The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1906-11-27
CHILDREN'S
RECREATION
A Plea for a Play Ground Of
Park for the Children
Of MorriStOwn.
OF MOrriStOWn.
WHAT CAN AND MAY BE DONE,
EDIroR OF THE CHRONICLE !:

Evidently May0r-elecb BenneH
would have his hands, not to mention
his head and heart, full If he should
set himself seriously to build Rome
in day. I mean to carry out the var
ious excellent things asked Of him for
the improvement Of our city.
One Of them, sewering, has simply
got to come. The time for talking
has passed. The sooner it is done the
better. 1t is moving along in the
usually deliberate manner in which
civic matters in Morristown amble on.
But, still, it ambleS.
Then there is the electric lighting
and the gas, on whose somewhat pres
ent obscurity a few rays have been
shed and more are to follow | hope.
Now am neither a prophet nor the
son Of a prophet. am simply man
in Morristown and, perhaps obstinate
ly Interested in the boy and girl life
of the city. But 1 shall venture to
prophesy with considerable yigor that
this city shall soon have adequate pro-
vision for public park or public play
grounds for the boys and girls or else
we shall suffer for the lack of them
more than we shall suffer from no
sewering or broken down Wellsbach
burners, or any other broken down
system for helping our benighted
darkness.
Making all allowance for what this
city should do in the other matters
suggested to our Mayor-elect, and
there is nothing in them to scare a
community like this, still | am con-
vinced that the actually existing con-
ditions of the boy and girl life here
will force this question OF public play
grounds to the very front within a
very short period.
1t will appeal sympathetically to
some big hearted man or woman or it
will be pushed indignantly BY the peo-
pie themselves.
The former solution would be the
quickest and probably the wisest, be-
cause when an able and competent
and large hearted man or woman un-
dertakes u public or civic matter Of
this sort, it is invariably well Thought
and we'll wrought out.
But if this does not happen want
to ask not only Mayor Reed, after re-
firing, (and Mayor Reeds intelligence
and character justify one in asking) !;
want to ask not only Mayor-elect
Bennell (who has already called atten-
tiOn to it); want to ask not only the
8 city fathersN; / want to ask not
only the voters but, more than these,
/ want to ask the boys and girls of
MOrrstown to get busy, to plead and
&c fight for their just rights for a pub
lie play ground or public park big
enough and good enough to give them
decent chance to indulge in sports
without having to steal it, or to tres
pass on private property, or to interfere
with the equally just rights of us older
people who want an equally decent
chance for peace and comfort in our
homes or on our streets.
The boys and girls of Boston were
the only ones who dOWned the British
commanding officer, Gen. Gage. He
had the good sense to give in and see
his mistake in having forbidden the
children III Boston in l775, to use the
Common or public park for COAST
ing In winter. They sent a commit
tee to him about it and he gave up.
They knew their rights and stood for
them. M0rristonians ought to have
the good sense to repair any possible
mistake made in the past in not hav-
ing provided Common where our
boys and girls can have their sports
and games.
Certain of our citizens have seen all
this long ago as to their own children
and have made ample and excellent
provisions for it. But this is .neces-
sarily private affair, exclusive and
priviledeed only tosthose who can af-
ford to pay handsomely for it. This
only goes to prove what / ana stand
ing for, even on stilts, viz: that the
much larger number OF children VINO
are naturally unable to enjoy these
just opportunities for well regulated
play grounds ought to make a demand
for public ones where they can have
them And there should be no half
way work in asking for what is needed.
1t should be as we'll adapted to its
larger purposes as the M0rriStOWn
Field Club is to it's purpose.
But what are these purposes F? Well,
/ fancy that any respectable father or
mother with a half dozen growing
children could answer off hand "why
to keep the dear things out of mis-
chief r. The amount OF mischief a
small and unamused child can pepper
trate the minute the mothers back is
turned would bring tears even to the
eyes OF q turtle.
The ordinary healthy child simply
radiates energy, throws it off because
it can not.h hold any more. Like some
OF our electric companies they have
= power TO let.r Now while 1 grant
that the amount Of this surplus power
might not exactly run all the trolley
system OF the Public Service Corpora
tiOn free OF cost and SO reduce car fare
to two cents a trip, still, ii it should
happen to turn to mischief instead OF
sport, II might easily blow up the
whole system or at least do it damage
enough TO make necessary for the z.
S. G. to seek authority a6 Trenton for
charging ten cents q mile.
The boys and, yes, even girls, who
stone trains, wreck expresses. set fire
TO houses. wantonly destroy valuable
property, kill, and raise old Cain gen
orally are by no means necessarily
criminal nor Of criminal parentage.
Too often they are cOrked up ener-