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at a rock south of Borough Hall, a large crowd was gathered. 

 Here Dr. MacCracken spoke as follows : 



" The Park of Crotona is the present site of the capital of 

 the Borough. Whether it is to be the capital of the County as 

 well it will be for the future to determine. It has a good 

 name for the site of a capital. The original reason for this 

 name was, no doubt, the existence of the Croton aqueduct, for 

 the name Croton and Crotona are identical in ancient history. 

 The name was imported into New York State, I believe, at the 

 same time that innumerable classic titles were brought in, 

 without any tariff. We got Rome and Carthage and Syra- 

 cuse, Cato and Scipio and Regulus, Corinth and Athens and 

 last, but not least, Crotona. Crotona City is famous in educa- 

 tion, for it was the home of Pythagoras, the greatest of early 

 philosophers, and of Milo, the greatest of early athletes, thus 

 proving higher learning and athletics ought to help and not 

 hinder one another. I see no reason against the name Cro- 

 tona for the capital of our County as well as of our Borough. 

 Manhattan puts its new court house close by its City Hall. 

 I see not why we may not put our principal county buildings 

 either on land fronting Crotona Park or in the park itself. 

 It would be hard to find a more central location, or one more 

 accessible from all parts of the Borough for many years to 

 come. As President of the Society of Arts and Sciences of 

 the Bronx, I speak of this not as a political, but purely as a 

 social question, which, if wisely handled, will enhance the 

 beauty and the welfare of our Borough. 



" If we place the capital of the County in or near Crotona 

 Park, it will place a new obligation on all the people who live 

 nearby to keep this park one of the cleanest, handsomest, and 

 most attractive in the whole city. It is time for you to have 

 a neighborhood society to work for Crotona Park and to 

 make it worthy of its place in the heart of this great Borough." 



Borough President Cyrus C. Miller made the address of 

 acceptance, expressing his appreciation of the honor and his 

 hope that the day would never come when any part of the 



