Identifier: historyofworcest06nutt (find matches)
Title: History of Worcester and its people
Year: 1919 (1910s)
Authors: Nutt, Charles, 1868-1918
Subjects: Worcester (Mass.) -- History Worcester (Mass.) -- Biography
Publisher: New York, Lewis Historical Publishing Company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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g forth in glowing colors the jiossibilities of theswamp. In his report for 1863, Mr. Jaques says that there is little useto refer seriously to the recommendations in reference to the construc-tion in Elm Park of an artificial sheet of water where, in summer, varie-ties of the web-footed tribe should be kept to amuse people (who nevergo there), and where skating, in winter, while attracting a few worthyfolks to the park, would bring also a crowd of unruly boys who in turnwould necessitate the presence of more blue-coated gentlemen to bepaid out of the city taxes. But soon even Mr. Jaques was converted to the glories of a reallyfine park and converted so suddenly that we find him in his very nextreport saying in reference to the dreamed-of pond: Such a little lake,enlivened by a jet fountain and accessible by a tasteful arrangementof walks ... is just what is needed as the groundwork of a seriesof improvements which, if judiciously managed, would without heavy 43° HISTORY OF WORCESTER
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AND ITS PEOPLE 431 outlay of nuinc), make these grounds in the course uf a few years verycreditable to the cit\-. His original attitude and his conversion represent that of perhapsthe majority of his contemporaries. It is hard for us, to whom parkshave long since liecome a necessity, to realize that they were looked upona half century ago not merely as a luxury, but as a luxury which flavoredof the idle anil dissipated aristocracy oi France in Louis XI\s time.Why spentl money, \\ as the hue and cr)-, upon a playground for the idlein a C(.umtry where we have no leisiue class to enjoy it except the sickly,the aged, and the children? It \\as a hard fight to convince the peoplethat even the (Jld Ioninnin was not a place for railroad tracks andbuildings and b.aseball and carpet sweeping,—but that is another story. Elm Iark has de\cloped and public sentiment with it. Levi Lincoln left a be(;Uest for the drainage of the park. In 1S7Gwork !>egan on the first pond, and for twenty years th

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