PARK AND CEMETERY 
AND LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 
Vol. XVIII Chicago, February, 1909 No. 12 
Preservation of Niagara Falls 
The Burton Bill, which was the result of the crusade of a 
year or two ago to preserve Niagara Falls until, a permanent 
treaty between Canada and the United States could be nego- 
tiated to compass that object, and which was necessarily only 
a temporary measure, expires in June next, and effective 
work is needed, and is imperative, in order that a definite 
plan may be arranged to insure the permanent preservation 
of the falls. The American Civic Association urges an im- 
mediate appeal by the people to their representatives in Con- 
gress insisting upon a re-enactment of the Burton Bill, on a 
ten-year basis. Larger discretionary power should be given 
the Secretary of War, and a sufficient appropriation be made 
for the carrying out of the work of the commission of super- 
vision. No efforts should be spared to secure such govern- 
ment action as will forever preserve the great cataract for 
the people. 
The Lincoln Memorial, Washington 
It is perhaps too much to expect, until men of higher 
caliber and greater common sense are elected to represent 
the people in Congress, that we shall be able to trust that 
body to enact legislation without a good strong curb to con- 
trol the constant effort to get even with something or some- 
body, which seems to be at the root of much of the evil 
accomplished or attempted. What on earth was the use of 
all the expense, and the labor of the best genius of the coun- 
tr}^ to formulate a progressive plan for the development and 
beautification of Washington, a plan that was endorsed by 
practically the whole of the American people if some under- 
ground interest, personal or corporate, of some later Congress 
could set it all aside and promote a costly change completely 
at variance with the accepted project? The latest scheme, for 
which a bill was before Congress, purposed to purchase 
land adjacent to the new Union railway station, lay it out 
and erect thereon a memorial to Abraham Lincoln, for which 
a commanding and appropriate site was already provided in 
the commission's plan above referred to. The American In- 
stitute of Architects, other organizations, and numbers of 
prominent men acquainted with the situation strenuously op- 
posed this dubious scheme, and secured the introduction of 
a joint resolution appropriating $1,2.50,000 for a Lincoln 
Memorial on a site to be selected by a commission, composed 
chiefly of members of the earlier commission in whom the 
public has every confidence. For this rescue from political 
blindness and ignorance, thanks are due to the architects’ 
organization. 
N? ve ve 
Chicago, the Tree City 
The tree idea is spreading rapidly. The success which has 
attended the New Jersey “enabling act," under which munici- 
palities may establish shade tree commissions with power 
to undertake the planting and care of shade trees on the 
municipal roads and highways, as exemplified in the cases of 
Newark and East Orange, has had a very stimulating effect 
on the proposition throughout the country. Chicago, which 
has hitherto been lagging, has now taken up the question 
with her accustomed vim, and a joint session of representa- 
tives from some twenty-three organizations, interested in 
civic improvement, was quite recently held in the .^rt Insti- 
tute, resulting in the appointment of a committee of thirty. 
the Chicago Tree Commission, to carry forward the work of 
making Chicago a Tree City. There was a time when she 
was noted for her beautiful trees, but the forces at work to 
create a metropolis overlooked the trees, and as time went on 
destroyed them. A permanent committee has since been 
formed which will seek both state and municipal powers to 
establish a city tree department to take charge of the work, 
and to secure the necessary funds, under some authorized 
plan to make the culture and care of the city trees a perma- 
nent municipal duty. Doubtless state legislation will have to 
be enacted to provide a public source of revenue for the re- 
quired purposes. It will mean a great undertaking, for Chi- 
cago is away behind many Eastern cities, and its marvellously 
rapid extension in area only adds to the proportions of the 
problem. 
N? Ng 
Rural vs. City Cemeteries 
There is a decided trend, largely confined to the East at 
present, however, toward removing interments from the city 
cemeteries into the more commodious, attractive and up-to- 
date cemeteries beyond the bounds of city limits and away 
from the crowded and busy conditions environing urban 
burial grounds. Besides the alluring prospects in the mod- 
ern out-of-town cemetery, there is to be taken into considera- 
tion the better and fuller protection afforded the lot owner 
under the general cemetery laws now controlling these Inirial 
places : and certainly, the insecurity of tenure in lots within 
the old city cemeteries where properly understood, and as 
illustrated in the history of city development, must naturally 
exert considerable influence on their lot owners toward mak- 
ing changes, to avoid the possibility of compulsory transfer 
of lots and interments before such changes are unceremo- 
niously demanded. It should not be' a difficult matter to in- 
fluence this exodus from the old to the new to the ultimate 
benefit of all concerned, because the new order of things as 
it pertains to the modern cemetery, such as attractive lots in 
artistically developed grounds of large areas, complete sys- 
tems of records to permanently and accurately identify every 
interment, absolute security of ownership, perpetual care, and 
he business conducted by men of high business experience 
and capacity, carries an array of persuasive argument prac- 
tically irresistible. To transfer the city cemeteries to the 
park-like suburban grounds, and transform the former into 
small parks of which the larger cities have all great need, 
looks wortliy of a strong missionary effort. 
Ng Ng Vg 
Proposed Council of Fine Arts 
The legislation proposed by President Roosevelt providing 
that the office of the Supervising Architect of the Treasury 
should be known as the Bureau of ,\rts and Public Buildings, 
and the architect be given the title of Director, is a good 
move. The art in architecture displayed in our government 
buildings throughout the country does I'lOt speak well for 
official competency, as we have before observed; and, more- 
over, it may be taken for granted that, considering the vast 
proportion of our country and its varying demands upon 
artistic genius, no one man is capable of properly caring for 
it all. It may wed be hoped that the Council of Fine Arts, 
appointed by the Presiilent this winter to advise “upon the 
character, design, site and landscape treatment of all public 
works of architecture, painting, sculpture monuments, parks, 
bridges ; to assist in the selection of competitors where work 
is to be carried out under competition, etc., etc.," will be per- 
mitted to act freely and without embarrassment. 
