Camden High Girls to Push Campaign for 'Play Streets'

Camden Courier-Post - February 8, 1936

Members of Health Class Urge Areas to Cut Down Juvenile Delinquency

MRS. KOBUS' AID SOUGHT

By E. CECILIA CUMMINGS

Camden High School senior girls in 12th year health classes recommend play streets, especially in South Camden, as a preventive measure for juvenile delinquency.

Death by automobile, vandalism and petty crime, they think, all spring from the same root — lack of safe places for supervised play.

This is a direct outcome of discussions in Miss Marjorie Van Horn's health classes, and of a campaign whittled to make Camden residents "reform school disgrace" conscious.

In their study of child welfare, they have been impressed above the eyebrows by the effects poor housing, crowded conditions and lack of recreation have on health, and how all these tie together to mould the typical reform school occupant.

Discussions during class period weren't getting them anywhere, however. Up spoke Frances Allebach impatiently: "We talk and talk, but why don't we do something." She was promptly voted chairman, and Margaret Baker, secretary, of an embryo campaign.

But that was only the beginning.

It developed into a speech-making, propaganda-distributing, doorbell-pushing and petition-signing campaign, and it's showing results.

A group went to Director of Public Safety Mary W. Kobus and asked her to authorize the roping off of little-traveled streets. Reconnoitering on auto trips, armed with city maps and pencils, showed them suitable locations for play streets. Mrs. Kobus promised them her hearty support, but reminded them the signatures of all residents on those thoroughfares were necessary to rope them off as playground substitutes.

Plan for Summer

They set forth in pairs to acquire those signatures, and obtained a high percentage, according to Miss Van Horn. Their present work is to complete the petitions, when they will again visit Mrs. Kobus. Since most school playgrounds will be closed, the play streets will be needed most in Summer time, and the seniors started their campaign early enough for it to be climaxed by then.

Indirectly, the need for more play opportunities has seeped out into county municipalities, Miss Van Horn reports, through Camden's service clubs. Two seniors approached these clubs, various Parent Teacher associations and several churches, for their cooperation. Since numerous service club members do not reside in Camden, they carried ideas from the girls' speeches out into the county, where they may take new growth.

Girls active in the campaign as speakers were Olive Patterson, Madeline Danner, Lois Davis, Dorothy Schoellkopf, Henrietta McCausland, Miss Allebach, Margaret Baker, Rose Shectman, Helen Brown, Mary Burke and Ruth Austermuhl.

So, that more or less theoretical, social service work which might be about as interesting as cold oatmeal, put these seniors all in a lather. However, graduation took some of them away from their pet project. To counteract this, the health department kept in reserve a volunteer group of 22 low senior girls to carry on their predecessors' work. These girls became graduating seniors this week.

Campaign In February

Their definite work during February is to sound out all P. T. A. organizations, set their case before them, and encourage the members to sign petitions. Miss Van Horn's plans make the campaign broaden during the next four months like compound interest-so that every city organization of any influence at all will be reached.

In their speeches to the various organizations, the girls emphasize that the largest one-age group of boys and girls in prisons is 19, and the second largest group, 18. More than half of all automobiles stolen, they have found, can be attributed to boys under 15.

Supervised recreation grounds in each crowded district, to keep idle youngsters out of mischief when not in school are the prime solutions to the increasing delinquency problem, the speeches assert.

Bertha Faber is chairman of a committee arranging dates for speeches and publicity. Posters have also been created and placed in approximately 30 Camden stores."