The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-01-27
IWANT system OF
PLAYGROUhDSA HERE
First Step in Movement to Be
Acquisition ofs4Historic Old
Warehouse for Purpose.
CITIZENS u q 10 MEET u! TO-DAY

Ilrnportant Ncsltlts Expected to
Follow Conference in Council
Chamber This Afternoon,
That citizens OF Richmond are a,
las: aroused to tile long Ignored mead
of public Fairgrounds for children. %
Indicated by the interest manifested
| on all Sides In n conference to be- held
at 8 o'clocd this Afternoon IN the coun-
the public have been Invited by n
call signed by the Civic Inproyement
| League, the Richmond Education AL
!sociatton, the Nurses Settlement. the
Associated Charities and the Sino-
lteenth Street Mission.
/! Tho principal object OF this confer.
encc, over which Mr.. Jaines caskie viii
preside. is tho encouragement OF TIC
massage OF an ordinance, lateIy con-
sldered by the Board OF Aldermen 10
establish and equip u playground on the
site OF historic old Seabroox's Ware
house, owned BY tile city, and covering
about two-thirds of tie block. bound
ed by Seventeenth, Eighteenth, Gracs
and Broad Streets
This block ii declared to be an
ideal location for tile establishment III
q safe and convenient playground,
| which, with Its opportunities for the
development OF the child is nowhere
more sadly needed than In the coii-
gested district surrounding the Old
Market.
Beginning OF System.
| The plan Is to pull down the In
terror portion OF the warehouse, le..v-
1 Ing the sheds on the street as they
arc for use In bad weather. and utiliz-
ling the open area for modern outdoor
H.. 49,. taka
i.stcel frame design, for basket-hall.
nves court, sce-saws, tether ball aud
/ other henlthful games
| Tho ndvisabillty OF establishing such
Ia playground, which shall be but thu
beginning OF @ system Of public parks
and grounds for children. where keep
Off the grass" signs do not flourish,
~ and happily play. but Is taught to
do so. Is coming to be generally recos-
| nized IN Richmond. That this necessity
is pressing and insIstcnt can be sho Hn
any day one cares to stroll the length
4 of one OF the residence streets WHARF,
tswnrns OF little people arc trstng 70
amuse themselves In the whirl OF auto
mobiles. street cars. carriages and runs
labouts
Importance OF Work.
i '1f ono wonders at the repeated ard
miraculous escapes OF the children, one
i also reflects upon the variety OF future
| citizenship such conditions are develop
i ing said one OF the leaders OF the
/ playground movement yesterday.
4 1t would appear that all schoolgirls
j are agreed that play has the most de-
cided influence upon the morals no
Hess than upon. the physique OF the
child, and 1t would seem we ara
4 turn aout 100 per cent of the futafe
citizens of Richmond into the streets
to get an important part OF their edu-s
cation The question naturally artsea:
What sort OF citizen docs the street
sIbreed? Certainly not the best sort. And,
to the skeptical. who look back upon
I a happy childhood spent In Richmond
without public backgrounds and ar'f
mot conscious of having forfeited their
little to Mr.. Good Citizen, the advocates
OF the ordinance reply that the va
4 cant lots and baseball fields ~ yorc.s
1.-The large yards and quiet streets haze
4 passed away, sat least for the major
portion OF the children OF me prsssht
days.
4 the streets now, in almost every ward
of the city. but part icularly IS this
4 the case In the district where the prs.
posed play centre is to be located and
i especially are the evil results noticed
i there.
= I
'Atr. Burbank, who has made such
4 n reputation by his marvellous work
with flowers and plants, when. In re-
A peating what had been said, "that the
4 way to reform a man Is to begin viii
Ibis grandfather. added: True. begin
4 with his grandfather but begin with
{, the grandfather when he is a child
4 st1hc playground is the place to
4 begin with the child, especially with
1.-The child OF the tenement districts.
He or she should be encouraged by
every attraction to go there: should
he taught healthful and invigoratinE
a games and exercises, and receive moral
\ and physical strength. The public
] playground will Justify itself alone
Z upon the fact that 1t cuts out evil
Il nssociations. But 1T does more: It
i builds UP better fibre of mind and body.
Y DOUBTLESS many people in Richmond
y are unfamiliar with the excellent re-&
q suits already accomplished by play
!, grounds in Richmond. There has been
Z ltfor several years small play centre
HIN the rear Of the Methodist Mission,
Il at Nineteenth and Main Streets, and
as cramped as these quarters are, the
I. daily average attendance appears to
I lhave been something over 200 children
4 who, it is said, came in some instances
81 Ifrom as fars west as Second Street to
| play on these grounds. T he equipment
there was given by a public spirited
{ citizen, and the expenses Of teachers
I. land maintenance are borne by the Civic
J. Improvement League. The grounds are
t open only during the summer months,
but the good results from even SO
J |short a term are very NJ ttceable
4 77S & st. Andrews. &
IA mos t ilnpor t nfluence is being
J eXerted by the play ground maintained
/ by st. An drews Church. This Is Al very
tllarge and well-equipped Il playground
, lwithSea K male instructor, baseball
: grounds and mo ern al pa "a tus sfor3chil-
Z |dren Of all q ges, ls sss9
1T he enjoyment derived BY the
II young patrons here is most apparent.
q and if5the benefit Is less 50. q few min
lutes' tails with the Instructors vii con-
i, vineea lie mos slep ical. Ill
l;;a3"IVhen ChicagoSts spending $4,000 900
a for the maintenance and eX tension OF
II ite play New X orll frazing acres
" of tenement buildings to ma ka@ room