Norwich bulletin., 1915-08-28
HE CITY FAIRGROUNDS

lN HE S@rA
Cwritten Specially for The BuIletin-) I
Riding past playground in . near /
by town YESTERDAY. q was In ,,
happiness OF the scores Of chiIdreu. /
there enjoying themselves during wa
cation days
First OF all they had the delight OF |
the greensward, plenty Of space the
Joy OF shading trees. OF blue sky, Of |
soft, clear. cooling air.
The grounds were wen equipped
with swings. benches, a clean sand /
box, and with various games for out |
door enjoyment and contesfs-
Although trained instructors were
alert to see to it that the children |
were entertained and AMUSED. am &C. 1
casicna1 boy or girl would whimper, or |
of all these advantages and attractions |
and diversions
The. sight reminded me of another /
playground which had seen a few /
weeks earlier, down IN the crowded /
tenement district Of big city To-
calfty teeming with life, which over Il
flowed from the hot and crowded and /
eramped rooms out ON to the WALKS
These uneven, dirty walks were
crowded too-wfth hucksterS stands /
and carts. barrels and boxes. rubbish /
Of all kinds, swarms of children OF /
varying ages, hGngry-looking cats and /
dogs. the refuse from the little baseA
ment or corner stores. news-St4ndG~ Il
and what not
Here, il one had the price, one
could buy everything and anything.
from a button to q watermelon. as /
the push-cart merchants lined mp along |
the cutters.
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Mothers and arandrhothers sat on |
stoops or walks, some tending scanfily
clad babies. some sewing for dear Life
on sweat shop work There were
bakeries almost on the AuntidF, dusty.
neglected walks. with IoaTes Of bread |
piled in their uninviting windows.
Fruit-f1ne looking 1t was too, amid It's
unsavory surroundings-was offered |
for sale at every turn. The hockey |
pokey vendor disposed Of his penny |
daubs OF yellow looking ice cream. or
the more popular ice cream cones
Dirty as the section was, It was a
place of almost oriental color. in the
gay garb of its womeufolk. for these
people cannot be content with the
sober blacks and grays Of ordinary ex-
istence so color common cotton cloth
gay scarlet, and orange and crimson
and chrome
Il was alonq such a street that we
had made our way to the settlement
house, a dingy, four story brick build
ing maintained in this section by
sodalitS of young ladies' from a neigh
boring church. Summer repairs were
going on on the different floors; so
there was not so much to see in the
way of the regular day nursery work,
class teaching. and the like
But throughout the summer there Is
what IS by courtesy called play
ground kept up for the smaller children
of the neighborhood. Oh, what a con-
trast to the New England town play
ground We found it.
Just q paved back yard, sneIossd by
high fences, above which the distant,
smoky sky tried to show itself between
almost unSountable lines of waving
clothes drying For n prospect there
was nothing more inviting than the
fronts were none too attractive-so it
is easy to fancy what rear view must
be-
No matter, In the playground So
called We're about seventy-flve chill
tlren from two to eight perhaps: su1i1-
| chattering like a lot of canary birds.
This. too. with not one blade Of grass.
not a single tree. never flower to be
seen.
Why. some of these small folk had
never seen a cow or a hen-that Il,
outside of a picture book!
1t is a great city of many parks and
| municipal breathing places; but not
for Benedict. or Rosie, or Lena or
Peter, who is one Of eight or ten or
twlve children, and for whom their
parents, fond though they may be,
cannot spare so much as a car-fare
for an outing.
One day in the Spring, benevolent
man came to the settlement and took
4 A - 81 ia rwsw NMn
| circus. My, what an event IL was for
them, and no less for the wondering
| playmates to whom they related their
| adventures during the following days
and weeks!
But il these little Sicilians are poor
| as are their parents, nevertheless they
are proud; and even this playground,
while a charity, is robbed OF some of
that distaSteful impression by the fact
| that each child brings two cents daily
hot summer times; substantial soup,
| macaron: and bread, or similar filling
dishes during the regular school terms
Then the poor Riddles sand box! 1t
! would have been laughable had it not
| been so pathetici Just corner
boarded off from the paved court in
which was, not clean, nice, tempting,
| white sand from the seashore: but a
| sort of black dust, very much sug-
1 geSL1ng what one might O1g up from
| the unpaved street. But how happy
| were the growing little ones who had
| a chance to dig in it, to make it into
piles, to build imaginary houses and
skyscraperS with chance bits of sticks
and chips. There were no complaints
| feard therei
| The visitors had taken the children
/ some candy; and with wonderful obedi-
I ence, at a word from the two young
| women Of their own nationality who
| had charge of the yard, the gleeful
children seated themselves ON the hard
| wooden benches along the dividing
fences and waited to see what was
going to happen.
| 1t made me rather ashamed for some
children 1 know, to see with what
gratitude orderliness. quiet expecta-
ton these little Sicilians received their
treat One Little Mother-certainly
not more than eight-who solicitously
clasped a fat little brother who slept
through all the commotion, enjoyed the
lollypop which fell to her share, but
refrained from even covetous look
at the pink and white candy baby
given her for the sleeping brother.
Two Of the most joyous of the group
were deaf and dumb brothers, who