Evening journal., 1914-10-26
make Fairgrounds
OF NEWYORK Streets
Crowds of Riddles Make
Merry on lmprOvised
Outing Places
HAS TENDENCY
TO REDUCE CRIME
BY CARLTON TEN EYCK.
(Written for the United Press).

NEW lORk, OCT. 26.-"ClOSe some
of your streets for a few hours every
day and let the kiddies play all they
want to on them and any kind of
games they want to and you will
have less child crime"
That is the statement hurled at the
city officials by Miss Ruth Robinson.
chief play organizer with the Peo-
pies Institute The city officials
have hearkened to Miss Robinson 81
advice. Several public streets are
now being closed in New York from
three to six o'clock every afternoon.
A sign board reading
Street Closed For Play" IS posted
at each end of the section which is
closed and an officer posted there to
see that no motorist, truck driver or
anyone else gets past
And you should see the kiddies
troop out to this temporary public
playground. They come singly, in
twos. threes and in whole crowds.
1t is a mighty interesting sight to
watch these kiddies when they are
turned loose on the street play
ground for The first time They are
shy of it, mighty shy. for they have
always been taught-by officers OF
the law-that no playing was allowed
on the street
One of the Peoples Institute play
organizers has to come along and
start the kiddies to playing before
they really cut loose and do any
thing. 1t Is mighty hard at first to
teach them that they can play hop
scotch, bean bag" London Bridge
is falling down." or any other of the
games dear to childhood without fear
of being run down by an auto or ar
rested by a policeman. But once
they do get into their mind that they
can play, then with what zest they
do go about having their fun.
They have been restricted from
playing so long. have been squelched
/ by parents, brothers and by police
men so often for even attempting
anything like a game on the sidewalk
/ that when they are turned loose they
act much like starving persons would
if they were pushed into a room full
of food. They try to play every
game they ever heard of. They run
actually wild with joy for awhile-so
! joyous are they at being allowed to
play as they please.
1T brings an ache to the heart ="
said Miss Robinson, ito see how re-
luctant some of these babes are to
cut loose and play in the open street
Play seems inextricably associated
in their little minds with guilt.
Indeed child crimes in New York
is built on play, which street condi.
tions necessarily prevent until it be-
comes moral crime.
"The first arrest of any small boy
is usually punishment for some at
tempt at play. pitching a ball. per-
haps, OF swatting a cat or kicking a
can or blocking the pavement with
a game Of marbles
Naturally. resentment grows in
the mind of such a child. The idea
Of retaliation creeps in. The mite
wants to get even. So he breaks
a window or steals from the corner
grocer or upsets Mrs. McGinnis' gar
bage barrel and puts himself even
tually on the road to the reforma-
tory.
"If street play could be carried out
in exactly the same way as in the
open country. it would have no sug-
gestion of crime in it. II would not
lead, as it does now, to a natural an
tagonism between the child (for be-
ing a nuisancel and the adult citizen
tfor being a tyranD.
childhood tends by nature to deve-
lop play leadership. With a little
adult guidance and encouragement
this can be made more useful than
any play supervision.
mo one, after watching for an
hour or two, the healthy spirit that
grows among the children I'm these
allotted play streets, can doubt their
benefit to the little people of New
York" Miss Robinson's statement
that the arrests of children first
start over playing on the street is
verified by the figures of the police
department. There we're 10000 chill
dren arrested last year on charges of
obstructing the sidewalk. These
children were all playing, either mar
bles or some other such innocent
game.
Playing on the street may not be
such fun as diving in the old swim
ming hole. climbing apple trees or
such sports that are dear to the coun-
try kiddies but il is certain that it
IS better than nothing. And If the
city officials give them the streets
for a few hours each day to them
selves, keeping all traffic off. it is a
cinch that the children will have