The Washington herald., 1908-02-09
SPEAK FOR CHILDREN
Continued from Page Two.

/ NDhAthhEA lNDs
quentiy had no real remedy for making
/ him a useful citizen II branded him at
the outset as a criminal, and however
misdlrected or in need OF wise direction
be was, this brutal handling often served
te drive him farther into the ranks of
the violent
President Roosevelt has done our ma
tion no greater service-as great as has
/ been that service 10 our counlry-than
/ b, constant reiteTatlon, keeping us re-
minded o. the Importance of those greater
problems that concern the home and the
child in the home. There are hundreds
of thausaEds OF children in this country
who have no home. Even the fact that
there be father and mother and a place of
habltation-does not necessarily Ipean
home. Some Of the most homeless chill
dren / know come from places like that,
! In which there is no real interest in OF
love for the child
The child has no home where 1t has
no play The sins OF men ana the evils
that aflict this civilization Of ours fail
most heavily upon the child. This crime
against childhood IS the greatest crime
OF our civilization. II is nothing short
Of murder for II means literally moral
and physical death, and that kind of
death 10 the child is death 10 the ma
ton
1T is not intended that any one remedy
Will suffice any more than any one cause
IS responsible for the evils we attack
but no one remedy proposed can be more
serviceabIe than the public playground.
Perhaps the saddest thing in my ex-
DfTfenPp tg fRa nf iGarelgge
ents that 1 have heard from the lips Of
neglected boys and girls.
'One obstacle 10 the public playground
has been the cost If the average citizen
would only awake to the fact that the
most economic scheme for handling the
problem Of crime is that which prevents
rather than that which al fearful ex-
pense Is morally the engine 10 convict
and punish after crime has become an
established fact. We could make progress
faster.
Thomas Carlyle said there is a gregari-
Gus or shsHp-like tendency in mankind
To flock together and have q leader. and
this tendency is first manifested in child
hood. And this, Of course, means the
game-it means play You cannot keep
children from fOcking together; neither
should you. The responsible parent who
thinks 10 solve the problem by keeping
the boy away from his fellows is more
likely 10 develop a molly-coddle or a
milk-sop.
let us provide a better place than the
street for his playground We want
wholesome vigorous citizcas with rich.
red blood ir their veins They are 20 be
recruited alone from our children Let
them mix with others and learn % face
and overcome the difficulties that come
from the mixing, as well as o. reap the
JOYS and pleasures of the instinct 20 flock
together-to play together. Our duty then
F not 10 suppress. but TO afford under the
Best environment the State can provide
the opportunity for wholesome associa-
tion and helpful expression Of natural
instincts
Following Judge Tindsey's address. Miss
Alys Bentley. supervisor Of music IN the
Washington schools. spoke on "ChiIdren's
Songs Tho speaker ext0Iled the moral
and spiritual benefits 70 children brought
about through the medium Of music. and
Illustrated har remarks with examples Of
the various kinds ~ soEgs that. in her ex-
pericnce had been the most beneficial
Commissioner Henry B. T. Aiacfarland
wzs next introduced, and spoke 10 the
topie The National Capital Playground
Programme.
Nr. NacfHTiand's Address.
Commissioner Nacfarland said. in part.
We Of Washington. who are working
10 make it the most perfect capital on
earth. know that We must have perfect
playground system. Other cities led the
way by their successful experiments. so
that We have good warrant for our play
ground movement The only possible OBJ
lection lay against its name for II ought
10 have been called the outdoor school
instead OF the playground Playground IS
a misnomer 20 many people-Hke the
Congressman who suggested that We send
up toy balloons from the White House
Park every Saturday for the amusement
ri the children. instead Of having such
expensive Fairgrounds.
AT first private citizens bore the whole
burden. Then came public spirit and
civic pride, which for seventy eight years
met the entire cost Of maintaining the
National Capital and for thirty years
met half Of the increasing expenditure
necessary 10 the National Capital. pro
vided our first public Fairgrounds, their
equipment and maintenance. Not until
their usefulness here had been shown bv
actual experiment did Congress take them
UP as part Of the municipal programme.
The Commissioners represented strong
IS 70 Congress the desirabilitv OF adding
to the municipal budget
They also asked the Playground Assbcia-
tlOn Of America while IN was i'm process /
OF organizing here in April. 1906. 10 sug-
scst Il comprehensive playground system
for Washington. and that plan the Com
fnissloners adopted as their ideal for the
development Of the public Fairgrounds.
As Yet we have no playground build
ing. But the citizens who have done such
noble settlement work at Noel House are
now laboring TO provide such a building
as model for the future and a fine gift
TO the National Capital
The last speaker Of the evening was
Maj. Richard Sylvester. chief of the Met
roDOlitan police, whose subject was an
appropriate one playing IN the Streets"
lie brought out the most obiectionaI fea-
iures of play in the street for children. /
laying stress on the number Of accidents I
that have come under the notice of his
department I'm which children playing on
the streets have been injured.
Mai. SyIVester's Address. i
Maj. Sylvester spoke IN part as follows /
The Capital City of the greatest. coun-
try in the world, a country having the
brcadest and most liberal form of govern /
ment should afford health and happiness
as a first virtue TO It's thousands of young
and growing responsibilities who mus,
soon come TO be among those identified
with the conduct Of its affairs for better
or FOR ,xorgs