248 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



THE UTILIZATION OF FAIR GROUNDS FOR PARK PURPOSES. 

 BY H. C. SHERWOOD OF WATERVLIET. 



Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: — Having for several years been 

 connected -with the fair association of Western Michigan, which holds its 

 animal exposition in this city of Grand Eapids; and having also been inter- 

 ested on committees to ascertain if more extensive and commodious grounds 

 could be secured -which would not only better accommodate our exhibits, but 

 might also be arranged and made attractive as a place of resort and be used for 

 general park purposes for this city, which is increasing in population and ex- 

 tending its bounds so rapidly year by year. This undoubtedly accounts for my 

 being selected to introduce the subject of utilizing our fair grounds for general 

 park purposes. 



Confident that such a plan is feasible and, if properly carried out, would be of 

 great advantage to all parties interested, I accepted the invitation to bring the 

 question before this society for its consideration. 



It would hardly be expected or seem necessary for me at this time to refer to 

 those topics which have been placed upon the programme and claimed your 

 special attention already, and yet they do relate very materially to our subject, 

 especially the duty of cities and villages in regard to providing parks and the 

 importance of correct taste in building and maintaining them so that they may 

 become not only places of legitimate recreation but an educator of the public 

 mind. The necessity of public parks and pleasure grounds in the vicinity of 

 the great cities of the world has been conceded and acted upon, and in the 

 ancient cities the wisdom of the people, centuries ago, decided in their favor; 

 indeed we often find that those old towns were better provided with these places 

 of recreation than some of our enterprising modern cities. In England there 

 are a great number of private parks, often consisting of thousands of acres, 

 these having been granted by the sovereigns for this purpose. Most of these are 

 open to the public with some reasonable restrictions. London alone has parks 

 within the city of over three thousand acres, and within an hour's ride from the 

 central part, there are over ten thousand acres devoted to the public as pleasure 

 grounds. Most villages in England have private parks near them which the 

 people are allowed to use, also Paris, Vienna, St. Petersburg, and indeed all the 

 great cities of the continent have their famous grounds fitted up in most ele- 

 gant style, having their beautiful drives, avenues and delightful walks; and at 

 present almost every large town in the civilized Avorld has its public pleasure 

 grounds in some form. 



In the United States, until within the memory of many of us, but very little 

 attention was paid to this subject, which is now deemed of so much importance 

 and so essential to the health and comfort of the thousands who crowd into 

 our large cities for their homes. There seems to be a desire by all classes to 

 have some place of social exchange ; sometimes it is a cemetery near some 

 country village ; sometimes a certain street in a city, and oftentimes it is 

 where evil habits are formed which imperceptibly yet surely lead to certain 

 ruin. It is quite evident that the evils arising from such a condition of things 

 may be avoided, as most people have an inborn love of nature and consequently 

 turn longingly towards that which brings so much joy ; and then by such pure 

 and delightful influences they are drawn nearer to that Being who is the source 



