nil other brand*
combined.
ANGLO fCMestotsaMisn t A
33 Million Tint ol the** good* told in 1883.
ton it o»-soi:ti a"9 sascias nimuy
Mention Southern World.
LUXOMNI
The gam of female remedies, specially adapted
to troublea ol pregnancy, uted during the laat
two month* of pregnancy It relieve* all aenae of
tightness and weight, ao annoying to thla con
dition.
Lnxomnl relieve*crampa. falae palna, and pro
mote* real and comfort at night; It greatly ameli
orate* the pang* of child birth, ahorten* labor,
prevent* after pallia, and facilitate* recovery.
For disordered and painful men.
nlruntton, it ha* no equal, and la a superior
remedy for neuralglca, eouruUlons, and other
trouble* connected with the uterlueand ovarium
disease*
l.uxoutnf In no liquid preparation,
tout a combination of vegetable
ptantn from which a simple tea Is made, ana
Is without doubt the gem of female remedies.
Price, 91.00 per package. Mend for our family
waah list free. If your druggist has not the
preparation, address the
HARRY MANUFACTURING CO.,
Drawer 3S, Atlanta, Os.
Mention Southern World.
UfiDC every person,
HUlL SICK OR WELL,
la Invited to send their address toTnsSwirr
Hrzciric Co.. Drawer a, Atlanta, Oa., for a copy
of their treatise on H ond and Skin Diseases,
which will be mailed free.
CANCER for MANY YEARS.
A family servant has been afflicted for many
years with a cancer ou her note, and was treat-
eel b some of the best phyarlan*, and the old
remedies used without Wncflt. Finally we gave
her Swift’s Specific and *he ha* been complete
ly cured. Jon* Hit t, Pruseftt,
Thomson, Oa., August It, 1*84.
Nose Eaten Off!
John Nave*, a
man near here, had a
young
cancer on hi* face which had eaten away hla
nose and pari of his cticrk, and was extending
up to his eyes. As a l*»t retort be »aa pat oa
Swift's HoeciSc. and It ha* entirely cured bln.
His face I* all healed over with new fle*b, and
hi* general health Is excellent. Hla recovery
was wonderful.
M. F. Crcmlky, M D .
Oglethorpe, Ua., August IS, 1SS4.
Mention Southern world.
YOUNG MEN OF
ability to Canvass
for our new wink, “Water World,"
Best selling book In the market. Per
manent position* given to good men.
School teacher* preferred. Also, com* ladles for
our new Holiday Rook. Good men can make
9X0 to gtO per week. Now is the Uae.
Union Publiahinc Hons*. Atlanta, On.
Mention Southern World
$65
A MONTH Jk board for g lira
Young Men nr Larila* in each county.