PARK AND CEMETERY. 
201 
PARK SUPERINTENDENTS’ CONVENTION AND TOUR 
The American Association of Park Su- 
perintendents held one of the most inter- 
esting and profitable conventions in its his- 
tory, a meeting that is probably unique in 
the records of the organization, as it in- 
cluded a cross-continent tour of park in- 
spection and field work extending from 
New York to San Francisco. 
The convention proper was held in San 
Francisco August 18 to 21, but the real 
beginning of the park inspection and the 
informal conferences that form one of the 
most valuable features of the association 
work was in Chicago, where the Eastern 
party arrived August 8, and spent the en- 
tire day in an automobile tour of the Chi- 
cago parks as the guests of the three local 
park boards. 
They were joined here by the Chicago 
and Central West members and proceeded 
to Minneapolis, August 9, where all were 
entertained by the Board of Park Commis- 
sioners, and made a tour of inspection of 
the park system under the guidance of Su- 
perintendent Theodore Wirth and his able 
assistants. A railroad wreck near Snow- 
den, Mont., delayed the party twenty-one 
hours, August 10. They reached Glacier 
National Park August 12 and spent the day 
there in this wonderful national park, leav- 
ing at night for Spokane and arriving there 
on the morning of the 13th and spending 
one day. Here they were royally enter- 
tained by the Board of Park Commission- 
ers and left on Friday, August 13, for Se- 
attle, where they arrived next morning, and 
were the guests of the park commissioners 
up to 3 o’clock p. m. The steamer for Ta- 
coma was then boarded, the balance of the 
day being spent there in charge of the 
parks’ commissioners. At midnight the 
party left for Portland, Ore., where on 
Sunday morning an automobile ride through 
the parks and to Mt. Tabor was taken. 
Later they were the guests of the city at a 
dinner given at the Chamber of Commerce. 
There was an attendance of one hun- 
dred park executives from the larger cities 
of the United States and Canada. The 
convention program provided one day of 
papers and discussions and two days of 
inspection tours of recreation facilities of 
San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley, as 
well as the landscape features of the Pan- 
ama-Pacific Exposition and a number of 
private estates adjacent to San Francisco. 
Practically the entire convention party 
toured the entire Pacific Coast, inspecting 
the recreation features at Spokane, Seattle, 
Tacoma, Portland, Los Angeles and San 
Diego, the Eastern party also stopping at 
Salt Lake City, Pueblo, Colorado Springs, 
Denver., Kansas City, St. Louis, Minneapo- 
lis and Chicago. 
At the opening session Wm. H. Metson, 
president of the San Francisco Park 
Board, delivered an address of welcome 
and outlined in a very interesting way the 
progress of park work in San Francisco, 
lauding the wonderful achievement of Su- 
perintendent John McLaren in the crea- 
tion and development of Golden Gate 
Park. 
Vice-President H. W. Merkel responded 
on behalf of the association and described 
the trip across the continent by the East- 
ern delegation, each city of the West and 
of the Pacific Coast being a revelation to 
the party, and San Francisco, with its ex- 
position and wonderful Golden Gate Park, 
being the climax. 
The annual report of Secretary-Treas- 
urer Roland Cotterill showed that during 
the year the indebtedness of the associa- 
tion had been cleaned up, there was a small 
balance in the treasury and a membership 
in good standing of 191. 
Twenty-four new members were admit- 
ted to the association, a larger number 
than at any previous session, the applicants 
being as follows : 
Henry W. Bush, superintendent of parks, 
Detroit, Mich. 
Chas. W. Davis, superintendent of parks, 
Memphis, Tenn. 
Wm. R. Reader, superintendent of parks, 
Calgary, Canada. 
Frank Shearer, superintendent of parks, 
Los Angeles, Cal. 
J. G. Morley, superintendent of parks, 
San Diego, Cal. 
W. C. Claybaugh, superintendent of 
parks, Fresno, Cal. 
J. M. Paige, superintendent of parks, 
Pomona, Cal. 
David F. Roy, superintendent of parks, 
New Brunswick, N. J. 
J. O. Conville, superintendent of parks, 
Portland, Ore. 
W. R. Hancock, superintendent of parks, 
Fergus Falls, Minn. 
Albert Bieschke, superintendent of parks, 
Noroton, Conn. 
John D. McEwen, superintendent of 
parks, Queensboro, N. Y. 
H. H. Elbers, director Botanical Gar- 
dens, Buffalo, N. Y. 
Jacob Umlauff, head florist, Seattle, 
Wash. 
H. L. McGillis, park engineer, Seattle, 
Wash. 
W. R. Pearson, superintendent Crom- 
well Gardens, Cromwell, Conn. 
William Allen, secretary Park Commis- 
sion. New Orleans, La. 
E. C. Lyle, landscape engineer, Belling- 
ham, Wash. 
C. De Grelle, landscape architect, Mon- 
treal, Canada. 
James F. Dawson, landscape architect, 
Brookline, Mass. 
Donald McLaren, landscape architect, 
San Francisco, Cal. 
Daniel MacRorie, landscape architect, 
San Francisco, Cal. 
Ralph T. Stevens, professor of L. G., 
Berkeley, Cal. 
W. T. Rementer, county forester, Los 
Angeles, Cal. 
During the course of the day and even- 
ing the following papers were read and 
were followed by interesting discussions. 
These papers will be published in the of- 
ficial organ and will also be included in 
the printed proceedings of the convention : 
“Are Charges for Certain Park Serv- 
ices Justified?” by Theodore Wirth, su- 
perintendent of parks, Minneapolis, Minn. 
“The Drift of Modern Recreation,” by 
E. B. DeGroot, director of physical edu- 
cation, San Francisco, Cal. 
L. P. Jensen, of St. Louis, made an in- 
teresting and suggestive address on “Public 
Parks as Preservers of Our Native Plants.” 
This paper is printed in full on another 
page of this issue. 
Stereopticon lectures were delivered by 
Samuel Hill, president of the Pacific High- 
way Association, his subject being “Good 
Roads,” and by J. H. Prost, city forester 
of Chicago, on “Civic Beautification.” 
Mr. Prost, city forester of Chicago, 
presented a stereopticon lecture showing the 
wonderful work accomplished with trees 
in Chicago. A summary of his address on 
“Civic Beautification” follows herewith: 
CIVIC BEAUTIFICATION. 
How Park Superintendents and City For- 
esters Can Help to Attain This End. 
By I. FI. Prost. 
Tlie terms “Civic Beautification” or “The City 
Beautiful” which have at times been greatly 
abused, of late often misused and in some cases 
discarded altogether for the terms “The City Prac- 
tical” or “Civic Betterment” still are, I believe, 
justifiable and should be championed by every 
park superintendent and city forester. 
We never can create too much sentiment and 
influence in favor of plant ornamentation for our 
cities. The more beautiful the residence streets, 
public grounds, school yards and home yards of a 
commmunlty are made, the happier, more patriotic, 
more industrious and more successful its citizens 
will be. 
This association has always used its Influence in 
promoting these features of Civic Beautification. 
But, have we done all we can? And in attempt- 
ing a humble answer to this question I am trying 
to Justify my appearance before this Association 
with the following talk and illustrations. 
The planting of trees upon all of our residence 
streets, the landscape planting of trees, shrubs 
and flowers upon rill public grounds such ns pump- 
ing stations, police and tire station grounds, ward 
