The sun., 1901-06-30
THE PARKS FAIRGROUNDS,
PLENTY or GRASS UPOy WHICH chill.
DREN MAY ROMP.

| Holiday Sights Of Especial Interest In View a,
the Recent Outburst Against Keep on
the Grass" Rules Thousands Of Children
Who Enjoy Themselves on the Park Lawn.
The periodical outbursts against the rules
Intended to preserve the beauty Of Central
| Park are calculated to give the impression
| that there is no grass there on which children
may romp and roll The picture is alvsy,
| presented OF the stern and hard-hrar,ed
| Commissioner and his minlons. the Park police.
| men. In the act Of forcing tired mothers and
| their dropping children to keep within tho
| bounds Of the hot. ssphalted walks, while the
| cool reaches OF lawn and meadow are given
| UP entirely to the squirrels and birds
| And the picture never fails to excite indle.
nation In the breasts OF thousands Of citizeps
| who do not dream of questioning its truth
\ II is even suspected by some persons tha,
| Deputy Police Commissioner Devery, who
recently fined a park policeman thirty days
| pay for arresting a woman that refused 10
| keep OF the grass was thus mised into doIns
| an injustice TO a member Of the force
Beginning at about tooth street and sx.
| tending south several blocks is a vast stretch
| OF greensward hemmed about by beautiful
| trees This meadow, which covers the whole
| central portion of the Park at this point. Is
| given up entirely TO sports for old and young.
| Primarily 1t Is the tennis ground. and hun
| dreds OF young men and women play there
| all through the summer season. But 1t 10
| also the recognized picnic ground ~ the
Park, and on a Saturday OF summer II pre-
sents spectacle worth going miles 10 see
There are gathered there thousands upon
| thousands Of children from all parts Of Man
| haitian Island. who roll and romp and tumble
about TO their hearts content. man from
up the State who visited the Park for the frst
time on the Saturday before last declared
that he never thought there were 40 many
children in the world.
Nearly every little girl you met, and soNo
big ones too, wore the national color,. It's
surprising TO the casual observer what \ hold
the nag has taken upon school children.
The costumes OF a good sprinkling OF the
girls and boys were made entirely OF red.
white and blue,
Here was a crowd Of them having theiS
picture taken by an itinerant PHOTOGRAPHS,
Nearby q long line Of them marched In the
bright sunlight to the beat Of q small drum
One group OF children was playing at royalty
and the solemn expression on their ooun-
tenances bespoke the seriousness with which
they regarded the sport. The uueen, who
was about " years old was dressed In white
slippers stockings and all. She wore
long veil, such az children wear at hr7t com
munion. On her head was crown con-
tanning many sham Jewels
By her side walked the king. but you
wouldn't have guessed his exalted rank savs
by the slender band OF gilt he wore on his
head Otherwise his costume a. sadly OUT
OF tune with the royalty which he repre-
sented. He was dressed In a gray knicker-
booker suit, and his shoes lacked the polish
generally associated with life at court. I'M
medlately behind came Prince OF the blood.
who looked enough like the Queen 10 10
her brother, and carried what might 10
called the piece de re,istancs Of the show
Il was gorgeous canopy covered WA
pink gsuze. and It was held over the heads Il
the royal pair: Then came the rest OF court
numbering about twenty-five noblemen and
ladies. all OF di gniied mien and stately stride
Over on the eastern border OF the meadow
croquet was the favorite pastime. with bean
bag and ball-tossing close seconds. Al the
day wa, warm many OF the little girls shed
their frocks and ran about In pettiooatS. With
arms bare and hair done up just like thsiS
elder sisters vaccin alton marks. mostly res
cent. we're the prevailing decorations.
On the northern border where the ground
IL high and the foliage deep picnic parties
established their base OF supplies. Near BY
the water gushed from the rocks on Its way
down TO feed the Harlem Mere. and children
constantly rushed forth and climbed the wire
fence TO dip their drinking vessels into the
cool stream out on the lawn babies rolled
about in the grass while their mothers hovered
near by The whole place fairly swsrmsd
with children.
| Just south Of the transverse road which forms
the southern boundary OF this playground
is another fine stretch OF lawn on which
children may run at large with no policeman
10 say them nay. 1t is not so large a. the ons
above 1t nor Is It nearly so popular. Here,
too. there are tennis courts. but outside their
bounds there is plenty Of roomfo thousands oil
| little ones 70 play on the grass
Between the West Drive and the road which
skirts the Mall from seventy-sec ond street
| down 70 Si1ty-sixth street is another beauti-
| full meadow on which there IS not keep on
| the grass" sign l. is here that hundreds OF
baseball contests are decided every year lt
| Is here, too. on certain days that the sheep OF
the Park are let out to Craze, but apparently
| there l. never time when the youngsters
| may not disport themselves on the turf.
Across the Sixty-siNth street transverse
road is still another meadow whose grassy
surface is not held sacred by the Park Com
missioners Along its northern edge are the
grounds Of the croQuet cranks-those who
| play the gamo with short-handled malets
and shoot with the precision Of a billiard
player The lawn Is fayorite rompins
grounds for youths and girls in their teens.