, 1924-05-01
THE WELFARE OF THE CHILD

President Coolidge has proclaimed May first as Children's
in very few words the essential conditions of an ideal city.
Thus writes zacharah, ''and the streets of the city shall be
full of boys and girls playing in the streets.' A physical and
social environment for childhood so intelligently ordered that
boys and girls may abound and have a chance to play which
the golden hours of youth ripen into the harests of adult man
hood and womanhood. Neither zachariah nor any other
prophet could imagine a city more fortunate than thatl
has. 1t has a right to be born, and a right to play! Almost
equal to the violation of the right of children to be born at all
is the all too common violation of the right of the children to
play. This is not an assertion that children should do nothing
but play, or that they. should be pampered and softened in
ization may, indeed, play too much in the streets and else
where. But this can not be said of children as a class. In
most of our cities, and even in our rural communities, adults
have done too little as yet to make the playlife of children
really free and happy. For the most part, children are left
and institutions shaped according to the interests of adult
Beginnings are being made of an intelligent ordered life
and directing the thoughts of mel and women towards the
fundamental rights of children to be born, and to be born m-
der h%ealthful and favoring conditions. Public play grounds
are being established, and intelligent oversight is being given
to organizing and directing %children's play. More of the play
ale many signs that in the ideal city of the future the streets
shall be full of boys and girls playing under healthful and
The promise for Children's Day is full of encouragement.
Let the children have the front seat. The platform is theirs
great in the history Of Rawlins. me first and greatest work
of each generation is the welfare of the child. The welfare of
the child demands a home for every child. And this because
every child represents either a potential addition to the pro
ductive capacity and the enlightened citizenship of the nation
or a potential addition to the destructive forces of the COM
munity. The interests of the nation are involved in the well
Let us face the issue fairly and squarely. The child moving
about our streets, seeking the best recreation it may, and often
deprived of recreation adequate to produce strength of char
acter or strength of body, will in time become the citizen. One
cannot but wonder when scores of our children get time to
sleep. Too many run the streets late into the night. Health
OF body and mind Is produced by well regulated play and rest
hours; and responsibilities resting upon parents are simply
tremendous!
The culture of the child calls for the graces that flourish
III the home and in the home alone. Can we not see to it that
some form of recreation is provided which will produce stall
wartness of spirit, mind, and body9 Such a tast is a worthy
one. 1t calls for greatest effort. 1t ELECTS all worthy endeavor.
1t will drain some of our resources-but it will pay!
In furthering the welfare of the children in Rawlins the
I. b. O. is sponsoring "A Chld's Health Conference which will
be held at the High School on May 9th. Before all else a child
must be healthy and the work being done by the p. e. o. will
undoubtedly prove of lasting and great benefit to the children
of Rawlins.