The Topeka state journal., 1922-02-09
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC j. HASKN. Director.
WasIlingt0n, d. o.
THE TRAFFIC. CoPPET.


dren's traffic officer. She gives her
services to make dangerous street
! crossings safe, and all the pay she
| draws is in smiles from the children
] Washington has 100 coppets,zard Mrs.
Ellis Logan, who is in charge of the
force" says that she can use 500.
The idea came to Washington when
New York mothers were taking their
children to school during the milk
strike emergency. Mothers went to all
sorts of trouble and made every effort
to see that their children got to school
safely.
Interest was aroused in the hazards
| to which children are exposed on the
streets, and the question was raised :;
| Why shouldn't q city organize Inc
women who could give half an hour
a Gay or just half an hour week 10
get the children across streets where
no traffic officers are stationed. Mrs.
Logan thought Washington could. The
/ city traffic department liked the IDEA
| and agreed to back up the corps and
| to give instructions.
! The plan was first tried out at the
| Wilson Normal school, where the pu-
/ pills are children in the first four
grades and in the kindergarten. These
youngsters, practically all under 10
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 and three BLOCKS
away.
| Mrs. Logan regarded the street car
i crossing by this school as good place
| to demonstrate the work of the coppet.
| She and three other volunteers were
broken in by the hea dof the city traf-
| fic department one morning at S;sO,
and for lealf an hour they were kept
busy plotting troops of school children
between the four sidewalks of the
crossing.
Children Like the Idea.
The children took with enthusiasm
| to the mamma policeman" as they
at once nicknamed the volunteer traf-
| fic officers. They also responded to the
| efforts of the women to teach them
how to cross the streets. Dangers
of diagonal crossing and OF neglect
ing to watch for automobiles were
explained so that the children would
be more careful at corners unprotect-
ed by traffic guardians.
From that beginning the project
spread to 5 school centers In one
week, and it is being extended almost
as rapidly now. Even in the suburbs,
women have volunteered to patrol the
railroad crossings near school build
ings One notably dangerous sub
urban crossing not far from school
is now being regularly guarded at
school time.
The corps of coppets is being or
ganized Systematically. Each woman
who volunteers is listed for the time
she can give, whether at eight-thirty,
twelve or three o'clock. Records are
kept to show whether she is to serve
every day or only on one or two OF
the five school days.
If it happens that the coppet can
not be at her post, she is expected to
supply a substitute, remembering that
the requirements for a coppet are
willingness to stick to business and a
hill TVc "a n
one experience with visiting" among
a group of workers who should have
been watching traffic, even tho things
had Stacked up for a few minutes.
She explained to them plainly that
during the half hour on duty u coppet
must be alert every instant. Her
presence means that the children de-
pend on her instead of looking out for
themselves and she must take care of
them. There has been no converse
ton between traffic squads on duty
since.
No Fuss or Feathers.
The protection of school children
on the street is being developed along
the simplest possible lines. The
coppet needs no special uniform. A
white band above each elbow is the
only insignia she wears The duties
can be mastered in a half hour period,
Mrs. Logan finds. The ooppet simply
helps the children across the street
between two corners, and holds up
traffic when necessary to make the
street safe for children.
At present the work is being done
mostly at corners nearest the schools.
These are the crossings used by the
greatest number of children. As the
numbe of volunteers from a neigh
boFhood increases, however, the serv-
ice is being extended to dangerous
crossings farther from the school
at every center, Mrs. Logan places
four women, There must be one, she
says, for each corner, so that traffic
in every direction may be efficiently
watched, and SO that the children may
be assisted across the four crosS walks
The traffic department has agreed to
back up the coppets in the event of
their reporting cases of speeding or
refusal to obey signals. So far there
has been no difficulty of this sort. The
city is heartily cooperating with the
volunteer traffic officers. But in the
event of trouble, the four women to
a, crossing would insure that drivers
number would be taken and, too, there
would be witnesses.
Mrs. Logan is getting letters, tele-
phone calls, and visits every day from
women who are anxious to help. One
woman who was visiting in Washing
ton for month, arranged to give
some time each day to the children.
Another. woman of 20, still spry and
alert. was eager to help. She said
that she had been looking for civic
welfare work and this was something
she could do.
I'VE have given our money to the
children of Europe" says Mrs. Logan.
For our own children we ask only a
little time. 1t is a woman's work,
done in a dignified efficient manner,
and women are responding to the sug-
gestiOn of a new field for service. The
volunteers have come from all walks
of life
Work Benefits Coppets.
Mrs. Logan thought of the traffic
work only as a service that the wo-
men could give to the city, but a
prominent doctor in the city sees pos
sibilities for physical benefit. He told
her that he wished all of his women
patients who could so out would take
up traffic work. There is nothing"
said the doctor, that will give health
like regular outdoor exercise and the