Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-02-22
HEAD
ASKS COOPERATION
Commissioner Sweeney Urges
Everybody to Aid Work
for Children.

The task confronting the Play
ground Commission in its effort to
provide adequate playing facilities for
the children OF the city was explained
in a talk by Commissioner Algernon
7. Sweeney. president of the commits
sion. at a meeting of the North End
Sunday School superintendent Asso-
citation. The meeting was held last
night at the Emanuel Baptist Church.
Clifton apd Montclair avenues.
Commissioner Sweeney urged the CO.
operation of the citizens and told
what plans the commission have in
mind and some of the work already
accomplished. He was introduced by
W. C. Hillman, president of the asso-
citation. An entertainment was held
and at its conclusion refreshments
were served. Commissioner Sweeney
said in part:
There is no person in this city
more in sympathy with the estab-
lishments of Fairgrounds than the
Mayor, 1t was his personal wish and
it is his hope that through the
earnest cooperation of the Play
ground Commission and the Board of
Education we could provide play
ground space for a hundred per cent.
of the children.
You talk about Fairgrounds in this
town and there was a man who ran
for Mayorality candidate in the last
primaries and on the stump declared
himself in favor of continuing the
playground system. He did not
know what a huge joke he was maxi
ing For when an exhaustive re-
search was made for how much play
sround there was for the children at
the time it was found to amount to
2 per cent of the space needed to ac-
commodate all children.
There has been a lack of proper
policy and competent supervision.
There is one thing the new Play
ground Commission has done, that is
to explode the idea of politics. My
appointment to the board and my
election as its president surely pre-
clude -any question of politics.
Furthermore the board has secured
the country in order to get and has
secured the best playground director
that could be had and he has been
given full control over the directing
of the work as well as in regard to
his selection of employees.
Mr. Mason is an old Newark boy.
He has been a pupil of the Sunday
school of Mr.. Hillman, your presi-
dent. 1t was here where he earned
his frsts money with which he went
to the support of his widowed mother,
whom he takes with him wherever
he has been called to and who is
coming back with him now.
when we went to Brookline,
Mass, we found Mr.. Mason doing
just the kind of work that we wanted
him to do in Newark, except on a
larger scale. 1t was the latter that
appealed TO him while the present
conditions would have kept him
away
We found in Brookline that the
women formed larger classes. And
If we do the same thing here as 1t
is Intended to do in the Forest Hill
School how long do you think it will
be before the neighbours of the other
schools would ask the same facilities
Now the question arises how can
this work be properly extended You
have heard of the commission form
of government. What does that mean
in its essential point? Cooperation
in every detail. This cooperation can
be had right here in this city though
our government system is somewhat
cumbersome.
The way to go ssbout it is not to
send our Secretary Frank McTague
Who was kind enough to come up
here tonight. around to every house
TO canvass the wish of everyone in
the neighborhood. 1t is for you to
agitate. 1t is a decided neighborhood
movement. Agitate in your club.
Aaitate among your neighbors.
In choosing your men at the next
election you will have it in your
power to enter On a plan for whole
sale recreation, when not only one
hundred per cent. of the children, but
the same percentage of the whole
population will have proper recrea-
tion.
day in organizing a North End Play
ground Association, and we will hold
a meeting on the 9Th of March in
Summer Avenue School, where Mr..
Mason will make his first public
speech in Newark. Now what we
want is membership and you can
help us. We also want a new presi-
dent as / will resign %