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and the sensation will not reach fact over in silence-that within its outer extremities,-it is hardly the last year or two one or two possible to expect that any one honourable exceptions to the genshall dower it with parks. eral rule have occurred in London, Mr Evelyn having given a public garden to Deptford, in which neighbourhood he possesses a great deal of property inhabited by the very poorest classes; and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners having been induced to give two small parks of some fifty acres each, one to Highgate and one to Kilburn. But what are these among so many? And though we may hope that other great landowners in London may be induced by these examples to spend some of the money which their greatly increased rentals are bringing in to them, in buying open spaces even at some distance from their estates, in the cases where there is no open space left anywhere very near, it would not be safe to count on any such acts.

The man who gives a park to a town is a man whose associations are all connected with that town and those that dwell in it. He feels himself identified with its wellbeing. He will care, perhaps, that those who come after him shall be able to ramble in some of the spots where he delighted to ramble when he was a boy. He will have the consciousness that his gift makes a sensible addition to the welfare of the town, and that his generosity will be appreciated and applauded by his neighbours and fellows, rich and poor, great and small; and in that consciousness will lie a deep and calm satisfaction. But how can we expect such motives to operate in London, where the wealthy, as a rule, gather together in the small fashionable area in the very centre of the town, whilst the bits of rural scenery which we would fain save from the builder are situated in outlying parts?

Moreover, another and very important consideration must be borne in mind as affecting this question in London, and that is, the very much greater monetary value which attaches to all land that can be designated buildingland. A park of 100 acres, which in a provincial town might be valued at £10,000, could not possibly be bought in any of the outskirts of London for less than £50,000 or £100,000. And if the man who will dower his native town with a park worth £10,000 is a rare phenomenon, how much more so must one be who will dower it with a park worth £50,000 or £100,000? True it is and it would be ungrateful on our part if we were to pass the

The importance of open spaces to the health of the community can hardly be overrated. The late Dr Farr conclusively showed that the rate of mortality varies with the density of the population

senti

the greater the density, the higher being the death-rate. It is not, therefore, a mere mental desire for peace and quiet, or for natural beauty, which those can plead who object to the erection of houses around them in the spot where country lanes and pleasant fields have heretofore existed. They lose with the peace and quiet some of the freshness and purity of the air, and that loss entails a diminished vitality.

What is to be done? Open spaces must be secured, or the general health will suffer. Looking at the matter broadly, it is evident that we must make up our minds to pay for such spaces. It is no doubt a new and not altogether

pleasant idea that we should have to pay for fresh air, as we do for gas or water; but the conditions of our town life are making it imperative. After all, do we not, in a fashion, pay already for fresh air? Is not the occasional flight to the seaside or the Continent in some sort a tribute-money which we offer at the shrine of the goddess Hygeia? But this tributemoney is paid voluntarily and irregularly, whilst what is now demanded is a regular and fixed payment. On the other hand, we must remember that in buying open spaces we are benefiting those who are too poor to get an annual trip to seaside or foreign parts; whereas, in our annual excursions to those places, we are benefiting our own selves alone.

In old days, when we were not all so densely packed together on the ground, rich and poor alike were able in a short stroll to get out of hot dusty streets into cool green lanes and fields. Then the annual flight was, at any rate for the middle classes, a luxury, and not, as now it has become, one of the necessaries of life. We talk of the wear and tear of town life, and we notice how greatly it tends to increase as the years go by and the towns grow larger and larger. Is not this very much due to the fact that the air we breathe gets more and more vitiated, more nearly approximating to an exhausted receiver? And where is this to end? No one can tell. As regards London, a very careful calculation was recently made by Mr R. PriceWilliams; and in a paper read before the Statistical Society on the 16th June 1885, he showed that unless any altogether new and unforeseen contingency occurred, the population of London within the twentynine registration districts of the metropolitan area, which had risen

from (in round numbers) 2,800,000 souls in 1861 to 3,800,000 souls in 1881, must by 1918 have risen to 7,000,000 souls, or nearly double the present number. And this calculation leaves quite untouched the growth of the population of Greater London, as it has been called-the London outside the area of the metropolitan district!

With these facts before us, who will deny that some clear and distinct provision is absolutely necessary, in order that some portions of the space which is at present unoccupied, but which must in the near future be covered with buildings, shall be rescued and kept open for all time?

No one likes to contemplate additional burdens on the rates, which, especially since the establishment of the School Board, have been felt to press quite heavily enough; but the health of the community is as important an element for consideration as education itself. And it were far better to pay an extra rate of twopence or threepence in the pound to secure all the open spaces which will require to be bought as London extends farther and farther into the country, than to find in a few years' time that the rate of ninepence in the pound which we are now paying for education might almost as well have been thrown into the sea, owing to the exhausted physical condition of those whom the School Board has educated. Important a factor as education is in equipping a man for the struggle of life, it is too often forgotten that a healthy physique is of even more consequence. To provide mental training for the children of our poorer population, and to leave them without the means of ever breathing fresh air, would undoubtedly be a penny-wise and poundfoolish policy.

and the sensation will not reach fact over in silence-that within its outer extremities, it is hardly possible to expect that any one shall dower it with parks.

The man who gives a park to a town is a man whose associations are all connected with that town and those that dwell in it. He feels himself identified with its wellbeing. He will care, perhaps, that those who come after him shall be able to ramble in some of the spots where he delighted to ramble when he was a boy. He will have the consciousness that his gift makes a sensible addition to the welfare of the town, and that his generosity will be appreciated and applauded by his neighbours and fellows, rich and poor, great and small; and in that consciousness will lie a deep and calm satisfaction. But how can we expect such motives to operate in London, where the wealthy, as a rule, gather together in the small fashionable area in the very centre of the town, whilst the bits of rural scenery which we would fain save from the builder are situated in outlying parts?

the last year or two one or two honourable exceptions to the general rule have occurred in London, Mr Evelyn having given a public garden to Deptford, in which neighbourhood he possesses a great deal of property inhabited by the very poorest classes; and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners having been induced to give two small parks of some fifty acres each, one to Highgate and one to Kilburn. But what are these among so many? And though we may hope that other great landowners in London may be induced by these examples to spend some of the money which their greatly increased rentals are bringing in to them, in buying open spaces even at some distance from their estates, in the cases where there is no open space left anywhere very near, it would not be safe to count on any such acts.

It

The importance of open spaces to the health of the community can hardly be overrated. The late Dr Farr conclusively showed that the rate of mortality varies with Moreover, another and very im- the density of the population portant consideration must be the greater the density, the borne in mind as affecting this higher being the death-rate. question in London, and that is, is not, therefore, a mere sentithe very much greater monetary mental desire for peace and quiet, value which attaches to all land or for natural beauty, which those that can be designated building- can plead who object to the erecland. A park of 100 acres, which tion of houses around them in the in a provincial town might be spot where country lanes and pleavalued at £10,000, could not pos- sant fields have heretofore existed. sibly be bought in any of the out- They lose with the peace and quiet skirts of London for less than some of the freshness and purity £50,000 or £100,000. And if the of the air, and that loss entails a man who will dower his native diminished vitality. town with a park worth £10,000 is a rare phenomenon, how much more so must one be who will dower it with a park worth £50,000 or £100,000? True it is

and it would be ungrateful on our part if we were to pass the

What is to be done? Open spaces must be secured, or the general health will suffer. Looking at the matter broadly, it is evident that we must make up our minds to pay for such spaces. It is no doubt a new and not altogether

pleasant idea that we should have to pay for fresh air, as we do for gas or water; but the conditions of our town life are making it imperative. After all, do we not, in a fashion, pay already for fresh air? Is not the occasional flight to the seaside or the Continent in some sort a tribute-money which we offer at the shrine of the goddess Hygeia? But this tributemoney is paid voluntarily and irregularly, whilst what is now demanded is a regular and fixed payment. On the other hand, we must remember that in buying open spaces we are benefiting those who are too poor to get an annual trip to seaside or foreign parts; whereas, in our annual excursions to those places, we are benefiting our own selves alone.

In old days, when we were not all so densely packed together on the ground, rich and poor alike were able in a short stroll to get out of hot dusty streets into cool green lanes and fields. Then the annual flight was, at any rate for the middle classes, a luxury, and not, as now it has become, one of the necessaries of life. We talk of the wear and tear of town life, and we notice how greatly it tends to increase as the years go by and the towns grow larger and larger. Is not this very much due to the fact that the air we breathe gets more and more vitiated, more nearly approximating to an exhausted receiver? And where is this to end? No one can tell. As regards London, a very careful calculation was recently made by Mr R. PriceWilliams; and in a paper read before the Statistical Society on the 16th June 1885, he showed that unless any altogether new and unforeseen contingency occurred, the population of London within the twentynine registration districts of the metropolitan area, which had risen

from (in round numbers) 2,800,000 souls in 1861 to 3,800,000 souls in 1881, must by 1918 have risen to 7,000,000 souls, or nearly double the present number. And this calculation leaves quite untouched the growth of the population of Greater London, as it has been called-the London outside the area of the metropolitan district!

With these facts before us, who will deny that some clear and distinct provision is absolutely necessary, in order that some portions of the space which is at present unoccupied, but which must in the near future be covered with buildings, shall be rescued and kept open for all time?

No one likes to contemplate additional burdens on the rates, which, especially since the establishment of the School Board, have been felt to press quite heavily enough; but the health of the community is as important an element for consideration as education itself. And it were far better to pay an extra rate of twopence or threepence in the pound to secure all the open spaces which will require to be bought as London extends farther and farther into the country, than to find in a few years' time that the rate of ninepence in the pound which we are now paying for education might almost as well have been thrown into the sea, owing to the exhausted physical condition of those whom the School Board has educated. Important a factor as education is in equipping a man for the struggle of life, it is too often forgotten that a healthy physique is of even more consequence. To provide mental training for the children of our poorer population, and to leave them without the means of ever breathing fresh air, would undoubtedly be a penny-wise and poundfoolish policy.

and the sensation will not reach fact over in silence-that within its outer extremities, it is hardly the last year or two one or two possible to expect that any one honourable exceptions to the genshall dower it with parks. eral rule have occurred in London, Mr Evelyn having given à public garden to Deptford, in which neighbourhood he possesses a great deal of property inhabited by the very poorest classes; and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners having been induced to give two small parks of some fifty acres each, one to Highgate and one to Kilburn. But what are these among so many? And though we may hope that other great landowners in London may be induced by these examples to spend some of the money which their greatly increased rentals are bringing in to them, in buying open spaces even at some distance from their estates, in the cases where there is no open space left anywhere very near, it would not be safe to count on any such acts.

The man who gives a park to a town is a man whose associations are all connected with that town and those that dwell in it. He feels himself identified with its wellbeing. He will care, perhaps, that those who come after him shall be able to ramble in some of the spots where he delighted to ramble when he was a boy. He will have the consciousness that his gift makes a sensible addition to the welfare of the town, and that his generosity will be appreciated and applauded by his neighbours and fellows, rich and poor, great and small; and in that consciousness will lie a deep and calm satisfaction. But how can we expect such motives to operate in London, where the wealthy, as a rule, gather together in the small fashionable area in the very centre of the town, whilst the bits of rural scenery which we would fain save from the builder are situated in outlying parts?

It

The importance of open spaces to the health of the community can hardly be overrated. The late Dr Farr conclusively showed that the rate of mortality varies with Moreover, another and very im- the density of the population portant consideration must be the greater the density, the borne in mind as affecting this higher being the death-rate. question in London, and that is, is not, therefore, a mere sentithe very much greater monetary mental desire for peace and quiet, value which attaches to all land or for natural beauty, which those that can be designated building- can plead who object to the erecland. A park of 100 acres, which tion of houses around them in the in a provincial town might be spot where country lanes and pleavalued at £10,000, could not pos- sant fields have heretofore existed. sibly be bought in any of the out- They lose with the peace and quiet skirts of London for less than some of the freshness and purity £50,000 or £100,000. And if the of the air, and that loss entails a man who will dower his native diminished vitality. town with a park worth £10,000 is a rare phenomenon, how much more so must one be who will dower it with a park worth £50,000 or £100,000? True it is and it would be ungrateful on our part if we were to pass the

What is to be done? Open spaces must be secured, or the general health will suffer. Looking at the matter broadly, it is evident that we must make up our minds to pay for such spaces. It is no doubt a new and not altogether

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