The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-03-13

| rights Of the citizen.
FAIRGROUNDS.
Honolulu has long prided herself up
| on being an out-of-door country. But
| there are some elements of that pride
which should call forth the execution
of the scriptural prophecy that pride
! goeth before a fall. To those of US
who believe in the efficacy of physical
| activity under good conditions as
| real moral agent there is something
sinful in the neglect long ago to pro-
1 vide places for healthy, and possibly
| directed, sport. Aala Park is but
| beginning. There should be many all
/ over the city and there should be some
scheme by which they might be super
vised. and the play of the children en-
| couraged and directed. Unless some
such system prevails the older and
larger boys generally monopolize the
| whole field. Games should be provid-
| ed for the youngest boy, for girls. and
| for the timid who most need the ex-
hilaration of competition. Every crowd
| ed section should have a playground
with all modern facilities" From
Kalihi to Moiliili and from Kakaako to
PunchbowI. young America, in dirt
spots. on the streets, in dives and cor
ner stores, raises an emphatic cry for
places to play.
The experiment carried on at Louis
vile. Kentucky, has much that is sug-
gestive. The first playground was laid
out in that city in 1899, and during this
first season there was an average daily
attendance of 46. In 1901, a Recreatio
League was formed. Negotiations were
opened with the Park Commissioners
out of which came four model play
grounds with a director in each paid
by the Park Commission, but appointed
by the league and under the supervis-
ion of the leagues supervisor. These
Fairgrounds We're opened during the
summer vacation from $50 to 600, and
were constantly used. In 1901 also
there was organized the Louisville
Playground Athletic Union, which had
supervision of the nter-playground
games. 1t was governed by board
of control consisting of three members
of the Recreation League and two rep
resentatives-one boy and one a girl
elected from each playground. Sched-
ules were arranged in all branches of
sport. A system of scoring credits
was devised and a banner given to the
playground winning the most points.
In order to keep up the interest of the
younger members club pins of cheap
design We're furnished at a cent a piece.
In 1902 one further step was taken by
the opening of evening Fairgrounds
from 7:30 to $50. That there was
need was shown by the fact that the
attendance was nine greater than in
the afternoon. The personnel of those
attending was quite different, for they
included many boys and young men
who were working. There was not the
spontaneity about them; they were
more difficult to supervise; there was a
long, vain search for games and con-
tests that would hold their interest.
Boxing and punching the bag seemed
finally to be the one thing that al
ways interested the strenuous youth.
Those who had charge, however, We're
emphatic in their statements of the
steady improvement in conduct of those
who attended and of the great moral
good that the Fairgrounds did. The
supervisor speaks in no unmistakable
way: LAS a result of placing play SUI
pervisors at the small parks and open
ing them for play the number of peo-
pie using them has increased very re-
markedly. A visit to the parks after
the closing of the play department
showed the attendance dwindled down
to a dozen or two in each park. A
number of children drawn by the per-
'sonality of the play supervisors and
the interest in competitive games have
walked fourteen blocks daily to attend
the Fairgrounds. Boone Square offers
the best example of what can be ac-
complished in neighborhood by a
well-conducted playground. Formerly
the boys in that vicinity amused them
selves by stealing milk bottles in the
morning; now interest in the play
ground sees them On the playground
and off the street and out of mischief.
Before placing of play supervisors
at this park it had very bad reputa-
ton. Mothers did not care to have
their children there. Now the mothers
are unanimous in saying that that they
always feel at ease when they know
that their children are on the play
ground. Loyalty to the playground
was manifested by a group of boys
who went to the home of a boy who
had stolen a bali and brought it back
to the playground.
THE boys are not permitted to smoke |
or to use bad language while on the |
Fairgrounds. Many of our boys hardly |
knew at first when they We're swear |
ing. We feel that in many cases the |
habit has been entirely broken up. One |
boy went to the country and told the |
instructor that while away he had not |
'cussed' once. A real interest in ath- |
letics will do much to stop cigarette !
smoking, for the boy who is a cigar
cite fiend is never a winner in ath- |
letics. When the boy sees the truth |
of this the cigarette is doomed
(To be Continued)