Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 4.djvu/181

 THE MOVEMENT FOR SMALL PLAYGROUNDS 1 63

of furnishing an object-lesson to the city. Numerous swings, large and small, giant stride, see-saws, sand piles, etc., afford ample amusement for the children, who fairly swarm there. There is also a large shelter, provided with plenty of benches and with retiring rooms. A police officer, who is a father to the boys, and a matron have charge of the grounds. The police in the neighborhood are much interested in this venture. In the spring they planted six trees in the grounds.

Lieutenant Kroll, of the neighboring precinct, says :

We're going to make this a fine place ! Not less than fifteen lives have been saved from the electric car since the establishment of the play- ground, and juvenile arrests have decreased fully 33^ percent.

Asked for an explanation of this assertion, he said :

The young boys between thirteen and sixteen who are not at work loaf around street corners ; they have no place to go ; they get into the saloons, they annoy the passers-by, or they form in crowds. They resent the interfer- ence of the police, and finally they are arrested. We hate to do this, as it is the first step pushing a boy downward into the criminal class. Since the playground has been opened and they are permitted to come in here, they give us no trouble whatever.

They are able to take their fun in an orderly way, instead of in a way which leads to the habit of disrespect for the law and the breaking of regulations, and character is, after all, merely a bundle of habits. Few will question that disrespect for the law is one of the evils of the day in our country.

In the spring of 1 898 an appropriation of S i ,000 was obtained from the Chicago city council for "temporary small parks," the administration of which was turned over to the vacation-school committee of the women's clubs. The use of six school yards, basements, and one room to be used on hot and rainy days was asked of the board of education, and, being granted, the yards were equipped with swings, see-saws, sand bins, and cedar build- ing blocks. The Turnverein was greatly interested, and loaned portable apparatus for each school, such as parallel bars, hori- zontal bars, horse, ladders, etc., which are taken into the build- ing at night.

The playgrounds chosen were all in densely populated dis-