Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-26
FINAL TOURNAMENT
ATHLETIC EVENT OF PLAY
GROUNDS CONTESTANTS.
To Be. Held at Van Ness Park in Sep
tember-Games by the
Children.


| the final athletic tournament of the season
| of 1905 will be held at Van Ness Park. Sep
| TENDER 8 and 8. The first day will be
| given up to the colored children. while the
| events OF the second day will be conducted
| by the white children. Tickets to the ath-
| ietic tournament will be sold at low fig
| ure to defray the expenses of the events.
and the children selling the tickets will be
| allowed 10 per cent for their trouble.
| DR.. Henry s. Curtis. director OF the play
| grounds. said feature of this tournament
| will be an exhibition of the games played
! by the children. The little athletes from
| fifteen or twenty schools and Fairgrounds
will be In the field at the same time. each
| team playing a different game. Then when
| the whistle Is sounded there will be an IN
slant change of games. somewhat after the
| fashion of the up-to-date circuses with their
| many rings in operation simultaneously.
by this ensemble" said DR.. Curtis. we
| expect to show the good people of Washing
| ton just what We are doing with the local
Fairgrounds"
The inter-grounds contest for this after
| noon. finally decided upon. will be as
| follows: Grounds at North Capitol and l.
| streets. between the athletes Of that sec
| ton and those of the Rosedale grounds.
18th and Gales streets. to begin at j CLOCK.
Grounds for colored children at lSt street
and Delaware avenue southwest. contests
between the southwest children and those
| of the grounds at LIST and P streets north
west tan COiOreQ), DeSln at y " SloCh'
| Contests between the children of the Wal
| ZACH School grounds and those Of the, JET
| ferson School grounds, in South Washing
| ton, on the Wallach grounds. 9TH street and
Pennsylvania avenue southeast. to Desln at
| $50 clock.
/ 1t is understood that DR.. Curtis is having
made two pretty gold medals to be awarded
to the author of the best playground yell
| and the best rally song for the children as
stated in The Star yesterday:
If the plans of Mr.. Charles F. Weller.
| secretary of the Associated Charities. are
| carried out as outlined by him at the meet
| ing of the playground directors yesterday
! afternoon. this city will have next year one
| of the best Fairgrounds systems In the
United States. 1t is Mr.. Weler's hope that
| Congress will appropriate literally Tor the
| Fairgrounds at it's next session and that
| large contributions will be added by the cit
| liens. Speaking this matter to the play
| ground directors at their meeting yesterday,
| he described the magnificent system of Chi
| cago and expressed the hope that Washing
! to1 would have a like playground system
| next year.
| System in Chicago.
| "One of the municipal Fairgrounds in
| Chicago" said Mr.. Weller, comprises
| thirty-fve acres. 1t has a large swimming
| pool, reading room, two gymnasums
| shower baths and even lunch room. where
| foCdstuffs dear to childhood are sold at eX-
| trenlely low prices
| like to organize excursion party and
Jake members of Congress and some OF the
| ding citizens of Washington to Chicago
| u see the system there, believing that such
a trip would result in the establishment OF
similar series of Fairgrounds here.
| In an address to the directors DR.. Curtis
| called attention to the necessity for play
| ground leadership and said pretty button
| has been prepared for the boys and girls
| who assist the several directors in the
| sports and in instructing the other children
| how to play the different games. The in
| scription on these buttons in golden letters
| is Leader" He spoke of the proposed In
| creased facilities at the several grounds
next season.
to contend with said DR.. Curtis lis the
| lstlcssness of the boys and girls in the
| sports and in not playing the games to their
| conclusion. Interest in this particular
| should be aroused There should be bull
| letin boards on which the names of sue
| cessful contestants can be posted, and the
names should be also sent to the Washing
| ton newspapers for publication"
He also spoke of the Importance of caus-
ing the children to feel a loyalty for the
| Fairgrounds and the directors. They
! should re made to feel that the grounds
| were their own. Speaking of the contests
for today, DR.. Curtis said:
| 1.-THE problem of honesty faces you in
| these contests. You must not allow chill
| dren of fifteen years to enter the contests
of the twelve-year class l suggest that
| each member of each team be required to
| bring to the director from their parents
| or guardians written statement of his or
her age in a sealed envelope. We must not
| allow dishonesty in the competitions. Be
| sides the immediate evil results such decep-
| tive practices will have a bad effect the
| future career of the little ones.
Courtesy to Visiting Teams.
| Another problem that confronts u.s."
| concluded DIR. Curtis, lis the extension OF
courtesy to the visiting teams. The homo
boys and girls should strive to make their
little visitors welcome to their grounds and
treat them with every kindness
| Attention was called to the necessity for
banners for presentation to the winners OF
events at the coored grounds These tro-
plies have been provided by contributors
for nearly all of the white grounds, 1t was
stated.
Mr.. Bernard ]. Wefers. director of the
Fairgrounds at North Capitol and l. streets.
| described one of his base ball teams of boys
| under eleven years of age. These young
sters. he said, have been making a most
| remarkable showing, and have wiped up
| every other team they have come into con-
tact with. some of their competitors hav-
ing players from fifteen to seventeen years
| of age. Some Of the teams composed Of
big boys referred jeeringly to the North
Capitol street aggregation as 1.-The babies"
but Mr.. Wefer said, when the big fellows
played ball with the little ones the laugh
| gave them a sound drubblng.
At the suggestion of Director Wefers
| basket ball eliminated from some OF
| the prospective contests, as he said the boys
went at it so strenuously that the playing
| "resembled real warfare.
The list of events that will be run off on
the days of the tournament was given as
| follows:
25-yard dash for girls under ten: 25-yard
| dash for boys under ten: J0-yar6 dash for
| girls under thirteen: GO-yard dash for boys
| under thirteen: Go-yard dash for boys under
| sixteen; 1O0-yard dash for boys under six
| teen.
Running broad jump for boys under thr-
teen: running broad jump for boys under
| sixteen: running broad high jump for boys
| under thirteen running high jump for boys
| under sixteen: standing broad jump for
| boys under thirteen: standing broad jump
| for boys under sixteen.
Chin bar for boys under thirteen: chin bar
! for boys under sixteen.
| Potato race for boys under sixteen: pOta-
| to race for girls under sixteen.
| Tether ball for boys under sixteen tether
| ball for girls under sixteen.
| Volley ball for boys under sixteen.
| Basket ball for girls under sixteen.
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