The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1900-10-19
BOON TO THE POOR.
NEwYoRK.s owN pARks
Are n Great Benefit % the Health and
Morals Of children In the Tenement
House Districts.

Mufaia OF NniiNANN IN the tenement
House Districts.
New York nov has four tenement
house playgrOunds-Seward park.
bounded by Hester, Norfolk. Division
and Essex streets; Hamilton Fish park.
bounded by Houston, Pitt, Stanton
and Sheriff streets, the most densely
pOpuMted portion of the city; Hudson
bank, between Fifty-third and Elev-
enth avenues, and a fun square on Am
sterdam avenue, between Sixty-eighth
and S~ixty-ninth streets. An Of these
have been established through the per
sistency OF the Outdoor Recreation
League. which has also persuaded the
Board OF Education to provide sum
mer recreation grounds In sixty school
districts where the children that can
not be taken out Of town for the sum
mer can spend the days in the sun
shine, with piles Of sand to play In,
swings, balls and bats and other sim
pie forms on amusement. with kinder
garten outfits for the little ones. In
this way tired mothers working in hot
rooms are relieved from the annoy
ance and distress Of fretting children,
and the latter at least get fresh air.
Awnings are provided to protect them
from the sun, cool water for them to
drink, and I'm many cases benevolent
people contribute money to buy milk
and crackers for the little ones. The
amount Of good that has been done In
this simple way cannot be exaggerat-
ed. The Recreation league has re
ceived valuable assistance from guilds
Of young girls, who have raised money
to buy kindergarten outfits and hire
attendants, to pay for milk, sand
witches and other Refreshments, and
who have showed a benevolent activi-
ty In other directions quite as valuable.
In many cases, where It is possible,
school yards have been utilized as tenn
pOrary Fairgrounds. In some cases
the owners of vacant lots that are
available for such purposes have given
them free, and in a few instances rent
has been paid. The attendance at
these Fairgrounds last summer was
I've 100000 children, and this year
the total viii be much larger. Last
year the total expense paid by the
Board of Education was $4,000.
A plan of the Recreation League for
e year calls for the erection of a
r%OOiess amphitheater at Seward park
hat will seat 1000 people. to be used
" n4nA NOMNNA TO- AAAAAIAAE AUul IA
ments and similar out Of-dOor enter
tainments for the benefit of the tene-
ment-hOuse population I'm that section.
The space beneath the seats is to be
utilized for dressing, training and bath
rooms, and the a"mphitheater win be an
Out-Of-dOOr gymnasium, where the
pride and zeal of students of physical
culture can be stimulated by cOmpeti-
tive contests, and the presence of spec
tators.
Hamilton Fish park, the last acquire
ment, was secured by the cOndemna-
ton and destruction OF one of the most
unwhOlesOme and dilapidated blocks of
buildings in the city. 1t contains an
entire block, and cost S3,O45,464 upon
the appraisement of a board Of com
missiOners appointed by the court.
Another new and c-ommendable en-
terprise just ripening is a boys club,
for the benefit of boys between the
ages of twelve and twenty-One, who
are earning their own living; to keep
them out Of saloons, billiard rooms and
worse places: to provide them an oppOr-
tunity to cultivate their muscles and
their taste for music, art and literature;
to afford them social enjoyment, and
develop good fellowtsip among them.
To join this club a boy must show good
moral character, pay an initiation fee
Of 81, and dues OF . cents a week. The
club began n few years ago with six
members, and now has nearly 700. II
has occupied rented quarters at 125
st. Marks place, but before another
year viii be able to move into a $780,,
600 building, as fine and even finer
than most Of the mems club in this
country. Work has already begun up
on the new building at the corner of
Tenth street and avenue A, which,
when finished, win accommodate
double the present membership, and
give them gymnaslums, swimming
pools, a lecture room, libraries and
reading rooms, recreation rooms, bill
l,ard rooms. a restaurant, and all the
c%Onveniences and comforts Of a we'll
arranged club, for 8 cents a week.
Chicago Record.