New-York tribune., 1920-05-20
Pelham Playground
General Wingase Dr.,
This Use of a pnr
To the Editor Of The Tr,bu,.

VI Ahe tribune.
Sir; I desire on tehal, Of tn. -,
children and young men Of ii. 49,
earnestly protest against tbs IL.
Mr. Albert E. Davis, presiden. ..
New York branch Of the ps,,.
Fairgrounds Association. obj.cs,,
the clty's permitting Mrs. Isaac I. D.
to improve Pelham Bay Park \,
verting a small fraction of !. i,..
frat class athletic field and pls,v.
at cost of s1,Ooo,ooo, which, no.. =
ly and generously, she propose. ;,
pend for that purpose as rpe,n,...,
her husband.
1t is the small parks. Ike p,,...,
and Central, whose whole ava
crowded by visitors, that canno. .
the space for an athle:ic field b., ','s
ham Bay Park contains 700 acre,
the thirty acres that viii be occn,;',@
the Rice Memorial VIII not he
cent of it. What makes the prota,,
surd is the fact thae the space IN ~.
ton was on the original map Of II. ,.'S ~
set apart as an "A-hletic Field and D.. s.,'
ground"
For years the DIRE reed of New y.
has been the need OF sufficient ,,'
ground area which will afford its co.
children not only sufficient spar. !,
sufficient facilities in that space to g.,
bic them to obtain that systematic ,-.
of-doors athletics without which a..
become stunted mentally and phvsi,,r.
The Public Schools Athletic Leayn. =,
which I have the honoc to be preside.
has for the last sever teeen wears -,
endeavoring TO help them obtain -.
training. 1t has been ably assisted !,
the Catholic Athletic League nv -.
settlements and other orpanizati,,,
The wonderful WORK which has h..
effected was strikingly demonstrated !,
the splendid appearance presented !,
the $4,000 boys in the great parad. 4,
May l.
The site in Pelham Bay Park which
has been selected for the Rice Menor,
is an ideal spot for the purpose s,s
the public schools nave a. diHeren tnx
undertaken to hold their games the,.
but found it to be impracticable. Una
the subway was recently built it v,,
too long walk Bat the main thin,
was that it is destitute Of the ind.s
pensable facilities Which Mrs. Rice -
generously proposes to provide.
Mr.. Davis is clearly not familiar vii
the athletic games Of the schools or /,
would know that the important yeas.
for grandstand or stadium is not 81
much TO give seats to spectators as j. /,
to furnish space under the seats te
the dressing rooms, showers, lavatora
and storerooms. which are indispensab.
An important thing in the plans th.,
Mr.. Davis ignores is the splendid "chl
dren's playground" This will contain /
rest house for mothers and little chl.
dren. 1t win have arbors for motlsn
with baby carriages, and sandpits, wa3.
ing pools, swings and other apparatus
for little children to play with W
not such a playground, when crowded, Z.
it will be in warm weather, with hun
dreds of Joyous little children be 4
more agreeable and picturesque sigh
than acres of grass
will further say that the tres
that Will have to be cut are ye'y
few; that the present bathhou'e'
/ (Which are old wooden sheds, will No.
be interfered with; that the pre'sn'
beach will be maintained and also in.
proved by placing az each end two
story bath and boa. house which VII
accommodate $500 people; that ia'
swimming pool is 10 be supplemental Z"
the beach and is to be partly for use b
children and others who do not feel saa
in bathing on the beach. and partly fa
swimming races, which have been u7
popular in the schools, and thrOasi
which hundreds Of the school chdF''
are becoming good swimmers.
GEO ". WINGATE,
President Public Schools Athlete
League.