39 



you are back home, don't you go to Central Park, nearly every 

 day?" 'Why,' I said, 'we seldom go near it." 'Well,' she 

 said, 'If I ever go to New York, the first place I will visit 

 will be Central Park.' That was the only park that we had 

 at that time and I wonder what that lady would say now if 

 she could see the six splendid parks of The Bronx that we are 

 visiting to-day — Van Cortlandt, with its golf links, lake and 

 parade ground; P'elham Bay, with its magnificent water front; 

 Bronx, with its soul-satisfying hemlock grove and rocky gorge ; 

 Crotona, with a little lake nestling among the trees ; St. Mary's 

 with its permanent baby show, and Claremont, where we can 

 all go and get acquainted with the man who keeps everything 

 looking so nice — the Hon. Thomas J. Higgins, our Park Com- 

 missioner. 



" Two hundred years ago, the deer used to roam through 

 our parks, pursued by the Indian with his silent arrow. Dears 

 still roam through our parks, but they are not afraid of a man, 

 for every one of these dears has her man with her, and the 

 little fellow with the silent arrow, Mr. Cupid, makes some 

 mighty fine shots. The parks are the greatest matrimonial 

 agencies that we have, and the business became so heavy that 

 we had to establish a separate marriage mill for The Bronx at 

 our Borough Hall. 



" The best way to advertise The Bronx is through its parks, 

 so whenever you write to your friends send a photograph of 

 one of our beauty spots, and always remember that you are 

 living in the grandest country on earth, and the greatest city 

 in that country is the City of New York, and the finest place 

 to live in that city is the Borough of The Bronx, so Boom the 

 Bronx! " 



District Supt. Dwyer and Miss Conlon had charge of the 

 children and as they sang the National anthem. Miss Conlon 

 and a pupil from an adjoining school drew aside the flag, re- 

 vealing the tablet on the rock. Troop 104, Boy Scouts, 

 attended here. 



Up Prospect avenue the autos sped to Crotona Park, where 



