Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-28
PLAY PLACES NEEDED
Provisions for Children Theme
of Addresses.
HOUSING CONDITIONS
ALSO DISCUSSED BY SEVERAL
PROMINENT SPEAKERS.
Meeting of Public-Spirited Citizens at
the Calvary Baptist Church
Last Night.

tied citizens, interested in Fairgrounds and
better housing conditions . for the poor,
gathered in mass meeting, listened to ad-
dresses by prominent men, including Mr..
Josiah Quincy, former mayor of Boston,
and Justice Brewer. At the conclusion of
the meeting resolution Was adopted urg-
ing Congress to consider favorably the now
pending bill for the condemnation of in
sanitary dwellings, and to appropriate
$4,000 for the care and maintenance of
public Fairgrounds in the District of Column
bia.
There was displayed a pleasing lack of
formalty, and the meeting, which was held
under the auspices of the Associated Chari-
ties, was presided over by Justice Brewer.
Others on the platform were Commissioner
H. B. F. Macfarland and Engineer Commits
sioner John Biddle, s. Walter Woodward,
president of the Y. M. c. A.; DIR. George
NJ. Kober, Gen. George NJ. Sternberg, all
members of the board of managers of the
Associated Charities Charles F. Weller
and John B. Sleman, jr., also spoke briefly.
In explaining the purpose of the meet
ing Justice Brewer characterized the work
of the Associated Charities, in this particu-
lar respect, as 1.-The renaissance of the
spirit of the good Samaritan He said that
renaissance signified a renewal or revival of
something which had been neglected.
whether it be science, art, literature or
charity. Justice Brewer described the man.
ner in which the Samaritan had assisted the
traveller who had fallen by the roadside
and declared that the same good Samaritan
spirit can be shown today by assisting in
the establishment of Fairgrounds, and OBJ
tanning better homes for the poor of the
city.
A Blessed Gift.
Country life, said he, sis the most
blessed gift a child can have. It's food
is fresh air and plenty of room in which
to Mo Ny.f, &c oil
the proper rearing of the children, but in
the large cities, among the poorer classes,
country life is as unreal as, the dreams of
the fairies. The child cannot choose its
surrounding. and has to live. and grow to
be content in the tenement or the crowded
street. These influences xressdetrimental,
and the child reaches maturity devoid Of
that observation-disclosures which comes of life
in the open. 1t is the duty of the present
day good Samaritan to look around for
vacant lots and open spaces where play
grounds for these unfortunate children may
be established and maintained, and to find
sincere and enthusiastic guardians who
will watch over the youngsters and see
that their play is helpful both to their
bodies and their minds For the child
will play, it should play, and if it does not,
it might as well be gone. Childhood and
'playtime' are synonymous and inter-
changeable." II
Justice Brewer then spoke of the need
for better housing conditions for the poor,
and said that as Cleanliness is next to
godliness,'' it is commendable to work
for one resAt as the other
Col. Biddle's Remarks.
Col. Biddle spoke for the Commissioners
of the District, and complimented the As
ISOLATED Charities on the part it had taken
toward providing Fairgrounds and looking
to the improvement of housing conditions.
He called attention to how closely related
are the two works; one for the care of the
family and the other for the care of the
children; Briefly he sketched the necessity
for Fairgrounds despite the presence of
parks, Oftentimes far away from the homes
and without supervision and care. I'M
portant as are the Fairgrounds, he said
the better housing of the poor is far more
important and more vital to the welfare
and the correct growth of the capital.
Both of these movements the Commission
ers had approved and are deslrous OF ao-
vanclng.
Equal to the Occasion.
Mr.. Quincy was introduced by Justice
Brewer, who said that the former CHER
executive of the hub had '.foated down
from Boston with the gentle zephrs which
have been circulating in the air for the
past few days" Mr.. Quincy was equal to
the occasion and assured the chairman and
the audience that no other subject than
Fairgrounds could have induced him to
come so far from home in such weather.
He also complmented the work of the AS
ISOLATED Charities and said that TOO mucn
time had been devoted to the education or
one side of the child, its mind. He
said that the physical education was
as much to be desired and that
sound mind must be supported by
sound body. He referred to what has
been accomplished in Boston, but said that
not as much progress has been made there
as here in Washington. He thought this
due perhaps to the fact that Boston is more
than twice the size of Washington. he
said that in Boston there are twenty play
grounds. The land for these cost $l.606,O00,
and the construction on them $541O0o. They
contain from seventy-seven acres to four
tenths acre, five of the larger being really
athletic fields, where base ball, foot ball,
tennis and golf are provided for. In con-
Guiding, he urged the support of public
Fairgrounds, not as a matter of philan-
thropy, but as sound public policy. The
best plan to eliminate pauperism, disease
and crime is to adopt methods of prevent
ing them AGAIN he urged That congress
should appropriate money for this purpose,
that Washington could takesthe place she
ought to take at the head of the process
sion.
Places for Play.
Justice Brewer thanked the speaker for
his address, and said often he was remind
ed of the Lad who, when told heaven was all
one Sunday, begged for permission to go
down to the other place ON Saturday after
moons to play. "If we don't furnish the
children with some places to play. fear
we Will be sending them to the other place"
he concluded.
Mr.. Woodward introduced a resolution,
passed on the needs of better housing con-
ditfons for the wage-earner, and the opin-
ION OF critics, including the President, that
congressional legislation would remedy the
conditions, to provide for the condemnation
or insanifary dwellings unfit for human
nanltauon, and for the appropriation of
$3.50 for the care and maintenance of
Fairgrounds. Justice Brewer asked for a
rising VOTE and the resolution was unani-
| mously adopted
funds for the tive cssa asa FaIiowine This
Justice Brewer introduced Secretary
Cnaries - Weller, saying q charity meeting
without Mr. Weller would be like the play
or Hamlet with Hamlet left out. Mr.
Weller told In a forcible way of the need
Tor public Fairgrounds and for better