New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-07-05
CHILDREN IN STREETS
"GOOD," CENSUS SHOWS
Most of 158,636 in InStanta-
neous Count Playing in
Best Possible Way.
FEWER THAN | ,000FIGHTING
Eight Girls Smoking and Eight
Gambling-Twenty Per Cent
Standing Around-Adult
Loafers a Menace.

The results OF the instantaneous CEN
sus Of children IN the streets Of the
city Saturday. April 10, between and >
o'clock I'm the afternoon. were made pub
Ii, Yesterday by the department of
recreation Of the Peoples Institute. OF
the is $50 children observed and counted
in the streets almost % per cent were
standing around doing rothns.
TIE Eve hundred persons engaged in
the census found ifty-tWo distinct games
BAL playing was overwhelmingly the
most popular There were rs. Oi9 children
following this diversion in its different
forms from match games TO catch" %
these 1850 were girls. The girls with the
exception Of IA who we're playing IN or
gained baseball games. preferred
catch
Jumping the rope was the most DoNu-
lar girls game or the 1854 rope jumpers
seen by the census takers only 1875 we're
bows
street gambling was confined almost ex-
clus.yelv To BOYS There were ~ Of
these either pitching pennies or shooting
crars In one district eight girls were
gamblers were reported.
In one district eight girls were reported
as smoking
Few Fights Going On.
There was a scarcity OF fighting
Throughout Manhattan Island only 9o4
boys ar1 six girls were found lighting
This q s pointed out. is large number
IN itself. but is Insignificant when COM
pared with the 1882 youngsters who were
PLAYING This was tvo-thirds Of / per
cent Of the whole number. It includes
also several gang nights. in which thirty
or forty boys took part.
Some OF the favorite BOYS games Of
kick the can" Shiny" Jacks.
cowboys and Indians" follow the
leader" hopscotch, hide and seek. horse.
stoop ball jumping cars and wagons.
gambling and gane fighting.
The cayorite street games q the girls
include baseball, hopscotch, lacks.
house" puss in the corner. ring around
the rosy. sewing dancing, roller skating,
jumping rope and marking on walls and
buildings
In the vicinity OF the groups Of playing
YOUNGSTERS me census takers counted
50 70 adult loungers.
The most important point revealed by
the census, according 20 Edward NJ Bar
VOWS, the director. was the difference he
tween what the children would like 10 do
and what they have 10 do.
In tho face Of dangerous unhealthfu'
immoral conditions" he said yesterday.
"the children do their best 20 play clean.
improving. healthful games. This was Il
revelation 20 a good many OF US. OF the
list or fftv-two games which The census
revealed only four were absolutely bad
for children 10 play on the Other hand.
tho most popular street games are tine
same which have been the most popular
with Young America for generations.
Many New Games Created.
Nh Barrovs considers the street chill
dron wonderfully ingenious They have
created several legitimate games adapted
20 the streets. Kick the can IS one OF
these and It IS said by Mr.. BaToUs 10
lave real value as an educational game
q childhood The same is true of pot
scy.'
Above az things" asserted the direc-
tor doomed the menace Of the street as
d playground j is tie most dangerous
and degrading playground IN the world
TIE children who we're playing were doing
their best at healthful, clean minded, ny
gler.c play. but the games were carried
On in Undesirable dirt and fifth, with
thirty thousand lecring IounGers IN streets
and saloons looking on, many Of them
ony TOO ready with sinister suggestions
for evil.
They constitute the worst menace o.
the View York children in the street. and
one Of the two reasons why play super
vision for children in New York, no rlat-
TER how and where We get IT, must be
insisted on
The other reason Mr. Barrows said,
vas the ~ per cent Of children idlors.