Then the party mounted the decorated stand, and in a few pleasant words the Mayor presented the gift of the city to the people.
He was followed by several other speakers, among them Mr. John Proctor Clarke, who said some very nice things to the children.
He began by leaving the benches where the guests were seated, and walking across the stand until he was as near to the children as possible, for he said that what he had to say was intended for them, and not for the grown-ups, and so he wanted them to hear him clearly.
"The Mayor," he said, "has given this pier to you; but do not think he has given it as a charity. He has given it to me as well as to you, he has given it to all the people who are here to-day, and all the people in the city of New York, not as a charity to us, but because now that the city has finished it, it belongs to us by right as citizens of this town.
"The city has given us the use of this pier, and promises to keep it swept and clean, and in good repair for us, but it is ours; we own it, it belongs to us as citizens.
"Now what do we do with the things that belong to us? Do we throw them away, or destroy them? We take care of them so that they may last, don't we?
"Yes. Well, that's all I have to say to you about this pier. It is yours. Take care of it."
The new pier is one of the largest of the five that are to surround the city. It is roofed over, so that those who wish to enjoy it are sheltered from the sun.
It is seven hundred and twenty feet long, and fifty feet wide. Plenty large enough for crowds of people to use it in comfort.
The pier juts farther out into the river than any of the neighboring docks, and at its end there is a fine view up and down the river.