The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-05-17
Keeping Them From Evil
Associations Of Bad
Companions Is the
Aim of the Parks
and Fairgrounds Asso.
citation
~ ALICE NJ. ROYAL.
Asst Sunday and the Sunday be-
fore that endeavored to show
, the evil influences Of the streets

fore that I endeavored to show
L. the evil influences Of the streets
upon young children, influences
that lead to gang" life. to petty thiev-
cry and in time to States prison, some
times, to the electric chair, and the eff
forts OF the Parks and Fairgrounds As
sociation to correct these influences in
as far as they are able to do, by giving
the children a place to play. whether 1t
is u vacant lot, a roof, or even the in
terror OF an unused loft building. but
always under the care and guidance OF
q teacher whose aim II Is to insul in the
children a spirit OF fair plny-to make
them realize that 1t Is just as much
STEALING" to "swipe" an apple from
the green goods man on the corner in a
spirit OF fun as 1t IL to walk into store
and help ones self to anything lying
about. which can be concealed without
detection.
The starting point Of many boy and
girl, especially in large and congested
cities like New York, going on the
wrong road Is too Otter. the streets.
There are the neghhorhood fights and
the victor Is the hero, his fist is hts
passport and usu1l,y lands him in some
reformatory or IN trouble with the po-
lice. 1t takes him into the poolroom,
into the corner saloon and well-that's
the material from which gunner" and
their Tx are made.
There IL no boy or girl. no man or
woman who goes wrong because they
want to, because II "is in them"-no,
there is always something. small the
thing may be, n word, a lookout It's
something that starts them on the
downward path. In New York and
kindred cities, in nine cases out OF ten
Il is the streets where they meet vicious
companions, fall into evil ways, where
they learn to shoot craps. to call each
other names, to use profanity. to use
their fists--and when they fail with
them, to get a gun" somewhere. and
make the other fellow bite the dust"
Where they begin as boys TO form
cliques and develop into gangs that ter
rorize the neighoorhood. and It all leads
TO the cry, give the children a place TO
play!
Aside from these evils OF the streets,
there Is another crying evil that calls
out aloud for remedy. 1t Is the loss
of life to children playing on the streets,
A headline in daily paper recently
informed the public that twenty-five
children were killed IN the streets or
New York and lac injured. some
slightly, some seriously. during the
month of April. Other large and con-
gested cities, while not equalling New
York in figures still show an appalling
number of death and accidents to
children on the streets.
II we stop to think. 25 children KILLED
in the streets OF New York during the
month of April alone and 146 Injured
some OF them MANNED for hfe all Of
them obliged to suffer pain, II mus
make us realize the congested conditions
OF our city, that has but few spots TOT
the children to play besides the streets
where their very life is not safe.
Keep them off the streets" say those
who do not know or understand; but &c
them who would say this let me say;
Suppose you were the mother OF five oil
six small children: suppose you lived
on the top floor back of n stuffy tene'
ment in three or four small rooms-woulc
you keep them off the streets?" Coulo
YOU? Ten thousand and more tenemen,
mothers will tell you that II Is next &c
impossible, and besides that the chill
dren must have air and they must play
1t IL their right. The child who doe'
not know what play means in It's child
hood grows up into stunted youth anc
stunted youth grows up into imperfec
manhood and womanhood.
Out on the Western plains. wher'
children romp in Gods own country, We
find specimens Of magnificent manhoot