The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-10-20
Weekly Letter on
Municipal affairs
xx.-PUBLIC FAIRGROUNDS.

New York, Oct. IL.
q ONE YEARS AGO there was imported int
y the eastern states from California; thinl
~ from San Francisco-an expression which
| in its way marked an epoch-the expression
| "hoodlum." 1t awakened curiosity, and whei
| it was found to describe certain type of you'll
| better known for his power OF annoying hi
neighbors than for his good citizenship, il
| awakened the interests of thoughtful men AM
women The genus was found to exist ant
| thrive in other places Investigation brought
| out the astounding fact that juvenile crime
semed to be increasing, but analysis proved that
what was called crime on the part OF the boy
was often in reality the crime Of ignorance
neglect, or worse on the part of the men ant
city which stigmatized him as criminal, ar
rested him and placed him in the hands Of the
police in stead of putting him under the sur
veillance of one who could show him how tc
entertain himself in ways less destructive to the
neighbor's comfort property and to his own
moral destruction.
1t has been conclusively proven that these So
| called criminal acts are almost entirely the re-
suit OF undirected energy, to say misdirected
would put too much responsibility on the boy.
1t becomes destructive in its tendency instead
of constructive, and only needs guidance to be.
come source OF good instead of evil Nature
endows every normal youth with fund of energy
and spirits which must express ITSELF often dc.
~
finds no outlet something is sure to happen. Ma
ture also endows the youth with vivid imagina.
tion which must be fed or it seeks its own
feeding ground, and having little discrimination,
chooses poison often instead of food.
The public playground has been found to serve
as the best means to correct these evils and to
turn the "hoodlum" in to a self.rcspecting and
respected citizen because it furnishes a healthy
and legitimate outlet for the normal energies.
Even in city with so many gardens as San
Francisco there Is little no place to play,
especially for the thousands coming from work.
ing homes. Though there may be no tenements,
a man occupies no more rooms than will house
his family, and there is no place for quiet play
for the boys and girls, and certainly no space
for those games which require energetic notion
The open spaces are small and not adapted to
sports of any kind. Golden Gate Park is too
far away for the majority
The youngsters. therefore, have no recourse but
the street. Older communities have discovered
that the lack of proper Fairgrounds is source
of great expense and waste to the community
expense which runs the cost Of the police sys.
TEN, including all penal and reformatory insti.
tutons into millions, and waste OF the energy
and power which should 90 to making staunch
citizens instead OF strong criminals. Hon. Abran
S. Hewitt said about the small park question
in relation to New York: improvements Of
property have left children no other opportunity
for play than those that can be found in the
streets 1t is impossible to use these for games
without ncurring the interference of the police.
A sense Of hostility between the children and
the guardians of public order is thus sngentered,
leading to the education Of citizens who become
enemies OF law and order. With common &C.
cord the precinct captains attribute Juvenile
rowdyism and turbulence to the lack OF better
playground than the streets" 1t would seem,
therefore, that crime in our large cities has