The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-05-10
SPEAKER DEFENDS
C0URT|NG IN PARKS
Continued from First Page.)

Continued from First Page.)
on THE Right OF Every Girl TO Be
Courted Under Decent Conditions" and
from the outset left behind the con-
ventional restraint with which a sub
ject OF this nature Is usually handled
In public. Courtship, he said. Is moth
Ing more or less than marriage In the
making. and Is a human institution
which admits of mo subterfuge or
trifing.
The speaker assured his audience
that he spoke not without authority,
since he had loved. and been loved by
one woman. and had learned his lesson
under the harvest moon and swinging
at the cato In common with the rest
of humanity. Moreover, he said. no
has been for many years the super
intendent of parks of large city.
Passing OF the Parlor.
My observation has convinced me"
said Mr.. Parker, that one fourth OF
the population OF every manufacturing
city of 100000 or thereabouts possess
more of the worlds conveniences than
they need. One-half of the popula-
ton have just about what they need
and one-fourth havo less than they
need These L call. for convenience
the superfluity. sufficiency and defci-
ency classes.
The deficiency class Is practically
without provision for the needs OF its
young girls. 1t lives in crowded tene-
ments, and privacy is practically un-
known. There is no such room as
parlor in which the young woman may
receive callers without Intrusion from
the rest of the family
In Hartford, as IN every other city
of similar size. we have always with
us from 5000 to 5000 young men and
women ranging In age between sixteen
and twenty-three years, and many Of
them fall In the deficiency class Their
only opportunity for cultivsting each
others acquaintance under favorable
conditions Is in the city parks. and
TO my mind park could not be put to
better use
Speaker Gets Ovation.
The address was altogether out OF
the ordinary. and the frankness with
which Mr.. Parker treated his difficult
subject won for him storm OF APP
nlause. The crowd repeatedly evil
denced It's approval OF his general
proposition that the park is legiti-
mate place for lore-making, and that
nothing should be placed in the way
OF It's orderly use for that purpose.
Il SEQ them often-these young
lovers" said Mr.. Parker. land sym
pathize with them Tho very surround
ings lend themselves to their state OF
mind. Nature. beautifully and sym
mctrically arranged. is, in my opinion,
an attribute OF love-making. see
them every day. ! see their struggle
for self-eNpression. Sometimes 1t
takes the form of cutting initials In
the benches. don't even stop that
I know they must have something TO
do"
The city by its Industrial aggran-
dizernent has taken away from It's
girls their perlors. and the city must
give them substitute. 4 public
pavilion is impossible, he said, and
the park is, therefore. tho only solu
ton.
Pleads For shorter Dny.
President Lee, of the Playground AS
ISOLATION, presented Miss Mary &c. Me-
Dowell, OF the University OF Chicago
Settlement, who discussed the question
of recreation from the standpoint OF
the unskillcd worker. Before working
people of this type can receive the
fullest benefit from recreation. she
said, they must be prepared for its
enjoyment. Under tho lonE-day sys-
tenn still generally in force. the work
ers, she said. are usually too exhaust
cd at the end OF their labors to en-
joy any recreation.
In the case of girls employed for
many hours day at unsklled labor,
said Miss Mcdowell there is danger
of the day or week, may drive them
into avenues of recreation which offer
n compensating degree of excitement,