Evening star., 1926-10-07

Public school officials today an
nounced plans for Washingtons first
concerted attempt to make. school
traffic zones safe for children "in
spite Of themselves"
Stirred to immediate action by the
death this week in a school safety
zone Of q 6-year-old student of the
Gage School, the education authorities
will launch next Monday an expert
ment designed to enforce child safety
through operation of schoolboy
patrol force.
The experiment. to be conducted
with the cooperation of traffic and
police officials and representatives of
the American Automobile Association
will he undertaken at the Thomson
School, Twelfth and /. streets, where
an investigation hy The Star yester-
day disclosed startling traffic hazards
for Needless youngsters attending
that school.
To Mark Crossing Spot.
The prime object of the patrol plan
is to see that school children en- route
to or from their classes cross the
street only al properly designated
point. the corner on which is sta
toned a uniformed member of tho
police department.
In this way, it is hoped. the reck.
less daShing into the middle of traffic
lanes by Carefree children, their minds
preoccupied with thoughts of play or
study, will be obviated. II is thought
that had such a patrol been on guard
last Monday morning i'm front of the
Gage School little Freddy Grosskurth
would be alive today.
n q
ward speedily today to organize the
patrol. Tomorrow the boys selected
for this important work will he in
structed I'm their duties. BY Monday
morning they will be equipped with
some insignia of their authority and
stationed at the three bad traffic
points near the school and at inter
secting danger zones, from Thirteenth
and l. streets to Twelfth and l. streets
aud to Twelfth and K streets.
A survey Of schools shows that
every effort is being made to- impress
upon children the need for them 10
be careful and cautious. Weekly
talks and instructions are given
Rudiments of caution are pounded
into their ears. And yet. diss ppoint-
ingly. it is found that when the chill
dren leave school many of them leave
the advice behind them.
Principal Makes Survey.
A personal survey of conditions
near the Thomson School also was
made yesterday by Principal Charles
X. F'inckel. He found so youngsters
running across Twelfth street in the
middle of the block to a candy store
during a recess period. He saw three
boys racing in a game Of tag almost
under the wheels of q truck. slowly
.,Al
most too late to avoid hitting them.
Accordingly, he called together the
higher grades Of the school and gave
the pupils n straig ght m-the-shoulder
talk on the absolute need for safety,
warning that disciplinary measures
would be taken in event of continued
carelessneSs and thoughtlessness iu
this regard. And yet this morning
he found nine violatOrs Of the rules
whtCh he had laid down.
Mr.. Finckel. from practical acquain-
tance with the problems. finds two
great obstacles to children's safety.
One lies with the parents. The sec
ond lies with reckless and thoughtless
children themselves.
"How," he asked, can you expect
a child to realize that the proper
place to cross the street is at an
established cross-walk when that
child'S mother, taking him. by the
hand, leads him across the street right
in the center of the block directly
across the traffic stream yards from
the safety of the cross-walk? What
can we say to overcome the impres.
sion in that child's mind that it is
all right to cross there because he
has crossed there with his parent?
Wants Parental Cooperation.
"Some children are needless: some
are thoughtless: others are reckless.
We have to overcome the natural
tendencies of such children. To do
s0 we find that the great need out
standing is parental cooperation with
the teachers in impressing the chill
dren with the need for caution. From
results of our talks. we fear we are
getting none too much of this CO..
operation"
Some dozen boys will he selected
tomorrow at the Thomson School tn
become members of the boy patrol
unit An offer to furnish insignia
to designate these boys has been
made by the A. A. A. office here
through c. p. Clark. assistant general
manager. He has also offered to sup
ply safety posters and to extend all
cooperation possible in making the
Boy Patrol unit a success.
The adVa N a offnvx - 49,