250 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 



from politics, but unfortunately there are many 

 cases where this lesson has not been learned. A 

 good commissioner serves the public from a sense 

 of patriotism and not on account of patronage or 

 perquisites connected with the office. He should 

 be a lover of nature, a man of taste, and a sym- 

 pathizer with all good things connected with the 

 park. 



FOREST PRESERVES 



In many respects forest preserves near cities are 

 like parks. They are similar in purpose and char- 

 acter. Both have trees, shrubs, and flowers. 

 Both include large areas. The area in forest re- 

 serves should be much larger than that included 

 in the city's park system. A forest reserve should 

 be procured within a reasonable distance of every 

 city and should be preserved as natural forest. 

 One's feeling with regard to such a native forest 

 should be similar to that which one might have for 

 the preservation of Indian mounds or any other 

 existing feature connected with Indian life, or to pre- 

 serve undisturbed any historical spot. The forests 

 with their trees, their undergrowth and wild flowers, 

 are the oldest things in existence next to the earth 

 itself. What a possession that city will have, say, 



