CITY AND VILLAGE SQUARES 237 



convenience and enjoyment of the public, that we will find 

 ourselves limited more than we would like to be, when 

 we are seeking to make the park as beautiful and pict- 

 uresque as it is in the power of trees, shrubs, and vines 

 to make it. Hence the reason why the allotment for 

 amusement should be kept as much as possible together 

 in one spot with only grass directly around, and the 

 shrubs and flowers fenced in on the boundaries, or on 

 one side, so that they may escape the inevitable destruc- 

 tion that is sure to come when in too close proximity 

 to large crowds of young and old people. A convenient 

 outlet for the high spirits of young folks may be secured 

 in conveniently arranged play-grounds, where there shall 

 be no attempt to create a genuine park, but simply a 

 play-ground with the tree and shrub element almost en- 

 tirely left out. It is possible, with proper care-takers, 

 to arrange sand-pits for the amusement of little ones in 

 ordinary city squares, but for play-grounds for half- 

 grown boys an isolated area devoted entirely to the one 

 purpose of games is naturally set apart. 



To village squares the danger of destruction attend- 

 ant on the presence of crowds does not apply with the 

 same force, although it may be doubted whether even 

 there trees, shrubs, and grass would not be benefited by 

 the protection of a fence of some kind. However, sim- 

 plicity and openness are attributes that, in a village 

 square, or green, cannot be dispensed with. A piece of 

 greensward, with a few spreading umbrageous trees, will 

 make an ideal village green, if the trees are set far 

 enough apart, fifty feet or more, to give them plenty of 

 chance to properly develop. When the village green 

 needs protection of some sort, a very low stone wall, cov- 

 ered with vines, will make an attractive boundary, or a 



