The Washington times., 1913-08-26
BASEBALL TEACHES
PUPILS RESTRAINT 7
MT. Pleasant Playground Aims
at Educating Children in
SeIf-Reliance.

The tow-headed pitcher wound him
self up like an alarm clock, and the
hall sped two feet outside the plate
into the hands of a freckle-nosed
catcher. simultaneously. the runner
on second base who was bare-footed
save for a dirty rag ted around his
great toe, sped down the line TO third,
where a faNen-haired girl stood like
Joan of Arc before Orleans.
The ball and the boy reached the
girl at third base about the same time,
and the runner was tagged but far lie
g. from a newspaper to enter into the
controversy of whether or not he had
his foot on the bag at the time. The
umpire, who already appeared to have
lost two teeth, called 1t out" but
when the 10y with the bat and his
eight teammates started for the field
the arbiter took to his heels. There
bpon bedlam reigned.
Woman Stops Incipient Riot.
Not for long, however, was there
chaos on the diamond. A trim little
woman, smartly clad in white, stepped
quickly to the edge of the swirlng
mob, and gtruck her palms together
two or three times. The argument sub
sided almost instantly.
Say, Miss Roper, he was safe a
mile, he had"
But an appraised hand silenced the
protesting pitcher.
Really, I'm surprised that children
who know how TO be manly and wo-
manly as we'll as you do should forget
yourselves and make such a scene,
said the woman reproachfully. Surely
such good ball players ought to be able
70 play a game without having II
break up in a fight"
Evidently Miss Roper placed self de-
pendence and fair play above any de-
Clsion in a close play, and some of the
players began to see ii that way. The
catcher, whose freckles were now buried
under a coat of CRIME, suggested a
big guy who was standing near, he
given the post of umpire. and as the
game started again the little woman
in the white duck suit went back to
where a group Of girls under a big
tree were learning to crochet silk
purses.
Teaches Them Reliance.
That is the way Miss May Roper. IN
charge of the Mt Pleasant playground,
handles $50 children at a time. She
seldom waits till they come to her with
their troubles. she goes to them and
instead of helping them out she helps
them to help themselves out. II is all
regard one another's rights and privi-
leges just as they will have to do when
they enter the big playground of the
world.
But existence on the Mt. Pleasant
playground means anything but a way
20 kill time. From 9 O'Clock in the
morning till in the evening ii is a
busy hive of industry, where the work
ers labor for the pure JOY of creating
an true Utcpian fashion.
Boys sixteen years old have learned
to be too broadminded to hesitate to
cit beside girls hardly more than half
their age and weave willow baskets
that are fine samples of handicraft
And, while boys and girls are al
ways running and shouting on the
tennis court and the baseball diamond
there are always groups of girls, big
and little. sitting under the trees
with embroidery frames, crochet
needles, or sewing outfits.
Critical Period In Life.
'1 feel most deeply that this is
most critical period in the lives of
the most of these girls" indicating
the crochet class sitting in a semi
circle near her. Many Of them will
be going TO work or taking up other
Pursuits in a few years. and unless