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and very attractive. The cost of the land will not be great.

BENNETT PARK.

The grounds and plantations have been well cared for and this little Park is quite attractive.

The Shelter-house needs painting and some repairs to the metal work and the plumbing. This will soon receive attention.

The addition of more land to this Park, on the east side, is much needed, and its enlargement would be greatly appreciated by the residents in that section of the City.

LAFAYETTE SQUARE.

General maintenance only and with daily care the Park is kept clean and bright.

This little Park is situated in the heart of the busiest section of the City; in it are fine trees and a very liberal display of floral planting surrounding the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument.

FERRY STREET CIRCLE.

This is another beauty spot, with its flower-beds and trees. It is always kept in good condition with daily care throughout the year; it is always clean and bright.

MINOR PLACES.

There are several small parks, squares and twenty-six triangles included under the above heading. Quite a number of the triangles have concrete coping inclosing the flower-beds and plantations. There are some which contain plain turf only inclosed in a raised coping.

The small parks and squares are all cultivated and planted in one form or another.

With but a few exceptions all of the plots are under good cultivation and many of them are increasing in beauty with the coming and going of the years and the maturing of their plantations.

During the past year a large triangle situated in the northerly section of the City known as Central Park, and situated at the junction of Depew, Beard and Wesley Avenues, was presented to the City by Lewis J. Bennett, a generous and public-spirited citizen. Later it was placed in the charge of the Park Department.

This plot of ground is well situated in a very beautiful section of the City. It is surrounded by fine avenues which are adorned with stately elms. The roadways are macadamized. On the opposite side of these thoroughfares are modern dwellings and well-kept lawns.

The ground of this triangle has been placed in good condition and three flower-beds have been added this Spring.

Great possibilities still remain for improving and adorning many of these fine pieces of ground. It seems to us that they are the proper places for the erection of statues of prominent men, and not the parks proper.

It still remains for us to speak of one of the triangles which is situated at the junction of Niagara, Mohawk and Morgan Streets, and in close proximity to Niagara Square, where the noble monument erected to the memory of our martyred President, William McKinley, stands. That has been beautified, honored and graced by being selected as the particular one to erect upon the artistic memorial statue of Verdi, by the Italian citizens of our City. On the 7th day of September, 1907, the statue was formally dedicated and presented to the City of Buffalo.

The following is the press report of the interesting ceremonies:

STATUE OF VERDI, THE COMPOSER, IS FORMALLY PRESENTED TO BUFFALO.

IS GIFT OF ITALIANS.

DR. JOSEPH TARTARO MAKES ADDRESS TRANSFERRING MEMORIAL TO THE CITY.

RESPONSE BY THE MAYOR.

CEREMONY WAS PRECEDED BY PARADE IN WHICH ITALIAN SOCIETIES MARCHED THROUGH THE MAIN STREETS.

Massed together so thick that one could scarce draw breath, fully 30,000 people witnessed the ceremonies at the unveiling of the Verdi Monument late yesterday afternoon. Every man, woman and child from the Italian portion of Buffalo was present to see the presentation of the monument of the composer to the City of Buffalo.

At the west of the monument on Morgan Street a grandstand was crowded full of city officials, school principals and prominent Italians. In front of the reviewing stand were massed the various members of the Italian Societies 8,000 strong, all in uniforms. Directly in front of the stand was the Regina Elena Society of Rochester. The members' costumes of black plumes, silver shoulder straps and glistening swords, black coats and light blue trousers, were features of the spectacle. Directly behind the Rochester delegation stood the Bersaglier Society in handsome dark blue suits, surmounted by great helmets with large plumes.

It was 5.30 o'clock before the great parade was over and the many societies had been packed into the little square to hear the speeches.

As Alderman Kennedy, chairman of the ceremonies, arose there was a hush in the great crowd and Dr. Joseph Tartaro was introduced as the originator of the movement, who by hard labor and independent pluck had raised the money which made possible the gift of the monument by the Italians to the City.

Cheers went up from 20,000 Italian throats as Dr. Tartaro stepped forward on the platform.

Dr. Tartaro, in behalf of his countrymen, told how the Italians come from their native land to this shore and grow to be libertyloving American citizens. He said in part:

"We come here to present to you a token of gratitude in the shape of an artistic memorial, in this way contributing our share to beautify our beloved home city. We chose a man who cultivated the most gentle and heart-touching of all arts-music; a man whose very soul has spread over the world with the universal language of music, Giuseppe Verdi. His music for more than half

a century warmed to burning enthusiasm the Italians in their struggle for liberty.

"The Italians have been handicapped in their development; they have often been misjudged, but while they have been in your City they have cultivated husbandry, family love and respect for domestic virtue, however humble they may be. To show how grateful they are to the City, how proud of her attainments, they give you a token of gratitude in a work of art which was brought from Italy, our fatherland, the land of the beautiful; which was conceived by Italian minds and carved by Italian hands out of bronze and granite. I have the honor to present this monument to the City of Buffalo."

At a bugle signal from the reviewing stand, the Italian and American flags, which veiled the bust of Verdi, were lowered and the monument was unveiled. Then came thirty-four salutes of great bombs, thrown high into the air.

In behalf of the City Mayor Adam said:

"Fellow citizens: Great men-be they patriots, poets or philosophers belong to the whole world. Shakespeare, Burns, Moore, Dante, Handel, Beethoven, Washington, Lincoln, Longfellow, Schiller, Goethe, Lafayette, Kosciuszko, Verdi, obliterate geographical boundaries.

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Especially is this true of the great masters of music, for like the stars of Heaven, they speak a universal language, they need no translator or interpreter. I thank you in the name of Buffalo for this gift, and let's give three cheers for Buffalo."

The cheers that went up were the climax of the ceremony. Prior to the dedication, the Italian Societies paraded through the principal streets of the City. Each Society, headed by a band, had special uniforms and insignia of distinction. Vito V. Christiano, who was marshal of the parade, said that there were fully 8,000 Italians in line, including the following societies:

Garibaldi, labor union of Italian-Americans, Margherita, Umberto, Crocifessi, Avighanesse, Santo Donato, Giovanile, Cortavurtorese, Clubuofficale, San Rocco, Terminimerese, Club Aurora, Vallelimga, Baghesia, Conte-de-Torino and the Labor Protective Association, besides hundreds of Italian citizens afoot, or on horseback, and in carriages.

SOLDIERS' PLACE.

This large circle has been put in fine condition by the rebuilding of its roadways, the putting in of stone curbing, paving the gutters and building new sewers and silt-basins with receivers. The center plot of ground, one hundred feet in diameter, was finished with a stone curbing and paved gutters. The ground was raised, including cannon and balls, about two feet and finished with a rolling grade. On the top of mound is a flower-bed.

The remodeling and completing of this circle makes it a fitting ending of the three magnificent parkways, viz., Lincoln, Bidwell and Chapin.

GATES CIRCLE.

This fine circle, with its beautiful and costly fountain, is very unfortunately situated. Two great business thoroughfares pass through it with all their heavy traffic; under such conditions it is very difficult to maintain its macadam roadways in first-class condition. The traffic

is also unsightly and is at times an annoying obstruction to the pleasure travel that passes through it to the parks and parkways.

It is to be hoped that something may be done in the near future to relieve or remove the present evil.

The necessary appropriation of money has been secured for the coming fiscal year to complete a necessary and important piece of work-that of constructing stone curbing and paving gutters, the building of sewers and silt-basins, remodeling the present lines and curves, the changing of width of the roadways somewhat and the establishing of a system of grades. All the work will be commenced at an early date and completed in the early Fall.

BIDWELL PLACE.

This place a combination of square and circle-is situated at the junction of Bidwell Parkway and Richmond Avenue.

The appropriation of money has also been secured for the coming fiscal year to remodel this place and construct the same work of curbing, gutters, sewers, silt-basins and receivers, and the establishment of grades.

This work will be commenced simultaneously with the work of the same character in Gates Circle.

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