Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-08-07
Park Board C0mmittee to
Commence MUeStigat10n
OF City Pools at Once

The investigating committee ap-
pointed at the Wednesday afternoon
meeting of the city park BOARD, to
probe the charges of improper con-
duct in the city bathing pools. which
charges were brought by Rev. Caleb
Ridley, from his pulpit, in the press,
and in a written statement before the
board, will meet at an early date to
begin it's work.
Or. Fsidley's Statement
The position taken by the majority
Of the members OF the board is that
it is impossible to keep d few unde-
sirable persons out of public places
which are visited by more than 100,-
600 people a month. Attention of the
newspaper representatives was called
by several members of the board to
the statement Of the general manager
that 117,4 people had visited the
city pools during the month of July,
and only four complaints had been
heard.
DR.. Ridley's statement. read before
the board and placed in the hands of
the investigating committee was sub
stantially as follows:
'Waving for the time being all con-
crete illustrations of immortality at,
in and around the swimming pools
your honorable board that if you do
not know of questionable practices
being continuously carried on at
these bathing places both day and
night, and if you do not know that
women of the most immoral char
acter of long standing in Atlanta,
women known personally to the Of
ticers of the law-if you do not know
that these women are constant WISH
tors, to these pools at night, if your
board does not know this, it ought
to know 1t.
With the information I have of
conditions now prevailing at these
places at night, I must object to my
wife and daughters being in any way
connected with them, and I honestly
would feel as I feel if they would
seriously look into the matter.
II have been put in the light Of
rejecting upon the decent women
who visit these pools. 1 deny any
such intention and have publicly
press of the city, that if there was
any reflection upon anybody, they
brought it upon themselves by their
association with immoral and ques-
t1onable men and women.
Nor do I desire to criticize the
these, places. They are probably do
ing the best they can. and some of
them have volunteered the informa-
ton to friends of mine that condl-
mated
"Those in charge Of the Oakland
CITY pool Will welcome any effort
your board may put forth to better
conditions there.
Certain it is that better protec.
ton has been. needed at Maddox park,
where drunken attache felled to the
earth an aged grandfather for OBJ
Jectlng to this same drunken wretch
throwing his grandchildren into the
wafer; Pledmont park and Grant
park have for years been a nightly
stamping ground for men and women
or questionable character. and night
pathlng has made it infinitely worse.
It is known to many that girls
frequent the4u Mt these these places at night when
home"
DR.. Ridley's statement continued
with an excorioration of "scamps''
VINO, he said, hung around the pools
at the larger parks and approached
young girls under the pretense of
teaching them to swim" He told Of
one instance in which, he said,
girl, resenting the advances of one
or these Washers, clicked him flat
In the water"
He continued:
IL your board really desires in
formation, there is certainly plenty
of it to be had. I hand you the
names oI the IOlIoW1ng well known
citizens who will take pleasure in
SWING you many important facts
bearing upon this situation:
charlie Pool, A. A. Brown. J. J,
Brown, Mrs. J. E Andrews, Bob Fore
f man, Rev; +I Mr.; Hickman, of the JEFF
Prof. White. of the University School
Tor Boys; j. J. Barnes, of the Barnes
OIL company, and Captain Hill, of the
police force.
AS 1t appears to me, your board
should welcome all the facts in the
case, and then put forth every effort
to better conditions. DENYING the
existence of evil will not destroy evil,
nor will denunciations of others REM
| edy conditions as they now exist.
Two things seem clear to me: First,
night bathing cannot be regulated in
our larger parks. and it's perpetuity
Will undermine the morals of the
community. Second, something
should be done to regulate the styles
OF the costumes worn by women at
| these parks. Some of them are sug.
gestive, inviting and disgracefuI."
DR.. Ridley Endorsed
Rev. G. L. Hickman, pastor of the
Jefferson Street Methodist church,
Thursday morning issued a state
ment in support of DR.. Ridley's
charges, reading as follows:
Il am deeply interested in the bill
| now under discussion presented to
the legislature by our Mr.. Willzin-
son.
"I am sorry that the time has
come when the modesty of our wom-