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American cities are just waking up to the necessity of 

 providing themselves, before it is too late, with parks. 

 Boston is the only city that, until lately, has taken any 

 important step in this direction. Boston Common has long- 

 justly been the pride of the ;< hub of the universe." It 

 contains 48 acres ; it is devoted to the use of pedestrians, 

 and is not of sufficient size to be used for driving. 



New York City has taken the lead of all other American 

 cities. The Central Park, although as yet only in the 

 infancy of its beauty, is already the pride of New Yorkers. 



It contains 776 acres, 9 miles of carriage road, 5 miles of 

 bridle path, and 20 miles of walks. 



Philadelphia has quite recently laid out a large park on 

 the banks of the Schuylkill, near Fairmount waterworks. 

 It contains 128 acres on one side of the river, and 80 acres 

 on the other. 



Hartford has also by a timely liberality turned one of 

 the most disagreeable of her suburbs into a large and beau- 

 tiful park. 



In Baltimore a beautiful old private park is being con- 

 verted into public grounds of more than ordinary extent and 

 elegance. 



I give these details in order to show that the idea of 250 

 acres for a park for Albany is not extravagant. It is to be 

 a provision, not for the present merely, but for the future^ 

 At the present time it may be obtained with comparative 

 ease ; whereas, the city government of 100 years hence will 

 seek in vain for an opportunity such as offers itself now. 



3. A park should be diversified in its surface, especially 

 when the area is large. A mere flat plane does not please 

 or satisfy the eye. In an area of 250 acres, we ought to 

 have hill and valley, running water, winding roads, and 

 pretty, picturesque bits of landscape. Pleasant surprises 

 must be arranged for the eye. Some piece of beauty, be- 

 fore concealed, must break upon us suddenly. A clump of 



