, 1900-09-06
A BOON TO THE POOR.
NEW Works. DoWNTowNPA PARKS
Are a Great Beneht to the Health and
Morals of Children in the Tenement
House Districts.

New York now has four tenement
house playgrounds-Seward park.
bounded by Hester. Norfolk. Division
N Essex streets; Hamilton Fish park,
bounded by Houston. Pitt. Stanton
n Sheriff streets. the most densely
populated portion of the city; Hudson
bank. between Fifty-third and Elev-
enth avenues, II Il full square on Am
sterdam avenue, between SiXty-eighth
II StNty-ninth streets. All 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
me 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 of 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,
II the latter at least get fresh air.
Awnings are provided to protect them
from the sun. cool water for them to
drink, and in many cases benevolent
people contribute money to buy milk
hb 'LhNhfTS lbT AHe lllle ones. int
amount of good that has been done in
this simple way cannOt he e~Naggerat-
ed. The Recreation league has re-
ceived valuable assistance from guilds
of young girls, who have raised none
TO buy kindergarten outfits and hire
attendants. to pay for milk, sand
wiches n other refreshments, and
who AVE showed a benevolent activi-
ty in other directions quite as valuable.
In many cases where 1t is possible.
school yards nay been utilized as tenn
tporary Fairgrounds. In some eases
the owners of vacant lots that are
available for uch purposes have given
them free, and In a few instances rent
has been paid. The attendance at
these Fairgrounds last summer was
over 100000 children. and this year
the total will be much larger. Last
year the total expense paid by the
Board of Education was $4,000.
A plan of the Recreation League for
next year calls for the erection of n
rootiess amphitheater Mt Seward park
that will seat 1000 people. to be used
for band concerts. athletic tourna-
ments and similar out of-door enter
tainments for the benefit of the tene-
ment-house population in that section.
The space beneath the seats Is to be
~ sAANA 'hAiA
rooms. and the a~mphitheater will he 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-
tion and destruction of N of the most
unwholesome II dilapidated blocks of
buildings in the city. 1t contains an
entire block, and cost S3.O45.46 q upon
the appraisement a n board of COM
missioners appointed by the court.
Another new and ~commendable 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 fellowship among them.
To join this club n boy must show good
moral character. pay IN initiation fee
of 81. and dues of ) cents n week. The
club began II few years ago with six
members. and now has nearly 700. Ii
has occupied rented quarters ut 12J
st. Marks place. but before mother
year will be able to move into Il $500
600 building. ms fine and even liner
than most of the men club in this
country. Work has already begun up
on the new building ut the corner of
Tenth street and avenue A, which.
when finished. will accommodate
double the present membership. and
give them gymnasiums. swimming
pools, a lecture room. libraries and
reading rooms, recreation rooms. bill
Fard rooms. II restaurant. and all the
c~onveniences II comforts of a we'll
arranged club. for > cents Il week.