--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Reformers believed moral and political…" description: "\"“Reformers believed moral and political relationships were learned in play. Given street-afforded license, kids would grow up bad. “If we let the gutte..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d44/mike-wallace-5222_outdoor-recreation_reformers-believed-moral-and-political-r_2334220.png" --- # Reformers believed moral and political relationships were… ![“Reformers believed moral and political relationships were learned in play. Given street-afforded license, kids would grow up bad. “If we let the gutter set its stamp upon their early days,” Jacob Riis warned in 1904, “we shall have the gutter reproduced in our politics.” The antidote to the street…” quote by Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d44/mike-wallace-5222_outdoor-recreation_reformers-believed-moral-and-political-r_2334220.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d44/mike-wallace-5222_outdoor-recreation_reformers-believed-moral-and-political-r_2334220.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d44/mike-wallace-5222_outdoor-recreation_reformers-believed-moral-and-political-r_2334220.png) > ““Reformers believed moral and political relationships were learned in play. Given street-afforded license, kids would grow up bad. “If we let the gutter set its stamp upon their early days,” Jacob Riis warned in 1904, “we shall have the gutter reproduced in our politics.” The antidote to the street was the supervised playground. Settlement houses had opened rudimentary play spaces in the 1890s. In 1898 the Outdoor Recreation League (ORL), founded by Lillian Wald and Charles B. Stover and housed in the College Settlement, opened the city’s first outdoor playground in Hudsonbank Park (at West 53rd Street), whose sand gardens, running track, and equipment were supervised by Hartley House’s headworker. Playground proponents insisted the city take over and expand these programs. An 1898 University Settlement report argued: “Waterloo was won in part on the playing fields of Eton said Wellington; good government for New York may partially be won on the playgrounds of the East Side.” In 1902 the city assumed responsibility for the nine ORL playgrounds created to date. And in 1903 Seward Park became the first municipal park in the country to be equipped as a playground.”” [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Playgrounds were seen as tools to prevent street life from shaping future politics; supervised play could counteract societal decay. **In simple terms:** Playgrounds aim to shape better citizens through supervised play. Key Takeaway Invest in safe, supervised play spaces for youth. Themes education urban planning social reform Mood concerned hopeful analytical Type historical policy inspirational When to use this quote - city council meetings - schoolyard design - community activism Key Concepts public health community development childhood development Questions to Reflect On - How can play spaces be inclusive? - What other measures support youth development? A Different Perspective Supervision alone may not address deeper socioeconomic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Jacob Riis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jacob-riis-228851/) [Orl Playgrounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orl-playgrounds-5626888/) [Outdoor recreation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outdoor-recreation/) [Playground Proponents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playground-proponents-5626891/) [Playground Settlement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playground-settlement-5626890/) [Playgrounds Created](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playgrounds-created-5626889/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Running track](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running-track/) [Supervised Playground](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supervised-playground-5626892/) ## Related quotes > [If I wrote in Jacob Riis' time, I'd be writing about teeming slums in our cities and kids dying of tuberculosis or outhouses in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/if-i-wrote-in-jacob-riis-time-i-d-be-writing-about-teeming-slums-in/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“Never in her life had she seen him this way--without that smirking assurance in his mouth. 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