94 TRANSACTIONS OP THE ILLINOIS 



in the extent and beauty of our public grounds. It does not comport with 

 the wealth, intelligence and good taste of our people. With such good 

 taste exhibited in many of our private grounds, laid out in most excellent 

 artistic design, we should have extensive and beautiful public grounds. It 

 is due, however, to say that through the influence of our local horticul- 

 tural society a competent and energetic board of park commissioners has 

 been created by our city fathers, and we confidently expect that in the near 

 future we shall have extensive public grounds, so skillfully and artistically 

 designed, and so elaborately beautified, as to attract thousands of visitors 

 to admire and copy after our excellent taste. 



The cultivation of our art, both in public and private grounds, is 

 essentially a school of science and art. To lay out and arrange grounds 

 in the most pleasing manner, requires great architectural design and 

 artistic skill. To plant trees, plants and flowers successfully, requires a 

 study of their names, habits and varieties, so leads to a knowledge of 

 botany and vegetable physiology. These scientific and intellectual ad- 

 vantages are of great importance, but much more important is the moral 

 elevation of the people where our art is highly cultivated. He who is 

 led to contemplate the beautiful in nature and art must necessarily grow 

 more moral and more refined. Beautiful and attractive public resorts in 

 a city may lead thousands into their quiet shade to commune with nature, 

 and thus escape the city temptations which lead to ruin. 



Our art is largely cultivated in the laying out and adorning of our 

 cemeteries, and it seems befitting to spread around the last resting place 

 of our friends the beautiful lawn, and plant profusely the Coniferae, whose 

 green foliage, remaining in the dead of winter, ever reminds us of the 

 Christian's hope of a better life. We should go back a little to the cus- 

 tom of the ancient fathers, who worshiped in the groves, and secure for 

 our churches large grounds and surround them with all the attractions 

 that a beautiful landscape can give, and. thus invite the forest songster to 

 unite his songs of praise with the Sabbath worshipers. 



It is our duty as horticulturists to commence in our day a new enter- 

 prise in the culture of our art, which may result in the future wealth and 

 prosperity of the country, and the intellectual and moral improvement of 

 our children. That is to so arouse and mould public opinion on this 

 important subject, that in the near future we shall have every school 

 house in our land surrounded by a botanical garden, where every child 

 shall be taught the value and use of trees and plants, architectural design 

 in the laying out of grounds, and the highest order of taste in beautifying 

 and adorning the school ground and the home. 



Let the children lay aside the arbitrary rules of books, and listen to 

 a competent object teacher discourse to them about the birds they can 

 see in the trees, the pebbles easily picked up by the wayside, and the 

 insects found upon the plants and flowers. In this way our children may 

 know more of botany, ornithology, geology and entomology than the 

 classic scholars of to-day. 



This is no fanciful picture, no idle dream ; the work has already 

 begun. We have an Industrial University in successful operation in 



