And there is fine old Gramercy Park, whose dignified homes in the past were owned by men of the greatest prominence. Many of the great homes still remain, and the central space, tall, iron-fenced, is still exclusively locked from all but the privileged, the dwellers in the houses on the park. And there, amid the grass and the trees, sedate little children, with little white or black dogs, play sedately for hours.

We went for luncheon, with two recent woman's college graduates, all familiar with New York, into the club house that was the home of Samuel J. Tilden. Our companions were unusually excellent examples of the best that the colleges produce; they were of American ancestry. But any New-Yorker will feel that much of the spirit of the city has vanished, that much of the honored and intimate tradition has gone, when we say that, it being mentioned that this had been the Tilden home, it developed that neither of them had ever heard of Samuel J. Tilden.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS

  1. What is the authors' attitude toward the past?
  2. What does the essay say concerning change?
  3. In what spirit does the essay mention old buildings?
  4. What does the essay prophesy for the future?
  5. Tell the origin of some of the street names in New York City.
  6. What does the essay say concerning the influence of people who are now dead?
  7. Point out examples of pleasant suggestion.
  8. Show where the writers express originality of thought.
  9. What is the plan of the essay?
  10. What advantage does the essay gain by making so frequent reference to names of people?
  11. How do the writers gain coherence?
  12. Point out pleasing allusions.
  13. What spirit does the essay arouse?
  14. What do the writers think concerning the present?

SUBJECTS FOR WRITTEN IMITATION

1. Things That Have Vanished11. A Trip About Town
2. My Own Town Years Ago12. Some Curious Buildings
3. Old Buildings13. The Highway
4. The People of a Former Day14. The Founding of My Town
5. Legacies15. Early Settlers
6. Street Names16. My Ancestors
7. The Story of a Street17. Family Relics
8. The Story of an Old House18. A Walk in the Country
9. The Farm19. The Making of a City
10. Eternal Change20. Main Street

DIRECTIONS FOR WRITING

Your object is not to tell what you do on any walk that you choose to take, nor is it to tell what you see. You are not to try to inform people concerning facts. You are to give them pleasing impressions that come to you as you meditate on something that has changed.

In order to do this you must, first of all, have a real experience, both in visiting a place and in feeling emotion. Then you must make a plan for your writing, so that you will take your reader just as easily and just as naturally as possible over the ground that you wish him to visit in imagination.

Make many allusions to people, to books, to events, and to anything else that will bring back the past vividly. Make that past appear in all its charm. You can do this best if your emotion is real, and if you pay considerable attention to your style of writing. Use many adjectives and adjective expressions. Above all, try to find words that will be highly suggestive.