A WORD OF WARNING

For the Children Who Use Roller Skates

Editor of The News:

It seems as though a word of caution should be given throughout your columns to those children ñ or their parents who use roller skates upon the streets.

While most of them are as careful as can be expected of children, some are very rude and utterly regardless of the rights of pedestrians.

The other day the writer saw a boy of about twelve years come past the corner by the electric depot. There were several people standing around and the boy wen through the crowd at high speed. brushing against a woman and an old man without any care or apology.

The old man turned and looked after the boy pretty hard, and talked about him still harder, and if the marshal had been in sight the boy would probably have been taught a lesson he would not soon forget.

While the exercise is healthful and enjoyable, unless the boys and girls can be made to understand that the sidewalks were not made for roller skating alone, and that the pedestrians have an equal right to the walks, indignant citizens will see to it that they are not allowed to use the walks at all.

Last Thursday, two well grown boys raced up and down between the U.S. express office and the alley behind the postoffice for an hour or more at the highest speed possible, and all persons passing that way had to step to one side or be run into.

Parents can do much by warning their children against fast skating where there are people passing, and against skating in groups or running against people on the down town streets.

The writer likes to see the children enjoy themselves, but such incidents as referred to above cannot be repeated without arousing such a sentiment against the sport as will cut off their privileges to a great extent.

It might be well for the city council to forbid the use of roller skates entirely within one block of the business center, anyway.

That this warning may produce a change in conditions is the hope of

AN OBSERVER