davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-15
Mountains of cans and junk playground for the children.
Children in Odd Garb Delve Amid
Refuse Heaps, Go to School if
They Fancy, but Seem Healthful

away to-day. But they lived and
throve. Just as the little Barren Island
ers are doing. and as far as they were
concerned the idea of a Health De-
partment might as we'll never have
been invented.
The first inkling OF the proposed
awakening Of Barren Island came in
the news that some Of Commissioner
Goldwater's scientific experts had
gone down there. looked over the
island and had come back determined
that something must be done without
delay. This was disIuieting to Bar
rem Island. For years on years the
islanders had peacefully pursued their
simple life. und.sturbed by any pry-
ing Of official eyes. One Health Com
missioner after another had abode
his destined hour and gone his way"
Great and wonderful improvement in
welfare VEN had taken place
in the various boroughs. But the Bar
rem Islanders had not been bothered
at all.
The chances are that not more than
a score OF them knew what a Board
Of Health was Except that it was
something or some person said to be
very inQuisitive and uncomfortable to
have around ones neighborhood;
whereat the score OF sophisticated
islanders were devoutly grateful that
they were being allowed to pursue
their existence undisturbed. As for
others OF the | 800 or /, 900 inhabitants,
why. they didn't ven know that they
lived in New York city, or that the
island itself is n part Of Father Knick-
erbocker's bailiwick. it is said, All
they knew was that the awe and
majesty OF the law was represented
by a policeman in blue uniform,
named William Evans: that when IN
OF the islanders got too drunk for
comfort and cut each other up too
much or cracked each others heads
too severely this official would wade
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-15

but as educational and social. Yet see
the results when played in the streets.
Twelve thousand children arrested an
nually in New York That Is really
the result of The city not having sup
piled its children with sufficient play
space.
These are not exceptional children.
Rather they are typical children.
These children are only a small, pro-
portion Of the children who have done
the same thing but escaped being
caught. They are not subnormal and
they come from homes which are
typical II whole congested districts.
They are arrested for the only thing
n child can do on the streets. and they
have no place but the streets in which
10 do anything. Though physically
and morally normal at the start, they
do tend to become at least morally
abnormal as the years Of their child
hood go by. No child entering into
the life Of the tenement districts as
1t now exists can wholly escape the
conditions which brought these unfor-
tunate 10000 tn court or which makes
the boy gang a progressively anti-so-
cial institution.
THE acts which lead children tn
arrest are nearly always games. They
are. hrst. games which are against
the law only because they are played
on the street. And second, games which
through their nature involve an in
fraction of the Penal Code. In the
first class We find baseball, football,
1ackstones, singing and marbles. In
the second We ind stealing, fighting,
destruction OF property and similar
violations OF the rode of social pro-
cedure. But the point which Is over
looked by the law. and in a large meas
ure by the enforcer OF the law, Is that
both OF these forms OF play are to tho
child merely or mainly play, repre-
senting a perfectly normal childish
desire &c have fun.
Gambling IL n case in point. Pub
lie opinion recognizes gambling as a
vice and crime ranking with theft. Yet
the tenement streets of New York are
infested with juvenile and adult gam
blers who gamble by shooting craps,
The law treats crap shooting as being
Identical in terms both Of punishment
and Of why punishment u given with
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-15
SCHOOL WHERE STUDY ISPLAY
CONSIDERABLY cri

@ONSIDERABLE criticism OF
public schools has come OF
~ late years. from Bernard Shaw
down to the humblest soap box
orator, though most of these offer
nothing as a substitute. Here and
there a group of dissenters establish
schools for their wi children, as In
Arden, the single tax colony, where
every pupil may come or go rs he
pleases.
But zone of these schools offers 80
unique IA feature as does one in Cali
fornia, also founded by a group Of
radicals. Every course of study Is
taught in some way different from
the way 1t Is taught in the public
schools. but the most remarkable Is
the way In which geography IL i'm
parted to the twenty or thirty pupils
attending this institution.
On about an acre OF loamy clay the
map OF the world Is laid out, the land
being represented by a. raised layer OF
the earth, the mountains. OF course,
being indicated by higher heaps. The
sea Is a carpet Of thin canvas staked
down about the edges. To each boy
or girl IL assigned a country. He or
she In then directed where to build the
towns and cities. wiich Is done with
building blocks. Outside the capital
city or the chief seaports OF each
country n large box Is located In which
are stored samples OF that country's
products, In just the proportion to the
amounts raised or manufactured.
BY the same process history la
taught. With wooden soldiers the
battles of a certain epoch are fought.
Dolls. dressed to represent the various
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-15
Young and old pick over rubbish constantly.

into the fracas. seize the ring.eaders
by the neck and haul them on to the
calaboOse-when necessary beating
them into subsection with "A part.cu-
larry effective nightstick Of seasoned
locust. So they respected Mist
Evans" and they respected his night
stick. and they learned to reverc his
wife and almost to worship his baby
boy.
That was about all they knew If
the law from personal contact; but the
most enterprising of the ISLANDERS
say about twenty -fve-graduahy AZ
certained that they could become vo-
ters by following the ordinary proce-
dure for naturalization. And it is said
that these men never miss casting
ballots when election day comes
I around.
But something happened not many
months ago. Two or three of ON.
missioner Goldwater's stafY journeyei
down to Barren Island. made n care
full survey of health conditions and
came back home with II report that
caused as%tonishment up in the Health
Department offices. They found n par
tial supply OF good water on the ISL
and: but also found that "A large pro-
portion of h people were drinking
water from surface wells. Further
more. II was found that modern SAM
tary conveniences are practically un
known; hat babies and ducks and
COWS and goats wallow side by side in
the muck Of broadway; that while
. Iara 10 "a oAhAaI an thA tuln, shara 10
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-15
Better CD house than ordinary on Barren Island.

Everybody down there seems to
be prosperous. at least relatively
prosperous" explained n Health De-
partment attache. II am convinced
that as "A rule they make more money
than they really need for their small
expenditures, and If drinking could
he lesscned materially they would
compare not ~unfavorably with others
of the laboring class in various parts
Of the great city. That is, mind. so
far as income is concerned. But when
n considers general living condi-
tons the case is different
Barren Island has a school. as al
ready mentioned. and it is conducted
10y a former instructor at the DE
Witt Clinton High School. =. 5. Hal
leck. He is principal. teacher and
all else connected with Barren ISL
and's educational institution. and
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-15

while he is not given to complaint
the fact remains that he might be
able to teach a good many more boys
and girls a good many more branches
Of learning IL he had "a truant officer
10 see hat they attended school
regularly instead ~ spending the
school hours in prospecting eNpedi-
tons over the mines Of refuse.
The boys and girls of Barren ISL
and form the leading part of the
population. So far as observation Of
the outside visitor can detect. OF
course they do not wear clothing
made for them or fitted to their
Years and sizes. but there is a de-
lightful picturesqueness about their
old shawls, the shoes far too large.
when eNistant AT all. and frankly
lacking toe or upper; about the hig.
e~nveloping shirts. the occasional
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-15
WHERE PIGS CLIMB TREES.

NRESUMABLY the walrus and the
carpenter never did settle the
discussion as 4 whether pigs
had wings, and there are persons who
seriously think II was a foolish theme
for an argument.
And yet is 1t any stranger than the
u%ndisputed fact that In Morocco pigs
climb trees in search OF nuts? Not
only pigs but goats too. The puzzle
is not In the pigs and the goats, how
ever; they are OF the common variety
that We see in the back lots In our
own communities. II is the tree that
Is strange. II Is called the argan nut
tree and 1t grows near Agadir. Usually
II shoots out from a steep hillside. The
trunk Is broad and fiat and almost
horizontal. and so are the main
branches, forming ample and solid
foothold for any animal which may be
tempted by the olive shaped nuts
growing within easy reach OF the main
branches.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-15

ing therefrom treasures that thet:
parents "A sell or barter-pits of
metal. occasionally pieces OF gold M
silver jewelry. now and then a scarf
pin or cum link. "A watch charm and
nee in "A while a diamond ring or
stud.
1T is hard to believe" said one Il
Commissioner Goldwater's men. WHO
has been on a trip of investigation.
but down at Barren Island almost
every foreman or other important per
sonage veal diamonds-and | am
told that every one Of them was picked
up in those heaps of refuse. This, re-
member. after the refuse has been
screened. crushed and examined with
minute care for just such valuable
'p~ickings.'"
Russians, Slavonians. Poles and ne
groes apparently constitute the pre-
dominate strains OF population, al
though other peoples are to he found
including Italians. Rumor has IL. in
fact. that the political leader Of Bar
rem Islands little squad Of voters is
himself an Italian. and a very keen
one at that. Life down there may
not he all beer and skittles-although
II Health Department surmises are
correct a considerable part OF il may
be beer or liquid cousins thereto.
Blu so far as can be ascertaincd by
an outsider the islanders are far from
an unhappy community. They work
hard. II IL true. in and around the
reduction plant, at least the men do.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-15

delvinr below its surface in the hope
of discovering a bit of china or a
silver teaspoon. IN cd watch chain or
other trinket that can lie polished
and frightened and eventually sold,
OF course the Board of Health has
for first consideration the physical
welfare of the Barren Islanders, and
n needful consideration at that, when
sees the shaCks pcrChed along a
ledge just across from a swampy
region that may harhor uncounted
billions of germs, malarial and other.
Yet, If tales he true which are told
by the ISLANDERS themselves, Barren
Island is 10y no means an ~unhealthful
place of residence.
why" said II of those who made
an investigation there a few days
ago, Il did my tSst tn get n line on
vital statistics. and what Ito you sup
pose | was told? That in the last
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-15
PRACTICALLY every game a
, child can play on the stree;
is against the law in New

Is against the law in New
York" asserted Lester +.
Scott when asked to talk about the
play street movement recently inau-
gurated by the Peoples Institute. Mr..
Scott is the assistant director or
working head of the institute since
the appointment Of DR.. Frederick +.
Howe as immigration Commissioner.
1T il because Of this and because we
believe that child crime in New York
is largely built on play that we began
the agitation for play streets and kept
IL up until now at last we have sue
ceeded in getting a few blocks set aside
for the children in the afternoon when
they are out OF school. City children
are no more naturally depraved than
children brought up in the country.
1t Is only because the city children
are forced to live such pinched, un-
natural lives. Under the present laws
and police regulations 1t Is a INSIDE
meanor for children to play marbles
in the street: 1t Is a crime to skip
a rope on the sidewalk.
Eighty per cent. Of the Juvenile
crimes for which children are brought
to court consists OF one or another
form Of rational play which Is in no
case essentially criminal. ! once had
a boy say to me:
"'See: he can sell bats he told me,
pointing It a store window where a
lot Of baseball bats were exhibited.
hut II we buy them and use them we
are arrested
From the ehild's point Of view this
seemed a gross injustice. II IL hard
for them to understand why II is a
crime to play q game on the street
which In the country Is looked upon az
a praise worthy amusement. That ID
the aso city children look upon po-
licemen as their natural enemies and
learn to hate the law 81 ~vehemently.
Child crime begins with the attempt Ia
play on the streets In violation Of the
law and In forbidden places under con
ditions Of ~trespassing. The first arrest.
30 far al the child wees II. 10 a pun
ishment for IN attempt to play. -
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-15

w YELf. named IL Barren Island.
\A| Far removed is it from the
w haunts of civilized man.
though included within the
geographical confines OF Greater New
York. And for the most part barren
are the 1900 or 1000 inhabitants Of
civic or national ideals. even OF ambi-
ton 10 better their condition: to make
their days and nights conform mea-
surably to standards such as other
ok enjoy who are adopted sons and
daughters Of Father Knlckerbocker's
great and growing family.
Any one with the desire to visit for
elsn shores. and without travelling
more than an hour or so from City
Hall Park, can descend into the sub
way near by the Municipal Building.
take a train for Canarsie, and at
Canars!e Landing step on board a
steamboat which leaves there ut fire.
ouent intervals bound Barren Island
ward. In an hour, more or less, the
traveller will have arrived at his
oestination-at a land mass, as Arctic
explorers put it-situate in a general
direction south by east from the main
Borough Of Brooklyn. Near by. toward
The west, is Sheepshead Bay: 10 the
east is Jamaica Bay and not far of
rs the group Of Rockaways. Thus IL
VIII be seen that Barren Island, while
OF the beaten track of travel. is by
no means inaccessible. Yet when the
traveller sets foot on shore there and
taKes one comprehensive glance
around he will realize that in all but
location he is in a foreign land.
The principal centre" of Barren
Island is its one great industry. that
OF handling refuse Of the big city of
"hch 1t is a humble part. This CEN
tal spot is marked by the works of
the New York Reduction Company.
upon the operation OF which Barren
hanf and It's inhabitants depend.
Eastward from this great garbage
pant stretches the one main venue
broadway Il is called. possibly so
named many years ago by some one
VIM a Keen sense Of the ludlcrous.
~ MS particular Broadway Is
'ouhleh on n side by a marsh, a
e"n' representative oozy marsh at
."a', n along the other side are
p''hed IN" one story homes OF the
Employees Of the garbage plant.
IN many of these little shacks il
. san mat two and sometimes three
."'''leS exist. In "A majority 1t Is
a"esed that boarders are taken. In
,a''' some of those who have been
'o'hlhI over social conditions at Bar
t.n iSIthd seem inclined to think that
enOreIy too many boarders are taken
III some Of the tiny shacks that serve
Us dwellings,.
ms is one of the matters that
WI come up for serious discussion
II pans now spoken OF tentatively
~ ever carried out; for although
ndrreh Island does not know OF the
.acl II is not impossible that changes
.'nost revolutionary may be made
mere and that the Barren Islanders
90 'he future will get the chance to
I'VE X other residents OF New York.
n'eh'ually, according to- the plan,
barren Island will be turned into n
large beautiful park and playground.
torfhlng the terminus Of the proposed
extension Of Flatbush avenue. But
al mat Is as yet far off; a roseate
u'eain almost. but with a decided
p.omise Of fulflment-in the urs
o. time.
To-day the chance visitor tn Barren
island and there are few indeed
""lld think himself in a mining patch
~ Inc anthracite regions twenty or
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-15

periods. enter into the game and
among these dolls are the famous
people of the time.
II goes without saying that the
children. who range from 6 to II,
enjoy this process Of acquiring knowl-
edge. Possibly this method could not
he employed everywhere. for II good,
heavy rain might form some rivers on
this map not noted in any other
atlas. In this regard California has
the advantage Of being a rainless
country during the greater part of the
year.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-15

blocks for the sake of furnishing play
space for its children. In time We
hope to get it To do just that.
THE play which these children Of
the street try tn indulge in is whole
some and desirable. When such games
are transferred and carried out ex-
actly the same in the open country
or a legitimate playground they are
no only not regarded as demoralizing.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-15
Type of homes on Barren Island.
City Considering Transformation Of
Place Into Park, With Boulevard
Across Bay From Brooklyn

scarecrow hat-a wealth Of Gypsylike
color and a most attractive abandon.
testifying to the fact tNat in the
opinion Of these little people fine raj
ment occupies hut a small and un-
important place in the general scheme
Of the universe.
And happy? Why those spritcs Of
the refuse heaps are us cheerful and
joyous as II they were wading through
fields of wild flowers up in Westches-
ter county and chasing butterflies
and gathering early apples instead of
scurrying up a hill of refuse and then
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-15

THE Peoples Institute believes that
every city should have a comprehen-
sive system of pubic and private rec
reation. but there is no use trying to
get such a system in New York just
row when so much money Is being
consumed IN building subways and
other equally important public i'm
provements, The city really cannot
afford to condemn and tear down city
Jackson County journal., 1915-01-22
MANY DISORDERS COME FROM
THE LIVER

Are You Just at Odds With Your
self? Do You Regulate Living?
Are you sometimes at odd witt
yourself and with the world? DE-
you wonder what ails you? Tru,
you may be eating regularly anc
sleeping well, yet something is tn.
matter! Constipation, Headache
Nervousness and Bilious spells in
dicate a Sluggish Liver. The trie
remedy is Or. Kings New Life Pill.
snly 25c. at your Druggist.
Bucklens Arnica Salve for ski
Eruptions.
Jackson County journal., 1915-01-22
NOT ICE OF TRUSTEES SALE.
North Carolina.
jackson County

North Carolina.
jackson County,
By virtue of the power SIC IL
hOrity conferred upon and vested
in the undersi ened, ". +. Sheriff.,
Trustee. by certain deed in trust
executed ty J. {. ColliIs ard We
Dola Lee Collins, dated the Goth
day of July, 1914, and said deed-'4
trust being recorded in the office =
thr Register of DeeG5 u. ia 49,
County, N c., in Book No. "a at
pagess273 ct seq, reference to which
is hereby made, default having
been made in the paymen. OF the
deCt secured by said deed-in-t1ust,
the same being now past due and
unpaid and request having been
made by the owner and holder of
said debts that the undersigned .
ezecute The powers ii ss.lt .tl
e. in said deed-in-trust:
Now, therefore, |, w. R. Sheriff.
Trastee, will on the 23rd day of
January, 1915, at one o'clock, P. NJ.
in front of the Court House door in
til sown of Sylvia, N. c., offer Ftr
sola at public auction, CT cash, .
the highest bidder, the following de
sclibed piece or parcel of land, stu
ated, lying, and being in Ham burg
Township, Jackson County. N. e.,
and bounded as follows, to-wit:
Beginning at a stone in IL.
tensions line on the East bank of
the public road and runs thence S.
Is degree F. 28 poles to a fallen
down corner of an old tract, thence
thence S 3 degrees E. 20 poles to
snail hickory; thence S. "a degrees
W. so poles to a Spanish-oak near
the slick rock; thence w. Is poles !.
to z double Spanish-oak; thence N
q degrees W. 81 poles to Spanish
oak; thence S. AZ degrees W. 1914
poles to stake; thence S, 27 de-
grees E. 81 poles to white-oak
thence Westward with B. A. Jemi-
sons line SO poles to branch;
thence with, the meanders of said
branch to the falls; thence North
ward appE ximatelg - ~ole.
chestnut o. the So, ii
the public road; thence Northward
with meanders of the branch approx |
mately 100 poles to the Beginning /
Containing 100 acres more or less.
To satisfy said debts. interest and
cost of sale
This the % day Of December, 49,
H. .
w. R. Sheriff., Trus'ee.
Weekly journal-miner., 1915-06-09
NOT GUILTY PLEA OF
 ALLEGED BOOTLEGGERS
(From Saturdays Daily)

With Judge Sanford, of Maricopa county on the bench, attorneys in be- half of their clients, the alleged liquor dealers, entered pleas of not guilty with a provision that they had the right to withdraw their pleas and file demurrers at any time between now and Monday, June IA, which date was set by Judge Sanford to try the first of the cases. Only one of the men rounded up by Sheriff Young in his crusade against bootlegging in this county appeared in the court room, he being James Hartigan, who is repre- scented by Robt. E. Morrison.
 Attorney Morrison entered the pleas for Fred Scopel and Hartigan while Attorney F. L. Haworth entered the pleas for the other defendants who asked for new judge.
 At the request of County Attorney O'Sullivan the case of the State yer sus Peter Gautriaud on the alleged liquor charge was set by Judge San ford as the GIst of the cases to be tried. The others will follow and according to indications, each will be tried separately.
Weekly journal-miner., 1915-06-09
ARIZONA CANARY IS
 WELCOMED AT SKAGWAY
(Ffom Sundays DaiIy)

Some time since the Journal-Miner contained an article telling of the shipment of an Arizona canary to Alaska. The burro has arrived at its destination, safe and sound, as the following article from the Skag- way Alaskan will prove:
 We are glad to welcome into our midst a distinguished arrival from faraway Arizona, in the shape of a docile, accomplishing son of the desert-a little burro that has come into the possession of Gould Fickhardt, the little son of Mir. and Mrs. Fred Fickhardt To say that he (the burro) is the observed of all observers" among the juveniles of Skagway is superhuous. Some four teen or fifteen of them formed an admiring group yesterday of which he was the object and propositions for a circus were freely submitted. The burro seems to have adapted himself to local conditions, and if memories of chaparral, cactus, Span ish bayonets, Yucca leaves, petrihed wood, or other desert delicacies fit ted through his head, it was not ap- parent as he contentedly cropped the luscious blades of Skagway grass, sandwiching in a dandelion occasion ally as a condiment. As an abbreviat- ed means of transportation he will prove quite an addition to the local supply. As J. V. Miller of the audi tors office of the w. P. & Y. R., will soon import Persian cat, Skag- way will have the nucleus of menag- erie to which public-spirited citizens could contribute from time to time until it would form one of our show places"