The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-04-23

Inc proposition to eXpend large sums
Of money in extending the parking sys-
tenn of Washington and making the Ma
tional Capital the most beautiful city in
the world recalls some interesting facts
in connection with parks and other places
Of amusement and recreation for the
young Fifty years ago the first acre for
park purposes had not been purchased by
any American municipality. Today there
are more than $100,000,0oO invested by
American cities in public Fairgrounds,
parks and apparatus for the use Of chill
dren, old and young. Gymnasiums. skat-
ing Kinks and lighthouses are provided
with more lavish hand each year for the
use of the general public
Foreign cities had all these convent
ences for longer period and have larger
sums invested than cities on this side Of
the Atlantic But that will not be the
case a decade hence, for improvements
IN this particular are being made at so
much greater rate in this country than
in the old, that it VIII not take longer
than ten years to pass the slower moving
European municipalities.
The crusade for better conditions for
the poor and more open space for the
children in the tenement districts in the
great city of New York was commenced
cbttL ten years StEb BS MAY bt oltti4S
Fully twenty-five blocks of shaky old
tenement houses in tire densely populated
districts were razed to the ground and
converted into breathing places for the
children OF the neighborhood, Of whom
there were many who had never seen a
plot of grass ten feet square.
Police officers whose beats were in the
vicinity of these newly created play
grounds have reported a fewer number of
arrests for petty offences among children
than before the small parks were made.
Boston has also found that a compare
lively few dollars invested in sand pits
and other similar amusements for the
children have decreased the number of
arrests among the younger classes These
two cities agree that the swings, gym
nasiums. sand pits and the like more than
pay for the expense Of creation and main
tenance-
Boston has five indoor gymnasiums
The first was the gift of woman and
was opened in 1897 in East Boston The
next was the first large municipal gynna-
SUM in the country and was opened in
South Boston in December, 1898 All the
gymnaSiumS. whether indoor or outdoor,
are open in the evening. the former being
] GIFTED by electric lights There are Tegu-
lar instruction classes and many boys
clubs and few girls clubs and there are
SDeClI1eu hours IOT men ana women, boys
and girls No fee is charged for the use
Of the privileges. There are several
churches and semi-beneYolent institutions
which maintain gymnasiums, both indoor
and outdoor, for general use under Ger
tain conditions
The use of outdoor and indoor gymna-
SUM has been adopted by cities in all
parts of the country. the largest increase
having been made during the past three
years Not only cities. but large manu-
factories, are providing these free means
for recreation to the employed Last
summer there were even outdoor Eymna-
Sums, including two private ones, more
or less under the charge of the New York
School Committee. Besides these. gym
nastiC apparatus il included in many OF
the Fairgrounds. both large and small.
not only IN New York, but in other cities
Boston was the first city TO show any
real Interest in providing places 10 skate,
when IN 1882 the two acres of the mems
gymnasium at CharieShank were flooded
1y the Park Department At present there
are twelve municipal skating places
maintained by the city. nine of which are
specially flooded for the purpose, and ten
Of them regularly pfanfd with horse
nI90e-a process first introduced on ia
ruaica pond in 1S95-and all except ia
niaica are well lighted IN the evening.
About eighty acres are thus kept in or
der. The season at Charlesbank fer eight
years az eraged twenty-five days OF act
IaI skating, and the past season broke
the record since the scheme has been in
operation. as there were fOTty-niHe days
OF actual skating winch IS Two above the
previous highest record The attendance
at the various Skating Kinks during the
season was Cf0Se on 70 100000. which Is the
largest ever known.
Most Of our large Northern cities now
make some provisions for skating; clear
ing of the Snow, planning the ice, lighting
ii IN the evening and often providing
shelters Among these are Chicago, with
fifteen acres cleared and pIaned. and a
long skating season OF sixty or seventy
days. st Paul, with five acres and 4 sea
son avera aging eighty-two days. with a
crowd sometimes as big as $500 MilwaG-
kee. with seven acres on the river, De
troit- with twelve acres and thousan ds
availing themselves q tie privileges dali
". Minneapolis Cleveland, and New York.
The first model playground in this com
try, outside of the sarEd-pit type and Of
the institutional class was the Hull
House playground in Chicago. which was
is for the little children, consisting OF
swings a "Iay-pole," a sand pile, paving
blocks aud benches There is regular
kindergarten attendant and a policeman
detailed by the city. the latter usually
taking the lead in ball games The games
that are the most popular are handl(.H
and indoor baseball A larger playground
was opened under the auspices of the
Northwestern University Settlement in
1896. but it has since been converted to
In 1855 the University Of Chicago Set
tIenlt Mt on Gross Avenue started d play
ground about 900 feet by 125 feet. with
a bad clay soil and mach smell from the
stock yards. There is only $50 worth
of apparatus. including various kinds Of
swings. The shelter for the mothers
and the little mothers is furnished with
benches. baby carriages and baby jump
eTS. and has come to be a good deal Of
a social centre. where fathers come with
their children on Sundays. The big boys
play nothing but baseball, and prefer the
league TO the mushy indoor ball
There is one kindergartener in charge
who remains until ; o'clock in the after
noon at the expense Of the Settlement
when a policeman takes charge, who gives
the older boys and girls, men and women
the right Of way The ground is lighted
until 9 o'clock
During The coming season there viii be
classes oTga uized in manual training and
dTessnaklng- md in $he summer parties
Of boys Will be taken on nature exclfr-
SiOnS twice week There are classes
which are taught the simple rules for
growing and caring for flower and yegeta-
bic gardens
Opposite the playground is a public
bath. where the children battle several
times a week, and the attendant asserts
that II makes q tremendous difference in
the condition and tempers of the chill
gymnasium. which is a 5000 plant for
indoor work, amount to about Sl25 a
season
Besides Washington other large cities
including New York, Chicago. Philadel-
phia, Boston. Baltimore. and some. of the
smaller cities like Elmira. N Y; Terre
liaute, Ind. Napa. Cal. Seattle WASH.
New Bedford Mass: and others are
planning to spend more On these DoDuIar
features in connection with their park
systems the coming season than has been
customary in former years.
Punished for AssauItinG His sister.
William & r-tir rola-ed yyas 6ncd s1o b.. Ii