782 THE URBAN COMMUNITY 



speaking people justly qualify these oases as the city's lungs. Be- 

 sides trim gardens, neat lawns, shady avenues and clusters of trees, 

 we have borne in mind the requirements of sport. We have reserved 

 a playground which is useful for every kind of game and out-of-door 

 amusement. Nurses and their babies have at their disposal sand- 

 heaps near water-basins filled with gold and silver fishes. The 

 picnicking public feels at home here. A refuse-box is near at hand, 

 where are thrown the remains of their repast, such as paper, tins, etc. 

 Untidy individuals are called to order by the keeper of the place. 

 Ill-behaved people must be trained by law, a principle justified by 

 experience. 



" But how prevent the crowding of these pleasure-grounds? This 

 eventuality is not to be feared in view of the fact that many people 

 of every class, having their own pleasant home in the suburbs, make 

 but little use of public places." 



" You must admit," went on Initiator, " that towns provided with 

 rural suburbs are a great blessing. Well, let us look at our pretty 

 suburbs. See the outskirts of one of them covered with peaceful 

 little houses of varied styles. Behold the sweet scenes, charming 

 terraces, vegetable and flower gardens, a clear fountain, friendly 

 birds flitting about the trees and the eaves. Many are the houses, 

 but no giant house is to be found among them; we give a permit to 

 such an intruder only when two thirds of the landlords of the quarter 

 consent to it. The rising piece of land may sometimes make it 

 difficult for us to resist the temptation of admitting the big houses, 

 but still we manage to put some order in the spontaneous growth of 

 our city. The will of the majority of the interested parties decides 

 also concerning the admission of workshops into the midst of the 

 residential district. 



" Had these general sanitary conditions of our city prevailed every- 

 where, as they should have done, there would have been no sufficient 

 reason for Mr. Ebenezer Howard to start his ' Garden City ' scheme. 

 Look at these roads of reasonable width, on both sides of which are 

 open spaces leading up to the dwelling-houses. These open spaces 

 may be cultivated and arranged according to the taste of the owners. 

 Proper sewers, supplies of water and electricity, as well as telephones, 

 are to be found in every home. The satisfactory development of 

 these remote parts of our city is due in some measure to a system of 

 restrictions, final or temporary, adopted by the original land-owners 

 and forced upon the new-comer. The measures may be more or 

 less repealed when the suburbs of the garden city come into contact 

 with the advancing town. Indeed, the rural illusion is complete, 

 though, thanks to the means of rapid and cheap transit, the garden 

 of the townsman is within a few minutes of the neighboring me- 

 tropolis. 



