294 ORKAMENTAL GARDENIKG. 



centers of large towns. It is a question whether this is 

 not a state of things hard to disassociate from such a 

 combination of circumstances in any place. In propor- 

 tion as any system of centrally located town gardens can 

 dispense with all woody solitudes (for such the clumps of 

 woods become after nightfall), and instead haye much 

 openness, with small clumps of trees and shrubs, this 

 serious fault is lessened. One great recommendation for 

 boulevards and small parks, in the midst of cities, is, that 

 from their comparative narrowness and openness, they 

 offer few special attractions to the viciously inclined. 



Turning from all that has been done in Paris in im- 

 proving the city, by opening up the boulevard and small 

 park system, there would be nothing wild in the idea of 

 adopting in New York now, a system of parks and boule- 

 vards, something as shown in figure 115, and just sug- 

 gested, dispensing entirely with Central Park as it now is. 

 Such a move in New York would no doubt be attended, 

 as something similar in Paris has been, by many 

 important advantages, not excepting that of profit 

 from a financial point of view. The present marvel- 

 lously attractive Pare Monceau, of Paris, was formerly 

 much larger than it now is, but the improvers of the city 

 saw the policy of cutting it down, and along with other 

 improvements, reduced it to less than half its former size, 

 selling the cut off portions for residences at enormous rates. 

 By a similar course with the larger New York Park, 

 the city would gain directly in two ways, first by getting 

 rid of a park that in more than one respect is too large, 

 considering its location, and instead, drawing it out, so to 

 sj^eak, in order that it may contribute beauty, healthful- 

 ness, and convenience to many parts now deprived of them. 



SMALL TOWN" PARKS. 



These, if well arranged, may be made to afford a good 

 and varied show of park-like features, in a compass so 



