Typed as spelled - Lena Stone Criswell

THE DAILY DEMOCRAT

Thirty-First Year - Number 60

Marlin, Texas, Saturday, July 11, 1931

PARKS

Most towns and cities have parks of some description or other.

If nothing more, it is an open space of ground with some shade, and perchance

a small body of water on it.

Some are well wooded and give out an entrancing scenic view.

When well kept, they have smooth drive ways, perhaps a community club house,

or pavilion where the town band regales the park frequently with music on

evenings, Sunday afternoons, and on special occasions.

This affords a place for the town people to get away from business and lose

dull care in the woods.

It also gives residents of neighboring towns and communities some place to go

for picnics, outing parties, etc. Also inhabitants of the town or city in

which the park is located.

The land was either opened up as a park and privately operated as a park, or

it was presented to the city outright.

Marlin always has had in view some day owning a park. The city fathers in an

early day set aside a park down on Ward street, but this was long since

abandoned as unsuitable, after having been used for several years.

Several attempts were made to establish small parks on land not owned by the

city and in each instance they proved unsatisfactory, or the owner used the

ground for other purposes.

Improving somebody else's ground is not a good idea anyway, and as the

problem now confronts Marlin, it is better to own the ground outright. Then

what the city and the citizens put into the park in the way of improvements,

will be theirs.

Most cities have been fortunate in donations of land for park purposes. That

probably explains why they have parks and Marlin has none.

The time has now arrived, however, when Marlin can have a park without great

burden to the tax payers, all of whom will be benefitted by a public park.

a municipally owned park is part of the improvement program started in Marlin

in recent years. It will come in its regular order, by the approval of the

people. The background has been set, the finances have been so conserved

that this park will not increase the tax rate higher than it is now-it is

now lower in Marlin than in the average town that has the municipal

improvements which Marlin has.

Copyright permission granted to Theresa Carhart and her volunteers for printing by The Marlin Democrat, Marlin, Falls Co., Tx.