El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-03-03
Pleas Made For Public Fairgrounds

ground without a school house, I
would choose the playground This
idea of play as means OF oeVeloplng
the future citizen is not new
"OVer 1000 years ago Socrates said:
Therefore as I said before, our chill
dren must take part IN all the lawful
forms of play for if they are not sur
rounded by such an atmosphere they
can never grow up to be well con-
Quoted and virtuOus citizens. When
children begin in good time to play
and to learn the proper use OF music,
if there be any part Of the state which
has fallen down such training viii
raise that up again
THE reason why those interested in
this movement are working Tor the es-
Enlistment of public Fairgrounds is
because these children must and will
DIay It is an essential part of the pro-
cess and therefore they should have
place to play other than the street
where they may lose life or limb. A
very small edition Of a boy is too big
for a 25 foot lot His mother and
father may not know it. but he knows
ne is too big for so small a place, so
at the first opportunity he escapes.
His nature calls for bigger world
where he can find various play activ-
tiles and association with his kind, If
no available, safe play place is at
hand where his fellows are congre-
gated he takes to the street
Normal Child Requires Play.
"You cannot keep normal child
from a certain amount of play except
at the expense Of his natural develop
ment. If curbed at one point he
breaks out at another. If curbed al
together, he becomes i'll tempered, sui
len, disconnected, or physically mac
tive which is harmful to his health.
This energy must have proper vent
or else it works harm to him.
Suitable places should be provided
for children to play in, where they can
find proper play activities, and suit
able places are not available in a city
unless specially provided, and these
places should be not Tor children only
but for grOwnups as well.
'T am well aware that there Is no
money for the purchase of playground
sites, but let's get some.
why Not Playground BOnds'
@Why could not Ell Paso issue play
ground bonds and sell them in small
denominations to the people of the
city thus keeping the interest money
at homer All the children Of all the
people must play, so both north and
south sides Of the city should have
Fairgrounds.
"As to possible sites in our city
for large general Fairgrounds, on the
north side, where the mesa drops into
the small foothills, there is an ideal
space, fashioned as an amphitheater,
containing about five acres. 1t is as
close in a large space as could be OBJ
tanned now, could be safely reached
from any point on the north side, and
has great natural possibilities for
beauty and attractive arrangement Of
play spaces, and will never be any
cheaper than now.
ION the south side Washington park
presents itself, also when the canal IS
finished and the banks ready to park,
at intervals play apparatus could be
placed, thus making continuous play
ground for over one mile A protective
railing would have to be provided
against the falling into the canal, If
We would not have the unwashed,
washed.
LAS to the small play spaces through
out the city, these, 1 believe, could be
obtained at once, with no other eX-
pense than cleaning and providing the
play apparatus. Owners of vacant lots
would no doubt be willing to lend
these lots for play purposes until such
time as they were ready to build.
These lots, cleared of trash, leveled,
and with happy children playing on
than they now are.
This vacant lot idea seems to me
the most feasible proposition for i'm
mediate consideration.
Utilizing School Grounds.
las to placing play apparatus such
as slides, swings, see-saws, on school
grounds, this could be done, provided
the school ground was large enough
10 pldCe Sucn apparatus W4luOuL III
terfering with the open spaces used for
the cooperative group games, such as
baseball, football, etc, for the coop
erative group games are Of infinitely
greater value in the development OF
the child than mere play apparatus
which touches the physical only. II
you obstruct spaces for these games
you take away the very life of the boy
over u years of age.
so we must not lose sight Of the
7rr1h ~ nj n Ia
good to the greatest number, in our
desire to plan play apparatus Few or
FL PasO's school grounds are large
enough for both play apparatus and
space for the cooperative group games.
Should Have Public Fairgrounds
"El PasO should establish public
Fairgrounds where her children could
have proper play facilities. The hope
of the world is forever with It's chill
dren, and when a community acts Tor
their welfare, it is safe, no matter
what its other problems may be Chill
dren must play, and if God gave the
instinct for play, can not man out of
the abundance Of land God has given
give the place to play in?
THAT the playground movement may
20 forward 4 permanent association
should be organized and we need the
helm of the men. We women can talk
Fairgrounds, but when 1t comes to
really doing things, we need the men
W
When Miss Fitzpatrick had finished,
the applause was generous. President
Krakauer complimented her for the
small denomination bond idea and sug-
gested that she write out copy Of her
talk and mail it to mayor Kelly, now
at the cattlemen's convention in Okla
hOma City.
Rabbi Martin ZieIOnka Speaks.
Rabbi Martin ZielOnka was the next
speaker He said in part: 1T is a
good omen to hear the president Of the
chamber of commerce speak of social
welfare work 1 believe it is the duty
of the chamber of commerce to enter
into this field as well as the material
one. Ell PasO is advancing rapidly and
We need social welfare work here. But
it must be fostered by the business men
of the community. We send out liter
ature advertising how many electric
lights FL PasO has, how her streets are
paved. how low the taxes are, and all
that, but how much better results it
would bring if we could add to that,
proof of the fact that Ell Paso is a
good place in which to rear a family.
Ever. great problem comes eventu-
ally into the field of politics, and the
old cry that This will lead you into
politics should not frighten the cham
Of commence from in ia