Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-13
AT BANQUET BOARD
Playground Advocates Discuss
Variety of Topics.
IN THE Y. M. C. A. BUILDING
Mr.. Mcfarland Presides and Wei
comes the Guests.
DIR. K0BER AND OTHERS SPEAK
Relation of Exercise to Health Con-
acknowledgement Association
of America interested.
r.. KoBER AND OTHERS SPEAK

sidered-Playground Association
Of America interested.
Gathered around the banquet board at the
| Y. NJ. C. A. building on G street last even
| ing were many of the country's leaders in
| the public playground movement. The din
| ner was given by the public playground
committee of this city to the national play
| ground council and the visiting delegates to
| the convention. which has formed itself into
| the Playground Association of America.
| The Importance of play in relation to citi-
| zenship and to health was considered by
/ speakers and description of the South
| parks system in Chicago and of a model
| playground system for Washington were
| the closing features of the evening.
| Commissioner Henry B. F. mcfarland
| presided. The speakers were Dr. Luther
| Gulick, president of the American Physical
| Educational Society and the president of
| the new playground association: DR.. George
| M. Kober, president of the Society of Amer
| lean Medical Colleges; Miss Sadie American,
| secretary of the national council of Jewish
women; Dr. Henry S. Curtis, supervisor of
| Washington Fairgrounds. and Miss Mary f.
Mcdowell, head worker of the University
| Settlement of Chicago.
| the elaborate dinner. Commissioner Macfar-
| land said:
1.-The capital is honored In being the birth
| place of this association. 1t is appropriate
not only because of the national character
OF its organization and purpose but because
one of Its chief aims will be to help us of
| the national capital to make our outdoors
| education what 1t ought to be. All intelli-
| gent Americans take pride in their national
| capital; they want to see 1t made beautiful
and complete In every way. Much has been
done for its physical side. and much more is
| being done. Much. too has been done by
| united effort to improve the national capital
| on the spiritual side. Progress has not
halted here. Yet much remains to be done.
We welcome all intelligent and sympathetic
! Efforts to help forward the building of the
| capitals moral character. more precious and
| important than anything that can be done
in steel and marble.
The children for whose regeneration by
recreation We are planning will be the har-
! vest of citizenship which will make the flu
| ture after We are gone. Their cultivation Is
largely in our hands. Therefore we are
making the future. with all the response
| biiity of opportunity which that implies"
Play and Citizenship.
THE Relation of Play to Citizenship" was
| the subject for the address by Dr. Gulck
| In the first place he considered the three
| primary exercises, running. throwing and
| striking. Out Of these three things are built
! the great bulk of the athletic sports of to-
| day Base ball. foot ball. hockey, cricket,
| etc. are all muscular combinations of
| these three Instincts.
| In order to show the relation of play to
! citizenship he first went back to the
| primal stage of man. Then man had to
| protect himself from the animals. And 1t
| was soon learned that the best runners.
| the men who could throw the straightest
| and the men who could strike hardest were
| the leaders Of the race. The men who
| could not do those things well were eiimi-
| mated. deVpIODp6 at Ell 81 r.
| tivtty among those people. And this is
| seen in the races directly descendant from
those primal races. In the Germans, for
| example These child traditions are kept
| alive in those countries, therefore.
just as the athletics developed good clti-
zens In the old ages, 80 also now the quail
! ties developed by play and by games are
| help to citizenship. The subordinatlon of
| self to the team, the team work or coop
Grafton, the feeling OF responsibility and
the other qualities developed In the teams
| If this is so, he asked, why not devote some
| space to give the children games
DR.. Kober's Address.
| DIR. Kober considered outdoor play from
physiological standpoint. Exercise helps
| various parts and functions of the body.
| I'm order to appreciate the relations of out
! door play and health he said lit will be
well to recall briefly the physiological eff
| fects of exercise upon the human organism.
4 y,
| leads to increased development, while in
| activity causes wasting fatty degenera-
ton of the muscles. One of the Immediate
| effects of exercise Is an increased number
| of resprations since owing to increased
| oxidation q larger amount of air is re-
| quired. This means better oxygenation of
| the blood, steady improvement in the
| breathing power, increased lung capacity
| and copious ventilation of the air cells. A
| second effect Of exercise is upon the circu-
| latory apparatus, as shown by increased
| force action
| which is met by a more perfect dilatation
| of the blood vessels in consequence of
| which the blood passes not only more freely
| through the lungs, but all other tissues,
| and because of this more active metabol
| ism the nutrition of the cell elements of the
| nerves and muscular fibers also improve.
| all of which. unless carried to excess, can
| not fail to promote more healthy and
vigorous constitution and increased power
| of resistance to disease.
AS a result of the accelerated hearts ac-
blood and in its efforf to dlssipate the sur
plus amin animal he. heat we note as , third effect
| especially of the skim and consequent puri-
| fication of the blood
Exercise also exerts decided influence
| on the appetite. In order to compensate for
| the increased consumption Of carbon and
| water there is a desire for fatty food and
liquids; the digestive functions are also
stimulated, but exercise Immediately before
| or after meals retards digestion. because
the muscles calling the blood from the
stomach will prevent the proper formation
| of the gastric juice.
Employment Of Muscles
'It is not matter of Indifference as to
how we employ our muscles; the exercise of
| only certain groups does not produce har-
| monious symmetrical development of the
| body and may even lead to deformity. vio-
lent exertion involves decided strain upon
| the heart. lungs and nervous system. There
| is particular danger to the heart. as shown
| by cardiac pain and palpitation.
| Regular and rational exercise is of prime
| Importance to health, and the question
| arises, How shall this be accomplished?
| The dependence Of health and morals on
| rational exercise has long since been recog-
| nized. The necessity OF recreation Is per-
| haps nowhere more apparent than among
| our oYn people We live under a high-pres-
| sure system. The very excellence of our
progress and its accelerated speed have