Editorial J^ote and Comment. 
The Chicago Convention of the A. A. C. S. 
From every point of view the annual convention of 
the Association of American Cemetery Superintend- 
ents, held in Chicago last month, is pronounced a suc- 
cess. The weather was ideal for visiting the parks and 
cemeteries, the attendance was large, many new mem- 
bers were admitted, and the addresses and discussions 
were helpful. Among the more important subjects 
taken up were “Perpetual Care” and “Country Ceme- 
teries,” both of which call for the education of the lot 
owner, and this is the main issue in both subjects. His 
apathy must be overcome and information absorbed be- 
fore much can be accomplished. In the case of perpet- 
ual care this is urgent, unless state legislation can be 
secured requiring every cemetery to reserve a percent- 
age from the price of every lot sold, and place it in the 
hands of trustees for the future care of the cemeteries. 
This was advocated by President Rudd, of the Illinois 
Association of Cemeteries, and while being a radical 
departure from prevailing custom, would be more like- 
ly to bring about the proper care of these cemeteries 
which are now in the majority of cases, a disgrace to 
the communities, large and small, to which they min- 
ister. While it is certain that the improvement idea is 
rapidly making headway throughout the country, and 
must in time take up the cemetery question, it is also 
certain that the latter involves such immediate and nec- 
essary consideration and is of such public interest gen- 
erally that legislative assistance might be invoked with- 
out arousing public opposition on the grounds of tres- 
passing on the rights of the citizen. 
^ 
Further Improvements in Paris. 
As if the French capital were not attractive 
enough, its enthusiasts in the promotion of everything 
tending to beautify it still further, are still active. 
Projects are now being considered for placing decora- 
tive sculpture at the end of the Avenue P>ois de Bou- 
logne and for improving the aspect of the Palais Royal, 
in which a number of the best known French architects 
are collaborating. Another and very important step 
has been taken by the Paris educational authorities in 
the matter of installing, in the courtyards of the prim- 
ary schools, small gardens for the purpose of instruct- 
ing the pupils in practical botany. We are apt to con- 
sider ourselves very much ahead of the European coun- 
tries in most things, but as some recent travelers of the 
more inteligent class have truly said, while we mav 
delight in the advantages our system of government 
provides for its citizens, there is much to be learned in 
Old Europe which can be advantageously adapted to our 
own conditions. The love of flowers and gardening is 
inherited by the foreign child who finds practice and 
opportunity, where right conditions exist, as soon as it 
is old enough to pull a weed. In this country our chil- 
dren should be encouraged and educated in the same 
useful direction, and more or less of horticulture and 
agriculture should form a portion of the studies in all 
grades of common school education. 
^ ^ ^ 
Park 'Buildings. 
A large sum of money has been appropriated and 
contracts let for the erection of club houses in certain 
of the parks of the South Park system of Chicago. 
There was opposition in the board of commissioners 
to expenditures for such purposes but the project car- 
ried. There should be no niggardly policy in the devel- 
opment of the American city park. If it is intended to 
fulfill its purpose to the limit of current progress, it 
should be made to provide for all appropriate outdoor 
and indoor rational amusement and recreation of the 
citizen and should provide him with such necessary 
means to healthy life and living as cannot be attainable 
within his limited quarters and limited resources. And 
as such park buildings are equally good for all citizens 
it is not a question of special privileges. By all means 
let all park authorities carefully consider these ad- 
vanced movements in park development, and bend their 
energies not only to following such leads, but to orig- 
inating other benefits which may further enlist the sym- 
pathies and tax-paying help of a grateful public. The 
parks can and should be made part of the very life of 
the city dweller, but to become so, they must be im- 
proved to accord with and lead the tastes and intelli- 
gence of the people they serve. 
^ ^ ^ 
Fruit Trees By the Roadside. 
Considerable attention is being paid to the subject of 
planting fruit trees for shade and decorative purposes 
along our suburban and rural roadsides, in a way sim- 
ilar to many localities of continental Europe, where 
such a practice has been most attractive and beautiful. 
Several propositions have appeared in the public print 
whereby their care should be provided for and their 
products conserved for their rightful ownership. The 
suggestion is not of universal value for many reasons : 
Climatic conditions will have an important bearing, not 
only upon the life of roadside fruit trees, but upon the 
practical question of their appearance. In many parts 
of the country the intense heat of a few weeks of sum- 
mer will at once condemn the general run of fruit trees 
for ornamental purposes, because it burns up their 
beauty, and their leaves will dry out and fall long be- 
fore the trees of the forest show any signs of trouble. 
Another reason is that it would be more or less imprac- 
ticable to give roadside fruit trees the cultivation and 
care necessary to best results. On the other hand the 
blossoming and fruiting periods of fruit trees along the 
roadside would be attractive beyond expression, but 
these periods are of comparative short duration and 
would hardly compensate for months of expressionless 
existence. 
