Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-07-03

found on the back page.
A battle-not to take lives, but to save
them-is developing
II is safety" campaign to be launched
In the public schools throughout the city by
the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company.
The folly Of many accidents In the streets
will be carried straight home to the happy
go-lucky children In the schoolrooms and
Fairgrounds.
The campaign will begun with the opening
of the summer playground season and will
be carried into the schools in the fall by
means of illustrated lectures-no, stories
would be better. The warnings will, indeed,
be in story form, so that every tiny shaver
will understand them. And they Will under
stand the pictures, too, for the illustrations
are photographs of actual CLOSE shaves"
that careless boys and girls have had, snap
"shot" on the spot by photographer of the
newly created safety bureau Of the Phila-
delphia Rapid Transit Company.
The story teller will not be an imposing
looking ogre, with stern commands that
boys and girls heed his words. The warn
ing will be given to the children by the
safety lady" Miss Beatrice V. Cllnch.
head OF the companys safety bureau, an
expert Of Wilmington, Del. Her plan has
been approved by DIR. John p. CARRIER, Su-
perintendent of Schools; Monsignor Nc
Dewitt, superintendent of parochial schools
Miss Elizabeth O'Neill. supervisor of play
grounds, and the police and the Boy
Scouts.
Although the prevention of trolley acci-
dents will be the chief topic of the stories,
all other forms of accidents In which chill
dren are killed and MANNED will be taken
up The childs fault in motortruck acct-
dents, which have grown into an appalling
spectre for mothers whose children play
IN the streets. will be shown Billy and
Johnny will be told how foolish II is to
steal rides on the tall ends of trolley cars
fn Nxyith r.
graph wires, to build bonfires, to play ball
in streets where the deadly motortrucks
rumble. Mary and Jennie will be warned
not to scamper across the street before
looking carefully. not to read while walk
ing not to play tag In the streets.
Later prizes Will be offered for essays
and poems by school children on safety"
IT'S a very serious problem" said Miss
Cllnch, who has been carrying her work
into settlement houses and Boy Scout
meetings Children are hard to teach
safety because they are so exuberant. In
spite of all the preventlves, 961 children
were arrested last year for stealing rides
on trolley cars-one of them for actually
stealing an entire car. A few nights ago.
after had spoken on safety to n troop of
Boy Scouts and had interested attention
and had aroused three cheers for safety
what do you think happened? Two OF the
boys hung on to the back of an automobile
right outside the door"
for play streets" for children was warmly
advocated by Miss Cllnch.
'Tt is impossible to provide Fairgrounds
for all the children" she said. '"The need
for them is apparent. In one section In
South Philadelphia, in the area of four
blocks there are 1875 children below the
age of 10 years. What shall they do for
the fresh air and romping that they needH
The streets provide the only answer, the
streets full of the dangers that lurk in
trolleys and automobiles.
MANY OF the children are too small to go
more than three squares away from home
to play And the Fairgrounds are further
away than that for most Of the children.
The street that runs In front OF the door or
around the corner is much simpler solu-
tion. There are many of these streets that
are little used that could be roped off for
the children Their mothers and fathers
would know that they were safe from harm
there"