Mr. Lewisohn's generous offer has not been accepted by the City. The land on the east side of Convent avenue known as Jasper Field is park land, acquired by the City for free public use, and is being graded and improved for that purpose. If this area should be made over to the College of the City of New York for the enlargement of the Stadium, it would be subject to the same restrictions of public use as those which now surround the Stadium. The prac tice of charging admission fee to performances in the Stadium is not regarded with universal public favor. In the negotiations which preceded the transfer of the ground on which the Stadium now stands, to the City College, the President of this Society urged that a condition of such transfer be the requirement that the public should be admitted free. But that condition was lost sight of in the subsequent transactions. The legal steps of the transfer were as follows: Chapter 86 of the laws of 1912 authorized the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund to assign to the Trustees of the College of the City of New York the area bounded by 136th street, 138th street, Amsterdam aavenue and Convent avenue" and in setting aside and assigning such lands and premises may prescribe such terms and conditions with respect thereto, as in its discretion it deems proper."

On April 4, 1912, James W. Hyde, Secretary of the Trustees of the College, applied to the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund for the assignment of the land, and on the next day, April 5, Acting Comptroller Douglas Mathewson recommended it to the Sinking Fund Commissioners. The Acting Comptroller said that "The property was acquired for St. Nicholas Park but has never been used for park purposes." On April 10, 1912, the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund adopted the following resolution:

Resolved, That pursuant to the provisions of chapter 86 of the laws of 1912, the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund hereby assign to the Board of Trustees of the College of the City of New York the following described property located in the Borough of Manhattan, City of New York." Here follows simply a description of the boundaries, but no conditions whatever.

On September 24, 1913, the Board of Trustees of the College formally accepted the offer of Mr. Lewisohn to construct a stadium

thereon at a cost to him of $200,000 or thereabouts. On September 30, 1913, the Board of Estimate and Apportionment approved this action with the understanding that the City should pay for grading and sodding the grounds, building cinder track, the fence wall, etc.

On May 5, 1914, an ordinance went into effect authorizing $50,000 corporate stock for "improving the grounds assigned to the College of the City of New York, located at Convent and Amsterdam avenues, between 136th and 138th streets, upon which the Lewisohn Stadium is to be erected."

By chapter 512 of the laws of 1915, which became a law May 3, 1915, section 1128 of the Greater New York Charter, as reenacted by chapter 466 of the laws of 1901, was amended by adding the following:

"The Board of Trustees of said college shall also have power to prescribe rules, regulations charges and compensation for the use, and to prescribe the extent, purposes and manner of use, by persons, associations and corporations of the lands or buildings of said college or any part thereof, at such times as the same are not required for the uses of the college and of those attending thereat, and the Board of Trustees shall also have power to prescribe what fees or charges, if any, such persons, associations or corporations may exact for the attendance at or participation in the uses so permitted. All moneys, if any, so received by said college shall, within ten days after being received, be duly accounted for and paid by said college to the Comptroller of the City of New York and shall by him be credited to a special fund for the exclusive benefit and use of the Athletic Council and other organizations of said college except as hereinafter provided, and any moneys in said fund when duly appropriated by the Board of Estimate and Apportionment of the City of New York and thereafter by the Board of Trustees of said college, shall be available for carrying out the powers, duties and functions of said Athletic Council and other organizations of said college and for no other purpose whatsoever. Provided, That any balance of said moneys received by said Comptroller during any fiscal year that may remain in said special fund unappropriated by said Board of Estimate and Apportionment a year after the expiration of each such fiscal year shall be, by said Comptroller, when so directed by said Board of Estimate and Apportionment, deposited to the credit of the general fund for the reduction of taxation."

It was under the authority of the foregoing law that admission was charged to the Shakespeare community masque "Caliban " which was performed in the Stadium from May 23 to June 3, 1916. On that occassion, the price of seats ranged from 25 cents to $2 each, and boxes seating six persons were sold for $25.00 and $50.00 each.

FOUNDERS DAY CELEBRATED IN NEW YORK CITY

Manhattan Island was first permanently settled by the Dutch on May 4, 1626, when Peter Munuit landed with colonists and a fully equipped government. The date is of such fundamental interest to the City of New York that the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society has long entertained the hope that its observance as Founders' Day might come into general practice. The first celebration of this anniversary with any conspicuous formality, so far as we know, was held on May 4, 1916, in Battery Park and was marked by the formal raising of the new city flag, described in our Report for 1915.

The flag was presented by Citizens' Flag Committee, of which Hon. George McAneny is Chairman, and was received by Borough President Pounds of Brooklyn, in behalf of Mayor Mitchel who was kept away by official business. A chorus of more than 500 children from Public Schools 1, 21, 23 and 29, and the band from Public School 21, rendered music about the flagpole. Mr. McAneny made the presentation speech, in the course of which he dwelt on the story of the Battery and the hardy voyagers who had sailed past it in times historic. He told of the history of the flag of New York and explained to the children the meaning of its colors and the significance of its seal.

The flag was hoisted by Charles Franciolini and Rose Raccui, 11 and 12 years old respectively, of Public School 21, and the chorus sang “The Orange, Blue, and White," composed by Victor Herbert for the occasion. The words were written by John B. Pine, L.II.D., of the committee which secured the adoption of the flag and the standardized seal of the City in 1915.

THE GREAT PREPAREDNESS PARADE

One of the most remarkable civic parades in the history of the United States was the so-called Preparedness Parade which took place in New York City on Saturday, May 13, 1916. The object of the parade was to express the popular sentiment in favor of timely preparation for defence against foreign aggression. The United States Congress at that time had under consideration the bill providing for the reorganization of the army and the parade was organized as a means of expressing public opinion on this question which, as it appeared then and as it appears more clearly now, may be of vital importance to the nation.

Colonel Charles H. Sherrill was Grand Marshal, and General Orders and announcements were issued in his name. His first General Order, issued May 1, 1916, outlined the plan of the demonstration as follows:

General Order No. 1

New York, May 1, 1916.

I. The undersigned, having been duly elected Grand Marshal of the Citizens' Preparedness parade, hereby assumes command. II. The headquarters of the Grand Marshal have been established at 120 Broadway, Suite 1056, where all inquiries as to position in line, equipment, &c., can be answered.

III. Major Alfred B. Whitney is hereby appointed Chief of Staff; Colonel Arthur F. Schermerhorn, Chief of Aids for the White and Purple Divisions; Captain Latham G. Reed, Chief of Aids for the Green Division; the Red and Blue Divisions will be under the personal supervision of Major Whitney, Chief of Staff.

IV. The reviewing stand will be on the east side of Fifth avenue and Twenty-fourth street, and the review will be taken by the Hon. John Purroy Mitchel, Mayor of New York City; General Leonard A. Wood, commanding the Eastern Division, U. S. A., and Rear Admiral N. R. Usher, commandant of the Brooklyn Navy Yard

V. Police permits have been obtained, not only permitting the march of the column when formed, but also the assembly in different parts of the City of trade sections, and their march to the point of junction with the column.

VI. There will be no uniformed organizations in line or vehicles of any description. No uniforms wiH be worn, and there

will be no mounted men, with the exception of the Aids to the Grand Marshal. No advertising will be permitted, and no banners bearing the name of any firm or company will be carried.

VII. One Marshal, marching at the htad of the each trade, shall wear a blue sash, which will be provided by headquarters. The Grand Marshal's Chief of Staff and his chief aids for each division shall wear red sashes. The Grand Marshal's mounted aids. shall wear white sashes. No other red or white or blue, or red, white and blue sashes can be worn in the parade, thus eliminating any possibilities of confusion in the conduct of the parade by officers authorized to wear sashes of those colors.

VIII. The formation will be as follows:

Each organization will be formed in companies of a single rank; 16 files front.

The companies will march with intervening distance of three paces, and this distance must not be exceeded.

Each company will be commanded by a Captain, who will march in front of the center of his company at a distance of two paces. Under no circumstances shall any company break into column of fours at any time.

The guide will be right.

During temporary halts of the column the companies will close up their distance to close order, so as not to lose space upon a renewal of the march.

No trade will enter the column until instructed so to do by the Grand Marshal's aid attached to that trade division.

Each trade will carry a large banner with its name, which banner will be provided by the trade.

In the rear of each trade organization there will be carried a white banner, diagonally crossed by red and blue, which banner will be provided by the Grand Marshal's headquarters, and its purpose will be to designate the rear of that trade organization, and thus serve as a signal to the organization which is to follow it. COLONEL CHARLES H. SHERRILL, Grand Marshal.

When the question was asked whether the parade had any political or partisan significance the Executive Committee issued the following statement:

This non-partisan parade is an act of constructive patriotism, and not in any sense critical of anybody or anything. No political banners can be carried in the columns, nor any bearing