Boston's Mayor for Sunday Recreation in Parks 



Mr. Lhairiiian and Mciiibi-rs ul llie National Giir- 

 deners' Associaliim, ii is indeed an exceedinjj;' ]}k'asiire 

 to greet this org-anization in a building thai is dedi- 

 cated to the prcifession that you represent — Horti- 

 cultural Hall. It is singular, however, in the matter 

 of the administration and the development of our 

 park system that it became necessary for the present 

 mayor of Boston to make a 4C)00-mile journey to dis- 

 cover that the very element most necessary to the 

 proper development of our park system obtained here 

 in our own city. In other words, 1 visited, like many 

 other Americans during the past year, the Panama- 

 Pacific Exposition and was fortmiate enough to be 

 able to visit the San Diego Exposition, and there dis- 

 covered the most beautiful park that I believe there 

 is in the entire world — the park system in connection 

 with the San Diego Exposition. I, of course, was 

 naturally and extremely desirous of learning who the 

 genius was that laid out the beautiful parking system 

 of San Diego, and I was informed b}' the vice-president 

 of the San Diego Exposition Commission that it was 

 the Olmstead Bros., of Massachusetts. 



I visited Portland, the beautiful rose city of the 

 Pacific Coast, and traveled through their park system, 

 and I said, "Who laid out this splendid park system?" 

 They said, "The Olmstead Brothers of Massachusetts." 

 .\nd I journeyed on to Seattle and made the same 

 in(iuiry there and received the same answer. .'Vnd 

 then I visited Chicago cm the return journey and drove 

 through Lincoln Park, and Jetf'erson Park, and Wash- 

 ington Park, and Jackson Park, and was astonished 

 at the extent of the area and the beauty and the serv- 

 ice that is derived from the park System there in 

 •Chicago. I witnessed on a pleasant Sunday afternoon 

 twenty-two ball games in progress at one time, some 

 fort}' tennis courts in operation at one time, archery 

 and golf and every other sport that is conducive to 

 the health and well-being of the individual. 



I came back impressed with the necessity for bring- 

 ing here into effete Boston the idea that has been so 

 generally accepted in the West for making Sunday a 

 day of recreation as well as a day of rest. 



I was naturally desirous of ascertaining who the 

 genius was that had reclaimed for park jiurposes such 

 a large extent of the area that was formerly occupied 

 by Lake Michigan, and my informant told me that 

 the Olmstead Brothers had something to do with lay- 

 ing out that system. I had never met the Olmstead 

 Brothers, but when I returned I sent for Captain Dil- 

 lon, the chairman of our Park Commission, and I said : 

 "Send for the Olmstead Brothers and make a contract 

 with them to go over our park system and make 

 it the best park system in the entire country regard- 

 less of cost." And they are now working along those 

 lines, and when, as guests of the Boston members of 

 your organization tomorrow, you will be privileged 

 to ride through the park system you will see some in- 

 dication and some evidence of their skill and their 

 ability in your chosen profession. 



We have begun to realize since they have started 

 operations that a great mass of shrubbery and of 

 flowers is not necessarily conducive either to beautv 

 or utility, and some of the most beautiful stretches 

 of our Fenway, which for years have been hidden from 

 ])ul>lic gaze through this great overgrowth of shrub- 

 bery, under their direction has been thinned nut, and 



it IS jjossible to witness here in Boston those scenes 

 which the old masters have reproduced on canvas for 

 the last hundred years — a vista of a river, a vista of 

 a church in the distance, and the entire picture framed 

 in the most graceful and beautiful shrubbery that is 

 common to our climate here in New England. 



It is a very great pleasure to me to come here and 

 to say that we are fully alive to the importance and 

 to the value of our public parks ; to say that our park 

 system re])resents an annual expenditure of more than 

 eight hundred thousand dollars; to say that our con- 

 tribution to the State parks, in the Metro])olitan Dis- 

 trict, rejiresents an annual ex])enditure of about four 

 hundred thousand dollars additional; to say that 

 through love of Boston and of the love of God's most 

 choicest gift to man, such fragrant flowers, the prod- 

 uct of sunshine and the product of nature, that it has 

 been possible through the generosity of a Boston 

 citizen to make more serviceable and to make more 

 beautiful our |)ark system here ; that a Mr. Parkman 

 one of our great citizens, in his will left the sum of 

 five and a half million dollars to the city of Boston for 

 the development and the beautifying of our park sys- 

 tem ; that that money is being expended intelligently 

 and with a view to beauty and service ; that we have 

 a Zoo and an Aquarium that are the equal of those 

 to be found in any section of the entire country, and 

 that we propose at some tiiue in the not distant future 

 to have a horticultural building in Boston in our park 

 system where it will be possible for the general ])ub- 

 lic to enjoy the beauty and the companionshi]^ of 

 flowers in the winter time in just exactly the same 

 manner as they are now enjoyed in the summer time. 



But everything that can be done is being done to 

 luake our system what it should be. We have been 

 exceedingly fortunate in the choice of men at the 

 head of our Boston park systein, men who have been 

 affiliated with your organization, men who have been 

 jjart and parcel of it, for Mr. Galvin was one of the 

 earliest florists in this city and whose name is a house- 

 hold word in the matter of flowers and of everything 

 beautiful of that nature ; William Doogue, our present 

 Park Commission; John H. Dillon, and our most com- 

 panionable Superintendent, "Jim" .Shea. They have 

 all been whole-souled men, for, after all, the men who 

 love flowers love children and love humanity, and the 

 service they have rendered in planning wisely and in 

 planning well for our park department is our chief 

 asset and makes possible a higher health record and 

 a liiwer death rate in Boston llian any other one thing 

 or all other things combined. 



We are grateful to the Gardeners' Association for 

 the sj)lendid men they have given us in their chosen 

 profession, and as mayor of the city I trust your stay 

 with us will be one of pleasure to you and one of profit 

 to the community. 1 trust the same God that imdcr 

 vour handiwork develops these choicest productions dur- 

 ing your stay will bless your visit with sunshine and 

 hapiiiness. 



•Address before Convention of National .\ssociation of Gardeners, 

 Boston, December 9. 



PARK AND PLAYGROUND LEADERS MEET 



The first meeting of park sui)crintendents, commission- 

 ers and engineers ever held in Lowell, Mass., was held 

 in the aldermanic chamber at City Hall, November 19, 

 when the Park Institute of New England held its fifth 

 meeting of the year, for the discussion of problems in 

 park and playground management. 



The principal address of the day was delivered by 



