The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-06-06
SCHOOL CHILDREN'S DAY
The Youngsters Have a Great
Time at Saitair.
BIG PAVILION THR0NGED
OF PUPILS VISIT
THE BEAUTIFUL RESORT.
A Happy Close to the Work of the
School Year-Not an Accident to
Mar the Occasion-An Interesting
Programme in the Afternoon
The Sports.

The school children of Salt Lake City
took possession of Saltair yesterday
From about II o'clock in the morning
until long after shutdown there was not
a nook or corner of the great pavilion
that was not entirely their own. They
appreciated the fact fully and took
every opportunity which was offered
TO own the famous resort for one day
at least. Any one who visited Saltair
yesterday. who was not connected di-
rectly or indirectly with the public
schools of this city. was decidedly out
of place ''Utahs best CROP was in
evidence everywhere. Every table on
the main floor of the pavilion was oc-
cupied all day long by groups of the
rising generation, who seemed to be
hungry from the moment they stepped
from the cars until ii was time to
catch the last train for the city, and
the number of meals that those chill
dren could dispose of in the few hours
that they were at the beach was
matter of wonderment TO everybody
who witnessed the rapid emptying of
family lunch baskets. And that was
not all. The peanut and popcorn man
was a wreck at the end of his days
labors, and there was not enough
charge left in the soda fountain by
o'clock in the afternoon to put re-
spectacle "fizz" on the top of another
glass. AS one train after another
rolled into the Rio Grande Western
depot last evening many a small boy
had TO negotiate with the street car
conductor on the basis of a package
of chewing gum or bag of peanuts,
for he had nothing else left to pay for
his car ride. During the whole after
noon it was almost impossible to use
the main stairways leading to the
dancing pavilion. as they were occupied
all the time by crowds of children
watching the foot races, boating, bath
ing and other attractions Many
tired mother could be seen during the
day rushing about in frantic effort
to collect her scattered brood, and no
doubt they all sought an early repose
last night. 1t seemed that there could
be no more children left in the city for
they appeared to be all there, from
the young lads and lassies of the High
school down to the kindergarten di-
vision, and even a lower grade than
that. for many an infant In arms was
in evidence whose presence was neceS-
sary from the fact that its mother had
to take it in order to leave her home
and take care of the older members
of her flock. But with it all there was
not an accident during the whole day
to mar the success of the outing and
there was the best of behavior at all
times. After a day of the utmost en-
joyment 5000 or more children returned
to their homes last evening with moth
ing worse than a sufficient amount of
physical exhaustion to enable them to
retire to their beds in a few minutes
and dream of the happy events of the
day. The first train that went to Salt
air in the morning carried a full rep
reSentation, and every train that fol-
lowed it up TO 2:15 in the afternoon was
simply crowded with school children.
Nothing of special Importance trans
pired in the morning. Those who were
on the grounds waited for their COM
rades to come later. A few bathed in
the somewhat chilly waters of the lake,
but the number was limited and there
were several boating parties out on the
lake every hour of the day.
On the programme it was called a
field day. but the term was rather
as it was necessary to have
the field sports on the plank roadway
alongside of the railroad track, and
the most interesting part of the days
was not in the nature of
field sports at all, but was a practical
of the advancement of
physical culture among the boys and
girls of the public schools. and it is
safe to assume that the result of this
as shown in the drills and
evolutionS of the scholars given in the
dancing pavilion yesterday would have
excited the envy of any school in any
other city in America 1t was after |
o'clock before the exercises in the pa
vilion commenced. They opened with !
a chorus by several hundred scholars |
in the Seventh and Eighth grades, the |
music being conducted by Mr.. George |
c. Young. Professor W. j. Mccoy, !
principal of the Oquirrh school. an |
nounced the different events, and Pro-
fessor ]. o. Cross, principal of the |
Emerson school, was very active in ar |
ranging to have the various numbers
on the programme carried out prompt
ly. After the opening chorus a class |
from the Washington school, under the |
direction of Miss Power, gave a most |
exhibition of free gymnas- !
tics. This was followed by a ring
drill by members of the Grant school |
most of them small children. under the |
direction of Miss Real, and it was a
most praiseworthy exhibition. Miss !
class from the Hamilton |
school gave a hoop drill, which ELECTED !
well deserved applause. The final ex-
hfbition of this kind was a club drill
by members of the Jackson school, I'M
der the direction of Miss Bond. and it
was a most fitting and successful ter
mination of the exercises in the pa
vilion, which had been enjoyed by sew
eral thousand spectators. There were
from 40 to so scholars in each drill !
corps. The ring drill and the hoop
drill were entirely by girls. but there |
were both girls and boys in the other !
two drills, and the movements of all |
were most graceful and were marked !
by precision and uniformity of action |
which were remarkable. Professor |
Cross was the master of ceremonies |
for the outside sports, and he had all |
he could attend to for several hours in |
keeping the overlooking spirits of |
those entered in the various races,
most of whom were boys, under proper |
control: but he performed his Offices
The first race was a 100 !
yard dash and was won by ]. Owens !
Of Franklin; Ray Wiley of Jackson |
second. The three-legged race resulted |
in a tie between E. Schenck and j. !
Fowler of Fremont and J. Player and |
E. Thomas of Washington. Dwight |
Holmes of Hamilton won the first
grade race, with Samuel Standard of !
Fremont second. The girls egg and |
spoon race was won by Viola Busby of l
Hamilton; Helen Shepard of Sumner |
second Edward Witbeck of Fremont |
won the potato race: r. Smoot of EN- |
erson second. E. Schenck of Fremont |
won the sack race; II. Dunbar of |
second The last event of |
the day was the girls knife and pea |
nut race, and it was won by Sophie /
of Hamilton. with Rachael /
Leatham of Lincoln school,
The U. S. Govt Reports