The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-06-18
A Plea for City Plavaro,,naa

Selected.
Plea for City Fairgrounds.
These children are undoubtedly ham
Ply IN their play, but 1 cannot watch
them without sadness and a regret
that the fuller pleasures of a country
life will never be theirs at the Tina
they are best fitted to enjoy them.
The earnest pleading for a. leaf or Bios
som from the fowerladen tourist as
returning from his outing, he passes
up this street; the eager band of merry
children In pursuit of a wandering but
terfy-fairy-like visitor from astranee
land-tell of formless longing for the
unknown freedom of the woods and
helds. What can we do to add to the
Joys OF a youth which is all too brief?
AS you enter your high-school, these
boys and girls enter on the serious
duties OF life. Then follows the strug-
gle for existence, and a. severe one if
usually is.
We cannot give all these children
homes IN the country, we5cannot give
them all even an outing there; but we
can give them Fairgrounds in the city;
a very little plot here and there will
40. We have reserved great parks
and squares which we permit them to
look at and sometimes to venture on.
But as Fairgrounds these are practical
~ useless; they are accessible to COM
paratlvely few. A vacant building-lot
IN the proper district is far more to the
purpose. Happy is the boy who lives
near one! Notice the evidences ofcon-
slant use it shows, the small baseball
diamond" clearly outlined, everv
smooth place pitted with marble holes.
What better investment could our
cities make than to purchase small
plots like this at intervals throughout
the city, tear down the buildings, fill
up the cellars, and leave them, withno
forbidden sign, open to the children?
Their little feet would soon grade and
harden the ground. In giving the ma
lions future workers such an oppor-
tunity to lay the foundation for
stronger and healthier bodies and
brighter wits, the city would reap
abundant interest on the capital ex.
pended.-St. Nicholas.
More Vanity Than Patriotism.
"Angie Bright and I are going to
walk together in the procession. She
will wear her red silk dress, and will
wear my blue one, and we shall carry
dollhouse boquets just alike that cost
a dollar apiece. I'd be ashamed to
carry apple blossoms, or pansies, or
anything so common!
~ think Angie and I ought to march
at the head, but those twin Draper
girls are taller, so they'll go ahead of
us. don't know as they are any
better if their grandfather did die in
the army. a- -..e.
"They'll have on those everlasting
brown and white ginghams, and their
best hats are nothing but chips.'
Vain little Cora and Angie Bright
were as gay as two peacocks, but
am sorry to say they passed the time
of the march in uncivil comments on
the palmer dresses of other girls.
At the cemetery they paid no at
tention to the exercises, but made
sport OF the rusty, black dresses of
soldiers widows, and giggled aloud
while the chaplain was reading the
prayer, so that an officer told them
very sharply to "Keep quiet or clear
out!'
There came up a sudden shower as
the procession LETT the cemetery, and
the Draper girls whisked their water
proofs on IN minute, but the girl-pea-
cocks were badly soaked before they
reached shelter. An old soldier who
had noticed how vain and pert they
had been, said gruff1y:
"Sarved 'em ght!''-Youth's Com
panion.
Catching A Thief.
~ Just wish black Jim would let
my chickens alone" said Tom Brown,
coming into the sittingroom one day
with tears in his eyes. z...
"What makes you think Jim took
your chickens?" asked Mrs. Brown.
1t is wrong to call the poor fellow
thief. You may do him great harm"
"But I am sure that he steals chick
ems, said Tom, "and mean to set a
trap for him." And with that idea in
his mind he ran out OF doors a gain.
That night there was great noise
in the chicken yard. The hens squawk-
ed, the roosters scolded, and Tom
chuckled to himself, and waited for
daylight. He went out before break
fast with smile on his face, for he
thought he should find black Jim
caught fast in the trap that was hid
under some hay. .
But great was Tom Browns surprise
to find q BIG fat fox,caught bY the leg