VILL AGE PLAYGROUNDS.
IT° THR EDITOR. or TO R " SPROTATOR."
SIR,—If village playgrounds are to be provided, it will not only be desirable, but absolutely necessary, that your suggestion in the Spectator of February 13th of "grown-ups" to teach games, and, let me add, to keep order, should be acted upon. I know of a little street in a village which actually abuts upon a wide common, free, of course, to the children as to every- body else. Nevertheless, the little ones' play place is the street. The reason assigned has much force in it; the mothers do not like their small children to be out of their sight. Through the open door they can keep an eye on what goes on, and can rush to the rescue when screams are heard from the gutter. You wisely say, Sir, in your article on the subject that big boys and young men must be kept out of the children's playground. But no one would wish to exclude children under fourteen ; and village mothers know only too well what rough usage the little ones would encounter from the bigger children if left to their mercy. Mrs. Huruphry Ward's admirable scheme for the utilising in towns of school- playgrounds during the holidays and after school hours carries with it as a sine qua non grown-up organisers of games and " order-keepers " (if I may coin the word). It stands to reason that, even when no harm is meant, little children may get badly hurt or frightened when they get in the way of the elder ones' games; and, indeed, among rough boys who have no notion of real games, teasing and bullying are the favourite pastime.—I am, Sir, &c., L. C. F. C.
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