The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-07-08

young blood is heated to 2 pitch that makes naughtiness almost justifiable. No wonder juvenile crime increases more than 60 per cent from July to Sep tembee.
 Yet 1t has only been within the last eight or ten years that we have awak- ened to the need, nay, the urgent neces- sity, of providing children in our cltles and large towns with a place to play.
 To Miss Mary E. Very, school first vacation school of which there is any record. This was supported ID part by the Woman's Education As sociation. baths began to be known, the former as far back as 1S49, but ne~one seem ed to think of public playground.
 At first the idea did not spread very rapidly, but about 1898. almost simul- laneously. as 1t were. summer play grounds sprang up all over the United States. Canada and England: .h.
 To Mrs, Eumph-y Ward, py ne school at the Passmore Edwards Set clement in London. There she nhs both recreation school. which gathers the children after scnooi amused till o'clock each, evening" and the vacation school, which pro vides recreation during the August re- cess.
 Why these pldySIounuS anu --.., ,, schools were not thought of sooner IS a mystery. Jack the dunard Irotn overwork has been so much to the fore that he has quite overshadoWS.e1T S.sT the Jack of vacation time. wno, ai Le. the novelty of absolute idleness mas s worn off, finds constant playtime not all it is cracked up. What motheE has not been distracted on not summer morning by her chiias aTetI full wall; Say, mamma, what shall do next? I want to be amused
 We'll, tn. is all over. or practically so Today all over the land IS pro vided that judicious admixISreh eh or ,Inst ptsy and improving occupation Whlch almost every child cTaves. ,..
 The work has unconsciously drift ed into two distinct phases; the va cation school for the older children, where systematic instruction (though not from text books) Is given, and the primary playground, where the tiny tots may romp happily for hours each day under the supervision of trained kindergartner.
 It is with these latter that we are at present concerned
 Have you ever visited one of these playgrounds on a broiling morning when one could barely exist on the streets, and watched hundreds of merry children, from babies in coaches up to F years old, absolutely obl&ious of the weather in the joys of playE 1T you have not, then make 1t a point to do so at once and you will im- mediately be inspired with the wisdom as we'll as beauty of this philanthropy.
 Indeed, 1t is a question If such a work can longer be considered a phil lanthropy. So vital is it now consid- cred that it has been adopted by many boards of education as q part, ana very important part, Of thelr regular work.
 But" asks the man or woman who knows little of this movement, "do the children appreciate such playgroundsE Are they not very costlyf Can order be maintained? What is the real ad. vantage of them? How are they run
 It is always an advantage to make a child happy, no matter at what cost but, in point of fact, most play grounds are run at a minimum Of ex- pense. varying from less than cent a day per capita to I5 or 20 cents where elaborate gymnasium parapher- nalia is maintained. In addition, think what 1t means alone to hard-WoFking mothers to have their little ones out of the way and out of mischief at the