Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-13
CHILDREN IN THE STREETS.
Urgent Need of More and Larger
Fairgrounds.

"One of the problems with which the
police have to deal in this city, and which
affects parents as well, is that of children
playing in the Streets said a member of
the police department to a Star reporter.
Sometime ago in the northwest section
of the city, in the vicinity of Dupont Circle,
one Of our officers arrested the young son
Of a wealthy family for playing ball in the
streets and endeavored to arrest several of
the other boys, who eluded his capture. 1t
was on Sunday. 1t was a pleasant day,
there were many pedestrians on the street,
and comments, l understand, were made
criticising the officer for thus performing
his duty, some intimating that he could
be at better business than arresting boys
for such an offense.
This is of course, an erroneous stand to
take, and such sentiments handicap the
police in compelling observance of the citys
ordinances the enforcement of which is
put up to the police by the general public.
The streets are not the proper Fairgrounds
for children, and the responsibility for
harm Detailing them devolves upon the
parents, rather than the children, who, in
giving vent to their inclination to play, are
but following a natural impulse.
The courts in all jurisdictions, both in
criminal and in civil suits for damages
where children are hurt or run over in the
street while playing thereon, hold that both
child and parent are guilty of contributory
negligence in being off the sidewalk, and in
some instances when on the sidewalk unat-
tended, where the child is of very tender
years.
This ruling is unquestionaby correct in
principle. We will average in this city a
year over 100 arrests for incorrigibilty.
and in most Of these unfortunate cases Of
children, boys and girls alike, the blame
may primarily be placed upon the parents
when young, thus instillng in the children
this habit, which. as they grew older, be-
came a paramount one and developed into
incorrigibility and its unhappy consequences
to both child and parent.
THE argument advanced by some the
orists that the child must play some
where, and being debarred from other
places than the streets in cities, may play
thereon. will not hold. When children play
upon the streets, especially upon the quiet
thoroughfares of this city. they yell and
scream and make of themselves nuisances
from which the neighbors cannot escape,
except by calling the aid Of an officer and
causing an arrest to be made where the
exigencies warrant
"Our thoroughfares are wide, smooth and
clean, and as streets In cities go, make
ideal Fairgrounds for children. OF course
quiet play within reasonable bounds cannot
be objected to. but children's Fairgrounds,
like the small breathing-sp parks in
cities, were scarcely considered when many
of our now large cities were first laid out.
While the movement to provide Fairgrounds
for children in this city has advanced per-
haps as we'll as circumstances and money
allowances would admit, a vacant lot or
two or a portion of unused square are
insufficient to meet the emergency.
There should be in each section Of this
city, though 1 will not attempt to desig-
nate the exact place, a good-sized square
given over for children's playground
rather than the many smaller ones in the
vacant triangles, etc, which We now have
| to use. These squares should be fitted up
| with cinder paths, running tracks, base ball
spaces, parallel bars and other facilities and
| inducements to attract children to come to
them from the remote quarters Of their re-
spective city sections. This would give the
children an incentive to patronize these
squares and to cease their play upon the
streets near their own doorsteps.
You see, the great point is to get the chill
| dren of the streets and from the evil as
sociations of running the streets, where they
meet all sorts of undesirable companions
and develop incorrigible tendencies We
| have not moved as early in this important
matter as some cities. nor advanced as far,
but our principal difficulty has been in
securing proper appropriations from Con-
gress. In other cities the appropriatng
power Of the municipalities has granted ex-
| tremely liberal sums for this exclusive pur-
pose, and they have been promptly spent.
| Perhaps when Congress awakens to our
needs In this respect we will not be sub
Ject to criticism a. compared with other
citieS'