The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-04-28
THE NEED AND SUPERVISION oI
 FAIRGROUNDS
Disenssaon by , .Herbe1t 1Eilson.

E-AAAGGIt6apO1ADS3ss- f55s- '
 DIseussaon by J .Herbert y7ilson.
 Two thousand years since the Greeks gave every free born child a chance to play. Nearly two thousand wears since a man in Judee- pro claimed the rights of childhood. One Hundred and thirty eight years since fhe Declaration of Independence as- serted the individuals "unaIienable right to the pursuit of happiness' and Fef in the year 1914 even in the United States of America tweny-two millions Of children were without year-round Backgrounds.
 Tf is estimated that one-third of the popndatzon of fsthis country is twenty one years of age. Divtile the popula- xfon of your city or town by three. Is your conaznunity adequately providing for the recreation of your young pec- pie. Some of us have a few summer c. A ar a Y. w. c. A, or a boy s or n a1rrs club, or all of them. but these on1y reach small part of our young people. Most noticeable is the lack Of any opportunity for clean, whole ponne recrea4ion forthe working girl. The greatest asset of any city is in it's Toung boys and girls. The future of Aour country, the future of your indi- zff1ai coranns1nities depends upon the Character and Norm of citizenship which is being instiIIed into the lives so4 tho boys ana girls of today
 We are spending large sums of mon ;eF on our aehoo1B and the instruction eff our children for five or six hours a day. then after school hours. most of o9ir ozlzldren are allowed to run the Htrests with no supervision wh atever, and nruch5 of the good reeu1t which we expect from their schooling is coun- <eracted by the evil which comes into W Tt fs practically the same Fas if dur Ing the process of the manufacture of steel goods we stored them in q 1eal<y warehotzse and took our chances on their being aestroyed by rain.S
 NEKD OF PTzAYefs01TNDs
 Many people think that playsrounds a~e unnecessary and that our children would not make use of them Fms reminds me of a conversation that took place in the club the other even ing Several of us were discussing the fact of how much more it cost to run a house now than it did few years ago. We have an attendant who has been with us something over twenty years, who is inclined to take liberties sometimes. He overheard the conversation and said. YOU all know my wife is aRays a.xing me fO money. Last day she wanted fo dollars Sunday she wanted sebenty cents. Monday she wanted seben dollars and vast day she wanted fo dollars agin. z One of us asked hin what she did with all that money. He said: T dunno. nebber give her any-', Many communities don't know what their children would do with p1aygrounds because they have never given them any.
 Recreation is the need of every nor mai hoy and girL and every child should be given opportunities for clean, wholesome recreation. The in Kenfion of machinery and our modern form of industry has caused great changes in our every day life. For in rural districts The children went to school two or, three months in a year, they had an active part in the business of the farm. even the small est children had some regular chores to attend to. A great part of their time was spent out of doors, and their work and rcereation were so inter aningIed that the result was usually Btrong and healthy children.
 CITIES CALL THE PEOPLE
 roday is the day when economy of a,roductfon requires that the process nf manufacture as far as possible shall he carried on under one roof. This has brought men in increasingly large numbers to the cities. Not only have
 
 own rural districts, but our call for habor has gone out to the uttermost parts of the earth, and the people of Hhe uttermost parts of the earth have responded, until we have in New Eng hand. and In Connecficut especially, a. condition with which no other country Haa been cocnfronted in the history Df the world. Many of our cities are made up Of g. population, over pne-ha1f of which is foreign born, or of foreigW born percentage. Each Df the thirty or more nationa1itfes which go to make up the population of Connecticut, have good qualities Mwfnich might be made to contribute to ahe general welfare of the state. The problem is to bring out the good. and eliminate the bad I believe that our unfties will eventually accomplish this directly through the moulding in hence of the public Diaygrounds.
 STREETS DANGEROUS PLAY
 GROUNDS.
 win vou go with me into crowded tenement and select a typical boy or girl of today, watch them in their home life and in their play. They have no opportunity for recreation in the home. they have little or no yard space. and where you do inc a yard 1t is so often filled with rubbish that it is a very poor place to play. Hhe streets which for years have been fhe common meeting place and play erourfd for children. are becoming ex- ceedihgIy dangerous. A short time ago asfriend of mine was riding in her aufomobi1e in New Britain. Some chill drer were playing on the side walk, m11d one boy being chased by another, ran out Into the street without look Ing where he was going He darfed in front Of my friends automobile, which ran over and killed him. It all happened so quickly that the driver absolutely had no time to stop or turn out Two weeks ago when was Es1 EWaterbt1rysa little girl ran behind a trolley car. and a car cocming from ej7e orposite direction ran over her,