The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1911-01-24
FOR
POOR CHILDREN
Private Effort Ahead Of Public
Enterprise to Provide
Breathing Spot.

BY February l Honolulu win have
its first public playground and new |
lease on life will be given to the chill
dren of the tenements, now growing up
by accident, sometimes to be ruined
physically for life to bear outward
shame to the civic methods of Honolulu
in years past, while nearly all to grow
up mentally warped to imply a still
greater disgrace. Public spirited men
and women have made the playground
possible, slight Offset to municipal
neglect during past years which has
permitted the steady growth of condi-
tions no less than shameful.
The new playground is to be at the
corner of Smith and Beretania avenue
in a large vacant lot, for number Of
years used by a florist. This lot, which
is owned by the Bishop Trust Com
pany, has been leased to the kinder
garten association for five years for
the sum of one dollar year, in every
way, gift to charity.
A pavilion will be built near the
Beretania avenue side which will con-
tain sanitary arrangements of every
sort while in the yards will be swings
and every other delight of childhood,
whether it be fostered in oriental or
occidental homes. A special corner for
the very little ones will be prepared
with sand piles, slides and anything
which can distract for a few moments
the attention of the tots from the
squalor in which most of them live.
Mrs. Earl is already engaged as matron
and her salary provided for.
Sweet Charity.
Everything has been contributed.
Sheriff Jarrett has contributed prison
labor to prepare the ground. The lum-
Der and fixtures which are to go in
the buildings, has been contributed and
all the money necessary has been guar
anteed unsolicited.
Mrs. Mckenzie, the head of the
Berctania Mission and the comfort and
solace of every little Chinese tot in
Honolulu, went to the mayor several
DAYS ago, and while his honor was not
| present, his genial secretary on his be-
half promised the playground the must
cal efforts of Herr Berger whenever
desired.
. Both Mr.. and Mrs. Mckenzie have
been working quietly among the Chi
nese of the city for years in their own
way and the results of their work are
beginning to show greatly The tim
idity of the Chinese has been overcome
in every way and where at first their
advances were met with great deal
of reserve, they are now in direct touch
with two or three hundred Chinese chill
dren, TO whom the humble mission
quarters are more than home and the
free and unreserved belief and regard
of the parents has been secured.
Deadly Congestion.
Mrs. Mckenzie stated yesterday that
during the last year the congestion of
population in the city district between
! the River and Nuuanu has been re-
sponsible for more deaths among chill
dren than during the four years imme-
diately previous. And where before
what deaths had occurred had been
mainly accidental, several being killed
by autos and one Chinese lad being
killed by fall from tree, now disease
has reared its head and typhoid, among
other diseases, has been responsible for
several deaths among the children.
Every little one that dies through
the ignorance and selfshness of those
whose duty it has been to protect the
city against these conditions, is per
sonal lose to Mrs. Mckenzie, for she
knows them all by name, speaks their
language and is often a better mother
to them than their own.
Conditions Worse.
Formerly, when the McKenzies first
commenced the work in the building
where the mission is now situated, there
were little besides Chinese in the dis
trict and conditions were not half as
bad as they are now. There we're more
vacant places, since all built upon, and
the congestion of population and traffic
was not nearly SO great
Even since the building ordinance,
now apparently dead in the Office of
the city attorney, was presented to the
board of supervisors, these vacant
places have been built up with unsani-
tary death traps, the erection of which
would have been prevented by the ordi-
nance, which was drafted by men
knowing more about the subject in o
day than the whole past city govern
ment knew about ii in a month.
Now these tenements are filed with
Chinese, japanese, Russians, Filipinos,
Porto Ricans and Koreans and the fight
ing and evil going on in them is a
disgrace to the city, besides being a
menace to its health and morals.
Up to the time the Beretania play
ground is completed the children have
no place to play, except in the alleys
back of the tenements, nearly always
filled with refuse and disease breeding
dirt Their parents bar them from the