

107 
pect Park, January 24, 1866,* it is urged that the park land east 
of Flatbush Ave., now comprised within the grounds of the 
Brooklyn Botanic Garden, be devoted to educational purposes, 
especially such as would be supplemental to the book work of 
the public schools. Under the caption “Museums and other 
educational edifices,” the report reads as follows: 
“ Although the ground now held by your Commission, east of 
Flatbush avenue, does not appear to us desirable to be retained 
for the purpose for which it has been assigned, it will neverthe- 
less be an advantage to the park, if a small section of it, abutting 
on Flatbush avenue and facing the park, remains in the posses- 
sion of the city. We therefore desire to offer a suggestion as to 
the use to which it may be appropriated. 
“Tt is undesirable that any duties or r 
assumed by legislative bodies that can be equally well undertaken 
by citizens, either individually or associated in their private ca- 
pacity. The exact limit of judicious legislation in this way can- 
not, however, be defined, and while there dre many public re- 
sponsibilities that clearly cannot be assumed by individual citi- 
zens, and many more that can, there are some few that are of an 
iutermediate character, and that require special consideration. 
It is, for instance, generally conceded that a system of popular 
education is an essential part of a republican government, but it 
is by no means determined what means of education should be 
secured to all, and to what extent the public can be taxed, with 
reasonable assurance of a saving to the tax payers through a re- 
duction of taxes for courts, police, prisons and poorhouses, and 
the general cheapening of the necessaries of life by the increased 
capacity for productive labor of the whole community which may 
e obtained through the improvement of the educational system. 
“It is very desirable, therefore, that plans should, if possible, 
be adopted by our municipal bodies, which will admit of strict 
construction, and at the same time be no bar to the progressive 
improvement of our methods of education. At present, book 
learning and education are generally considered correlative terms, 
but the conviction is evidently fast gaining ground in the public 
by BA fa 
ies should be 


* Sixth Ann. Rept. Commissioners Prospect Park, pp. ‘TI4-116. Brook- 
lyn, I 
