Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-02-15

almost 1.--OO acres Captain Crawford
claims the conception of this idea as
his own, though Rockefeller and Nc
Cormick moneys are to finance it in its
full development In speaking of it he
said:
1t suggested itself to me in a talk
had with George Gould on a steamer
coming back from England nearly twelve
years ago. Mr.. Gould was lamenting
that much in the way of outdoor sports
of a healthy and spirit building character
was almost impossible in those days,
when the country was growing so popu-
lous. L asked him what he meant, and
he said he wished there was some from
tier left to which he could send his
older boys, under suitable supervision,
| where they could learn something of real
roughing it for a few weeks every year.
I ut makes better men of boys" he con-
| tinued. Ito learn something of the from
| tier life and of the things they must
tknow in order to stand Independent I'M
| der such conditions"
| I agreed heartily with him, but the
| idea of creating an artificial frontier
didn't occur to me until we had reached
New York. Then George Gould had
started west on an inspection tour. L
| intended to present my idea to him If the
| chance ever came, but It never did.
| 1 was delivering lectures at the Hamp-
stead Chautauqua last August, and one
| day John d. Rockefeller and Harold
| Mccormick were among my auditors. l
i met them after the lecture and had
particularly long conversation with Nc
| Cormick. in the course of which l hap
| pened to touch on my scheme for Amer
| lean boys. He became interested, and
| elaborated Ii to him. Two days after
| ward he sent for me and told me that
| whatever money L needed for the plan he
and Mr.. Rockefeller would furnish.
The plan in detail calls for the estab-
| lishment of many parks for the pur-
pose of teaching the boys military life
and the old wild west methods. The
parks will be as large as it is possible
to make them under local conditions.
The park in New Mexico, for example,
probably will cover thousands of acres.
The sections will be restored to q wild
state. \ small military post and a few
log cabins viii be built here and there,
but otherwise no structures will mar
the grounds. The boys viii sleep in
tents and be much in the open air.
The plan is both philanthropic and
educational, but not so philanthropic
that the parks will not be expected to
pay for the actual expenses of the
summer maneuvers. This latter phase
of the plan is one born of McCor-
micks pet schemes to help to dissipate
the class feeling that ne believes is
developing in the United States. Where
boy applies for admittance to the
camp through his parents it will be as
certained whether he is in a position to
pay for his food and accommodations
IL his DarpntS are in such n noSitiOn
twice as much as may be necessary to
keep him will be charged, and he will
be obliged to take another boy who
Is unable to pay his expenses as his
guest. Atathat the paying boy. will not
be taxed more than $50 or $50, for only
the actual cost of food and ammunf-
ton will be put ON the bill. All the
etc, will be provided out of the fund
given by the capitalists.
"The poor boy will become the rich
boys tent mate and companion" says
Mccormick. land in the summer cam
paigns each will come to appreciate
the good qualities in the other. When
they grow up, better men because of
their summer training in the open, rep
reSentative persons in the poorer and
Weather classes will have respect
for each other that they might not 9th
erwiSe have" 1t is expected that sew
eral hundred boys from New York,
Chicago and other cities. one-half poor
and one-half rich. will he accommodate
ed on the Michigan frontier next sum-
ner