New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-09-20

1890 square feet: roof playground STA square feet
inside playground. $500 square feet; total OF more
than Is 600 square feet.
The inside Fairgrounds Of the new schools are q
marked Improvement over those In the old ones.
Three four years ago the children In the school
at Sheriff and Stanton SITS. had what was called a
"bugaboo scare The indoor Fairgrounds OF this
old building were gloomy and much cut up by
brick walls put In to support the partitions Of the
floors above. A child OF vivid ina 5nation could
readily imagine some mysterious parsonage Turk
ing In the shadow. Some Of the children did this.
and two or three panics were averted only by the
good Judgment Of the janitor. The cry Of some
mischievously inclined boy. There he is' There he
Isl! all that necessary TO start tne chill
drsn toward the exits These darkened playroons
characteristics OF the old schoolhou,es. The
playroom IN School No 80 such a gloomy hole
So far possible obstructing walls have been re-
moved and exits and lighting improved In some
cases this could not be done thoroughly because
IT practically involved the reconstruction Of the
entire building.
There darkened holes Of this sort in the
new buildings. The inside Fairgrounds are rec
tanguar and instead OF brick walls for supporting
the interior structure iron columns used There
are plenty OF windows. and instead Of the worn
and unsanitary wooden floors floors Of concrete.
These modern inside Fairgrounds have become
of the valuable adjuncts TO the new school
houses and have greatly added TO their useful
ness. They In almost constant use. Small feet
begin TO track In the street dirt before o'clock
IN the morning as thousands Of children tramp
across the concrete floor to the staircases leading
TO their respective classrooms. For hour after
the room remains deserted. Then, as II a flock OF
storks had silently placed them there. the stair
case found be filed with double line Of very
small boys.
Faces to the 'front.' snaps energetic woman
who suddenly descends from the heights above
into their midst Now. II 7 can none OF your
faces except those in front" she remarks brisl<ly
as she walks down in front of the heads Of the
lines. Il shall know that your heads all turned
in this direction. Forward. march, she orders at
the same moment clapping her hands.
The little obey. and the two lines trail across
the floor until the end has cleared the stairway.
Left! Facet she orders accompanying IL
with another sharp clap Of the hands. The lads
swing around II they soldiers. The teacher
walks up and down reviewing the line. Right.
About some such order she next gives. Around
they swing again Then line files off in one
direction while the other advances to the drinking
faucets ranged along the wall. The individuality Of
the boys now appears. One the leader. shows his
pride Of leadership by only turning the faucet and
wetting his whistle IN his haste to return to his
position. The others do not hasten away from the
faucets so quickly. Rather they crowd about them.
and for a moment forget that they under mill
tary discipline After each OF the two lines has had
its turn at the faucets they calmly follow the ex-
ample set by the soldiers who marched up the hill
and then marched down again-except they reverse
the OperatiOn-and are soon in their classroom As
the Of the little chaps disappears in the depths
the stairway another string Of boys enters from
another stairway and goes through the same move
ments. This II probably part Of what is termed
organized play.
The girls seem 20 get the better OF IT, FOR while
the small boys IN one end OF the ground have
sedately been taking their exercise and liquid re-
freshment the girls IN the other end have been
INDUCING IN free play which certainly looks
interesting