Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-07-29
new YORK CHILDREN
MUST Be LET PLAY
(By Carlton Ten Eyck.)

over majority OF the thousands OF
children in New York, but nobody else
does. Not one boy in o thousand here
knows how to play. To play is a crime.
There are 10000 children arrested
annually in New York. They are no
different from other ehildren-just the
ordinary garden variety of boys and
girls, but their first arrest is usually
punishment for attempting to play.
These statements are not mere vapor-
ings. They are included in report
made by the People Is Institute ON "The
City Where Crime Is Play. " A boy
in the congested districts of New York
is looked upon as a prospective Grim
inal from the time he is big enough
to toddle out in the gutter, serape up
little dust and water and try to make
mud pies.
When he gets old enough to run and
yelp and work off little boy'sn energy
he is a disturber of the peace.
Like any other boy he arrives at the
age when he wants to play baseball or
football, there being no place but the
street in which to play he tries it there.
He is arrested. He had broken the law.
To him the law is something to crusn
him down, hold him in check, rather
than protection. Then comes defiance
of the law; organization of gangs to de.
wise ways and means of Cheating the
cop"; additional arrests, and New York
produces its crop of gangsters.
Numerous instances are cited by the
Peoples Institute report which go to
show how the boy is soon arraigned in
open defiance of the law. The, case of
one boy arrested for pitching pennies
is mentioned. He was actually playing
marbles near some boys who were pitch
ing pennies, but they ran faster than
he did. Another boy was arrested for
playing ball, but the boys he was surely
playing with were not mentioned in the
complaint. Another boy was arrested
clng, but the boy he was fight
ing with was not mentioned.
Street gambling is now hardly less
common tnan baseball or other street
games and as matter of fact step by
the law until crime becomes play.
The Peoples Institute report de-
clares:
"Gang stealing in many parts of New
York has come to have definite form
of organization. A band of boys, from
three to six or seven in number, will
go from tenement to tenement on Sat-
urday evenings taking orders from
housewives for fruits, groceries, light
hardware and clothing, just as though
they were delivery clerks. When they
| fhinE thav n va n fftaianA hnr Nf
orders they go out on the street and
by series of organized raids secure
the goods which the housewives have
ordered. These goods are sold on a
regularly established scale of prices,
which in most parts of the city is ar
bitrary, with no relation to the market
value of the stolen articles. After tle
boys get their money they retire to
their 'hang-out,' where the money is
divided into equal parts and the pos.
SCISSORS shoot craps until one of them
has it all. This boy divides the win
nings into two parts, one of which he
spends in treating the other members
! of the gang. The other half he is per
mitted to keep and spend for himself
''This is a regularly organized form
of amusement, which has existed in the
middle West Side for decade OF
more. The crimes committed are incl
dental to the game. These boys start
out to seek adventure, excitement and
treat Unguided and irresponsible
with a tradition of lawlessness based
upon the hostile Indifference of theii
elders, they have gone aftor their end;
without regard for consequences, with
the result that before their game il
over. they have obtained money under
false pretences, committed larceny an(
gambled; for any one of which act
they are criminaily liable. Yet punish
4 ment for any one of these acts leave;
the zest, for adventure, the lust of gam
bling and the taste for sweets and ci
garettes as strong as ever"
In addition to gang stealing, ganl
J, fights form a part of the traditiona
a play life of the New York boy. Among
the younger boys the fights are in
i. spirit of play. The theft and destruc
: tion Of property connected with tn,
fights is merely Incidental in the eye
of the boys The New York boy man,
l. tests through these fights the spirit o
r, rivalry which other boys turn towar,
n the baseball or football games. A cen
rs AIKEN by the PEOPLES Institu;
last April showed 10000 children a
0 play in New York. They found 8
g constructive games being played by 50
900 children Twenty thousand wer
participating as an audiance. Wander
:. ing Idle in the streets were $4,000 chi
- lren In the immediate neighborhoo
of these children were 10000 adul
II oafers.
a As menace to the child of tn
}: tenement districts even in his stree
erime-play there is the kidnapper. TIL
grand jury has been told that $50 cal
er dren have been kidnapped within tn
Is past 10 years. There have been onl
ct nine convictions. The Kidnapper'
" Trust" is said to have extorted $3.50
600 from parents of children who hav
i. disappeared. Ransoms ranging fro
a =, 1925 up to $3.50, $500 and even $2,0C
u the highest that is known to hay