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| Amusement Parks as a
Community Asset
By A.R. Hodge, Assistant Manager of Riverview Park Source: The Billboard, 18 December 1920, pgs. 15, 223. Some years ago in one of our Chicago papers there appeared on the front page in three-inch type, "GAMBLING AND IMMORALITY RAMPANT IN LOCAL AMUSEMENT PARK." In the subheading the amusement park in question was referred to as "A blot on Chicago's fair escutcheon." Following was a two or three-column article dealing in detail with conditions supposed to exist in and about one of Chicago's amusement parks. As to just what park was referred to is neither here nor there and as to whether or not all of the facts related were accurate in this particular case is of little moment. In all probability 99% of the facts were true, and furthermore a lot of facts which could have been published and for the benefit of the public might well have been published, had the reporter been a better reporter or had all avenues of information been open to him. The scare head and subsequent subtitle would furnish an accurate description of far too many amusement parks at the time this story was published. I have often wondered what type of men could have gotten into the amusement park business and could have been so short sighted as to operate with as little sense of decency and good business practice as constituted the type so prominent in amusement park circles in the past. Judging from the experiences of the many park men with whom I have come in contact in recent years, the present generation of amusement park men has had much to endure and has paid high for the sins of their ancestors. Of the various kinds of institutions depending upon the public for patronage I know of none which if properly conducted could be a bigger asset to any community than an outdoor amusement park. I know of no institution, on the other hand, which could be better described by the subtitle above referred to than an outdoor amusement park if not properly conducted. To me there is no betwixt and between position and an amusement park is either one or the other of the two. A wonderful public park system, such as Chicago boasts of and of which she might well be proud, as there is none other in the world which even approaches hers, is a wonderful asset to all citizens, but more especially to the working classes. But after all, the opportunities for a diversity of entertainment are comparatively limited in the ordinary public park, and it has been my observation that the fewer the attractions a public park has the fewer the people who patronize it, and no public park is patronized anywhere near as much as a big amusement park, because there is not the entertainment available, especially for young people and adults; the kiddies being the main benefactors, and incidentally the easiest ones to amuse. Even recently I have seen reports from various reform societies mentioning certain amusement parks as breeding places of vice, flirting grounds, etc., but these same reports always seem to ignore our great public parks and in fact our main thoroughfares. When I say "our" I am not referring to Chicago alone, as the reformers all over the country seem to take special delight in picking on amusement parks regardless of the efforts of their respective managements to conduct their parks in the best manner possible. It has always been my contention that an amusement park is a far safer place for a respectable woman, young or old, or in fact for any respectable individual, than a public highway or a public park, provided said amusement park is properly policed, and as much is a bigger asset to any community for this one reason if none other than any public park. There is an old saying that an idle mind is the devil's workshop. In the public park there is so little to do that mischief is the first thing to crop up, whereas in an amusement park that is packed with various means and devices for entertainment there is much less temptation and opportunity for improprieties. Even greater, however, than the opportunity for public service is the provision of free entertainment for the many thousands which we find in any large city who, because of their financial resources, are deprived of that entertainment to which every child [pg. 223] especially is entitled. Here at Riverview we feel it incumbent upon us to throw open our vast resources to this army of little ones every season and the returns always satisfy our conscience if not our pocketbooks. For the past two seasons it has been Riverview's privilege to entertain all of the school children of Chicago, at least all were invited. Last season the plan was worked out much more in detail than the previous year. Each child received an invitation to come to the park as the guest of our Mayor, Hon. William Hale Thompson. His or her school was closed for that day. Teachers and parents were invited to attend with the children. Every one entering our front gates on these occasions received free admission tickets for three attractions and their round trip car fare. In addition to the three regular attractions they were privileged to attend a free circus and to enjoy lunch from their picnic baskets in the park's commodious picnic groves. Furthermore, a large number of drilling and athletic contests for beautiful prizes were given under the auspices of the School Board, being open to pupils of the public schools only. At the conclusion of the day's outing, upon leaving the park they were presented with another invitation good for two subsequent and similar outings, approximately four weeks apart and with free entertainment and care fare furnished in each case. Each was also presented with a beautiful copy of Washington's Farewell Address.... This was a rather costly souvenir, but a wonderful document to place in the hands of Chicago's hundreds of thousands of school children, many of whom emanated from foreign parentage and for whom not too much could be done in the way of Americanization. At the conclusion of these outings, in response to an inquiry from Chicago's Mayor, the following letter was sent him and immediately following this we received from the president of the Chicago School Board, Hon. E. S. Davis, who also received a copy of the letter addressed to the Mayor, the reply shown below: September 7, 1920, Mayor William Hale Thompson, City Hall, Chicago, Honorable Sir-- Pursuant to your request for particulars relative to outings of school children held at Riverview during the current season, am pleased to give you the following figures taken from our books, which I believe will be as interesting to you as they are to us. There were 365,000 invitations issued to the children of the public schools, same being dated from May 24 to July 2, inclusive. It was our aim to issue a maximum of approximately 20,000 invitations a day so as to insure safety to the children, their parents and teachers. Of these 365,000 invitations issued 279,989 actually attended. On such dates as we encountered perfect weather our attendance averaged better than ninety-two per cent of the invitations issued. The decrease in the percentage over the whole period may be readily accounted for by the fact that a number of bad days were encountered, which would not only decrease the May and June attendance, but also the July and August attendance, as the children received their return invitations upon leaving the park after their first outing. Each of the 279,989 persons attending the first outings received one of the beautiful copies of Washington's Farewell Address, and also as above referred to an invitation containing two coupons, one of which was good for a July outing and the other for an August outing, with car fare and free rides provided for on each occasion. The free tickets issued to those in attendance at the May and June outings aggregated 839,967. In addition to this 225,000 persons witnessed the free outdoor circus. There were 279,989 return invitations given out during May and June, and during the months of July and August the attendance was 168,299. The decrease in attendance on this was no doubt occasioned very largely by the fact that so many persons take their children away for the summer. It means, however, that 168,299 children who were deprived of a regular vacation were thus afforded two opportunities on which to visit the park for a day's recreation, at no expense to themselves. During the July and August outings free admissions for shows and rides numbered 504,897. The attendance during all the outings was 447,288. The total free admission tickets to shows and rides total 1,344,864, circus attendance not included. The admission to these shows... amount to $201,729.60. The car fare paid out by us on all outings aggregated $22,938.92. Trusting the above will prove of interest to you and assuring you that we will be more than pleased to answer any additional questions you may have to ask, I am, Yours, very truly, Riverview Park Company, George A. Schmidt, Secy . . . . . . |
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Page authored: 5
August 2000 -
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