114 



Improvements are suggested, in connection with three of these 

 entrances, which seem to be necessary, for the purpose of securing 

 easy and agreeable approaches ; and the advantage proposed to be 

 gained in each case will be so readily understood, by reference to 

 the plan, that we deem further explanations in regard to this part of 

 the design unnecessary. 



MUSEUMS AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL EDIFICES. 



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 nevertheless be 

 an advantage to the park, if a small section of it, abutting on Flat- 

 bush avenue and facing the park, remains in the possession of the 

 city. We therefore desire to offer a suggestion as to the use to 

 which it may be appropriated. 



It is undesirable that any duties or responsibilities should be as- 

 sumed by legislative bodies that can be equally well undertaken by 

 citizens, either individually or associated in their private capacity. 

 The exact limit of judicious legislation in this way cannot, however, 

 be defined, and while there are many public responsibilities that 

 clearly cannot be assumed by individual citizens, and many more 

 that can, there are some few that are of an intermediate 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 reduction of taxes for courts, police, prisons and 

 poor-houses, and the general cheapening of the necessaries of life by 

 the increased capacity for productive labor of the whole community 

 which may be 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 construc- 

 tion, and at the same time be no bar to the progressive improvement 

 of our methods of education. At present, book learning and educa- 

 tion are generally considered correlative terms, but the conviction is 

 evidently fast gaining ground in the public mind, which has long 

 been established with those who have given the most thorough con- 

 sideration to the subject, that, although the ordinary chances of ob- 

 servation may be sufficient to make many branches of knowledge 

 which are inculcated in books sufficiently intelligible, there are 



