Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-28

is attached to these schools for the desti-
tute. This work has been criticised on the
ground that even the poorest children
should go to the ordinary public school, be-
cause their segregation involves a social
distinction which ought not to be drawn
in public education. But the ordinary
school cannot deal with the child who has
no boots, no food to speak Of and hardly
any clothes. Experience shows that such a
child is much happier when not compelled
to mix with his more fortunate fellows
Side by side with the development of the
schools, the number of libraries for chill
dren has increased by leaps and bounds.
There are now more than 5000 of them in
the United States which contain over i. 900
volumes each The great majority of chill
dren's libraries of course, contain less than
that number. The total has increased by
1900 within the past five years, and the
number of books by 80 per cent.
Six Hundred Millions for Parks.
Next to schools the biggest work done by
the city for the benefit of the child Is the
provision of parks and Fairgrounds. In
this matter there has been a notable ad-
vance in recent years in many OF the large
cities. According to the United States gov
eminent reports. park property to the total
value of nearly $500 900 600 is owned by
the cities of New York, Chicago, Phfladel-
phia. st. Louis. Boston, Baltimore Cleve-
land, Buffalo. San. Francisco, Cincinnati
Pittsburg. New Orleans. Detroit. Milwau-
spent annually by these cities for the
maintenance of the existing parks and
Fairgrounds and for the acquisition of new
ones. Entire city blocks are frequently
torn down in congested areas, such as the
East Side of New York, in order to provide
new Fairgrounds for the children of the
slums.
In June, 1897. an advisory committee,
which became known as the small parks
commission, was appointed to advise as to
the acquisition Of additional parks and
Fairgrounds in New York. That commit
tee made report which Is regarded as
their gospel by the children's playground
advocates all over the United States
No Place to Play.
1t pointed out that in the original plan
of the city of New York, as in that OF
many other American cities, the children
seemed to have been forgotten. As the
city had grown the unoccupied places had
been covered by improvements, leaving the
children no place in which to play except
the public streets, and the streets had be-
come so largely occupied by car tracks
and other traffic as to make 1t dangerous
to play there. A sense of hostility between
the children and the police had thus arisen.
leading to the growth of criminal class.
The commission further reported that
from careful examination. 1t was con-
WINGED that the failure to provide for the
reasonable recreation of the people, and
especially for Fairgrounds for the rising
generation, had been the most efficient
cause of the growth Of crime and pauper-
ism In New York.
Following upon this report many small
parks and Fairgrounds were especially pro-
vided for the use of the children, not only
IN IN new YORK put In other cities. Yet there
Is still an insistent demand for more public
Fairgrounds and open-air gymnasia for
boys and girls in the crowded centers of
population throughout the country.
The Summer Fight.
Municipal philanthropy has advanced in
no direction more than In caring for the
health of the children during the hot sum-
mer days when the atmosphere Of the tene-
ment districts Is sitting and you could
broil beefsteak on the sidewalk. Many
millions of dollars are spent every summer
by the cities in inspecting milk, fruit and
other foods: sending doctors and nurses
on house-to-house visitations through the
tenements to see how the babies are stand
ing the hot weather; organizing trips to
the seaside and the country for sick chill
dren, in cooperation with charitable So
cieties; providing milk and delicacies for
the sick, when the parents cannot afford to
do so; and maintaining special swimming
baths for children. as well as those for the
adults.
All these things are good. but the slum
child loves most of all the douche bath
which he can obtain in the streets on the
hottest days In most cities The fire n.y.
drants are turned on In the slum districts
by order of the mayor or the fire depart
ment. and the youngsters flock in hundreds
to cool their overheated little bodies in a
refreshing jet of water. which often knocks
them down and rolls them over and over on
the street. 1t Is one of the simplest and
cheapest ways In which the city cares for
the child. but it probably saves many hun
dreds of lives in bad summer.
In all this hot weather philanthropy the
city Is aided by host Of fresh air socie-
ties free ice funds, convalescent homes,
vacation farms seaside settlements and
children's summer hospitals. Many of these
excellent charities are partly supported by