New-York tribune., 1900-05-13
CHILDREN THRONG THE PARK
LITTLE MEN AND WOMEN ROMP AND
SHOUT AND TEACH THEIR
ELDERS LESSONS

Somebody raised the lid of the LlIliputian box
yesterday. and all of the little men and women
jumped out They rubbed the sand out OF their
eyes, glanced up the turquoise sky, and then,
without thinking about it at ell, knew just what
the right place for them-Central Park, of
course.
Grown up folks might have had different no.
tion: but they are so stupid. Doubtless they would
have argued that May does not really come nova
days until June-that is, the bal-niness which Is
supposed to belong 10 It And they would have
had a lot TO say about March winds holding off
until April. and April showers dropping down IN
May But little folks know better than to believe
one can change the calendar that way. So, without
wasting any time thinking whether they ought to
90 Or not-weIl-they just went How they went is
something of a mystery, for 1t all happened so
quickly. When the big policeman awoke from his
early morning snooze and looked about siyly 10
learn II any one had him, nothing met his
eyes but rolling green and waving branches. where
an ccasional robin redbreast dancing about
or chlrping cheerily Then all in instant, II
seemed. troops upon troops Of boys and girls ap-
peared. The place fairly alive with them and
they t,lrnbled each other. there were so many
II any children in New-York were outside of Cen
tral Park yesterday there must be lot of chi loren
thars all I. does not seem possible but maybe
while hundreds and thousands. and what seemed
like millions of them were rolling around on the
lawns and rushing up and down having run out Oh
nothing at all except just fun, others may nave
been nlnding little brothers and sisters on the
doorsteps of tenement houses. And that's pity II
it's So For the Park was so glorious.
1t is mighty hard say what was most soul
stirring To begin with. it was loads of fun TO be
out some place where you could shout as loud ana
as often as ever you pleased without having some
one saw "Oh. for goodness sake, do be quiet-you
are noisy" And, then, 1t was so good 10 De
able TO fall down ANY old place" and know that
you weren't going TO hurt yourself az all or tear
your clothes. or be scoIded for naughtiness. Be
cause everybody was there just for that very pur-
pose-to have good time-and there was no inter-
fering That's the beauty Of May days in the
Park. The children have 1t all their own way
Even the big policeman dare not interfere. only
now and then he may poke a bad boy with a little
stick when he climbs up the railings where ne
has no business 10 be. And he Is so comforting
when little girl loses herself and doesn't know %
where she is. He just takes her TO the meadow
and waits until some big person who knows her T
comes along and says she is the little girl that Is
being looked for And then everybody is glad: and
the little girl is gaddest of all. and maybe If sne
had come 10 that nasty old Park, she begins 10
And the carrousel-that maybe. is the best of all.
Crowded all the time with boys and girls VINO r Re
double and triple and quadrupie if necessary.
And they had 20 do just that yesterday, or the
have had ride at all Only It was too ar anus, US
ing TO read & i3at sign m notion JE,s as If ANYBODY
would get off all unless he had 10!
grown n-' up folks who think they know everything
say that il isn't worth while going to Central Park
poles aren't poles at all They umbrellas
ONLY YOU can't tell that. because they all COW
cred over with lovely flowers made Of paper in
beautiful green and red and blue and lots of other
colors The May queens lovely. Of course,
hut it a pity that does not think that
1t IS worth while have May kings; the boys
should have a chance There were several dark
queens in the Park and their crowns of white
flowers made their ebony faces shine.
But nothing is perfect and the Park had its
gloomy side yesterday. 1t was in the menageTie
that the solemn note present. Poor old Tom,
the big elephant. had been naughty, and the shad-
ov of a dungeon hangs him Nobody can be
good all the time. OF course they say that Tom IS
Vicious whatever that may mean but his side of
the case hasn't been heard. Maybe he has some
things tell Any way. II seems not fair to shut
him and chain him without ever CIV
ing him chance try just once more. Any little
boy or girl knows that II is hard TO be good az
first and that bv and by II easter. And
maybe # they would be good and kind and let Tom
have one trial he wouldn't be naughty any
more. At any rate, that's what the children think