Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-02-09

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6.-The cop
pet Is 2 new and popular institution
in This city. She is not to be con-
fused with the wOman policeman
who goes around in pursuit or the
wayward gil. The coppet is a chill
dren's traffic officer. She gives her
services tc make dangerous street
crossings safe. and all the "a she
draws is in smiles from the chill
dreE. Washington has 100 coppets,
and Mrs. Ellis Logan, who is in
charge of the force" says that she
can use SEQ.
The idea came to Washington
when New York mothers were tax
| ing their childrer. to school during
| the milk strike emergency. Mothers
| went to all sorts OF trouble and made
every effort to sec h a their chill
dren got to school safely.
Interest was aroused in the haz-
ards to which children are exposed
on the ~stree,s, and the question was
raised: Why shouldn't a city organize
the women who could give half an
hour a day or just half an hour a
week to get the children safely
across streets where no trafhc OH
GERS are stationed. Mrs. Logan
thought Washington could. The city
traffic del artment liked the idea ana
agreed to back up the corps ana 10
give instructions
The plan was first tried out at the
Wilson Normal School, where II
pupils are children in the first four
grades and in the k~lndergarlen'
These youngsters practically all un-
der ten years, have had dangerous
routes to travel. A car line runs on
one side of the school and two other
lines run parallel with this, two ana
three blocks away.
Mrs. Logan regarded the street
car crossing by this school as a good
place to demonstrate the work OF
the coppat. She and three other
olunteers we're broken in by the
head of the city traffic department
one morning at $50, and for hall
an hour they were kept busy pilot
ing troops of school children between
| the four sidewalks. CT the crossing
Children, Like the Idea
The child; en- took with enthusiasm
TO the mamma policeman" as they
at on nicknameG the volunteer
| fra ftic officers. They also respond
ed to the efforts of the women 10
teach them, how to cross the streets:
dangers of diagonal crossing and Oh
neglecting to.watch for AUTOMOBILES
were explained sc that the children
would be more careful at corners
| unprotected by traffic guardians.
From that beginning the proJect
, spread to fifteen school centers III
| one week, and i. is being
almost as rapidly now. Even IN tIe
suburbs. women have volunteered to
patrol the railroad crossings rear
school buildings. One notably dan
| perous suburban crossing not tar
! from a schLo' is noM being regularly
guarded at school m
The corps of coppets is being or
eanlzed Systematically. Each Wo-
man who volunteers is listed for the
time she ca, give, whether at S:oo'
~ or 3 o'clock. Records are kept
10 show wi ether SHE is to serve every
day or only on one or two or the
five scho.4 days.
III 1t happens that the coppet can
not beat her post, h is expected 10
| supply a substitute, remembering
that the requirements for a coppet
are Willingness t. stick TO business
/ and a love for children. Mrs. Lo-
gan had one experience with VISIT
ing among a group of workers who
sholid have been watching trafhc'
even though things had Stacked up
for a few parutes, She explained to
them plainly that during the hall
hour on duty a>coppet must be alert
every instant. Her presence means
that the children depend on her IN
stead of looking out for themselves
and she. mus are for them. There
has L.een no conversation between
traffic SQUADS on duty since.
No Fuss or Feathers
The protection of school chlldren
on the street is being developed
along the simplest possible lines. the
coppet needs no special UNIFORM "A
white band aboye each elbow IS the
only insignia she wears. The duties
can be mastered in a half hour per.
iod. Mrs. Logan finds. The copper
simply helps the children across the
street between two corners, ana
holds up traffic when necessary &c
make the street safe for children.
A. present the work is being done
mostly at orner nearest the school
These are t~,setcrossirgs used by tbs
greatest number Of children. AS The