The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-06-27
woMANs SCHOOL ASSOCIATION.
The Movement for Children's Play
ground in This City.

The Movement for a Children's Play
ground in This City.
At the meeting of the Woman's
School association held Saturday the
project of instituting play ground
for children was further discussed and
already much interest is awakened in
the philanthropla endeavor. Following
is a paper prepared for the occasion by
Mrs. Lydia Black Newcomb, which
presents in a forcible and lucid way
the object in view:
With the din of war in our land,
while our ears are straining to hear
every sound from the battlefield and
our sympathies are so fully with those
who have gone forth to fight the battles
of our country, it is easy for us to for
get the soldiers of poverty who are
fighting the battle at home, a battle to
which there is no inspiration of drum
and waving banners, or reward of
glory; battle of poverty and ignor-
ance and encouragement are the foes
to meet. To this poor toiling army we
should also give thought, and generos-
ity, and lift from it's overwhelmed
shoulders the heavy load laid upon it.,
a load made heavy by the exigencies
of war. Thousands of children will
suffer this summer because the wage
earners have gone to the front, and
added to the anxiety and sorrow that
war must always bring. There come
sore privations and the nervous strain
that eats into the very vitals Of the
home. The value of healthfu1 play to
~, hos haa full OF fort h
by the chairman. I need not repeat
the reasons for the work. or it's far
reaching effects. What we do for the
children we do also for the future. Not
for the future of the children only, but
for the future Of the country. Who
can tell what devotion to the country,
what love for the dear old flag, what
| willingness to march to the call of duty
may not have been awakened by the
self-sacriflcing work with the children
| by earnest women during the last war.
| (Some of us remember it well.) The
| lessons of patriotism taught then, the
| love of country awakened in their
| hearts is now bringing forth its results.
Let us take the children of to-day and
| do our best to make true men and wo-
men for the morrow, men and women
ready not only to fight this country s
battles, if need be. but men and wo-
men ready and willing to take ur
| marching orders in the ranks of good
| citizens, men and women of honor and
integrity, filled with patriotism, tc
| whom the flag means Righteousness
| and humanity.
| of nc r{va tho cbi16rep ben Itbf,,1
| play, the teaching OF every day COM
mingling with one another that shall
| give to their bodies strength, to their
minds vigor, and to their morals ar
impetus that shall made them in some
way fit for the lives before them.
This work is an experiment in oul
city, but 1t is not an experiment else
where the cities all about us have
| tried the Fairgrounds, the results are
not unknown. Better scholars have
entered the schools in the fall, and the
/ teachers who so often dread the effects
of the long summer vacation are
heartily in sympathy with the work
and consider the Fairgrounds a means
of education. Because it is an untrie6
| experiment here it Is not receiving II
| new f1aVen the enthusiastic alQ We
hoped, but we are confident we are
marching to success. Not long age
| there came to me story of an enthu
siastic drummer boy who in the ardol
of his patriotism marched far befor,
his company, and there came from hi
captain the short command of halt,
until his company could catch up bu
in the fullness of his zeal, forgetting
he was but a subordinate, there cam,
back the answer, Let the compan!
catch up with the drum"
So we. marching on, with our chair
man at the head, whose enthusiasm il
an inspiration, may call back to TIL
city, "let the city catch up with th
drum"
The names of the playground com
mittee who will receive contributions
or send for them If preferred, ar
Chairman Mrs. Charles s. DeForest,
Trumbull street, Mrs. E. w. Scriptur
of 6S1 Orange street Mrs. Leo Herr o
~ Edwards street Mrs. Edward T. At
water of PA Gamer street, Mrs. Georg
F. Newcomb of 30 York square, Mrs
f. C. Cole of so Ward street, Miss Mari
Ives.
I