The morning journal-courier., 1908-02-06
OLMSTEAD LECTURE Text of Interesting Address on Parks and Play
 grounds.
EXPLAINS THEIR FUNCTIONS
Relation of the System of Parks to the Modern and Up-to-Date
 City.

subject of Parks, Fairgrounds and Their Functions" follows: 1 wish to draw your attention this { evening to the variety and even in compatibility among the functions served by the public grounds to which the common name of parks applies, and to the need of distinguishing these functions as clearly as possible when | selecting park sites and when carrying on their development. l have found it impracticable to arrange the slides | which I shall show you later in any 1 order that would bring the subject be- fore you logically for the pictures often illustrate two widely different points. and l must ask you to bear with a rather long preliminary talk covering the ground in general way before coming to the more interesting picture. 4 What a row there would be if a city a were to select a dozen lots and erect K on them indiscriminately a dozen buildings not devised to meet any spe
 cial needs, but just public buildings" ' and after erection assign them to use, \ housing fire engines in some. police courts in others, the city council and " the contagious hospital in one, and mayors office and street cleaning sta bles in the next, And yet it is about X on this principle that park lands are often selected and laid out.
 M It is true that the several, functions s of parks cannot be so clearly defined q in advance as those of a citys public Fa buildings, and that, whether in park or in building. it is wise for the de- signer to make plan susceptible of 4 future alteration to meet changing re- lN quirements: but these considerations " do not excuse neglect in forecasting X the probable needs which any given park can best serve and then so se- Alecting the land for it and SO improv- ing it as to satisfy those needs as a4lNell as possible. Let us consider Abrieiy, then, the most important ends fNwhich are apt to be served by moneys ' Appropriated under the heading ia"Parks," the importance of those ends sand the means by which each can in I fAgeneral best be attained.
 l1h And first as to what they have in fINcommon. The meaning of the word q hf I1dI IA WILL llot llciP oif9 SaN''4F' h'' ''' sllNhis connection it has been expanded \ lfar beyond it's strict signification. EsPerhaps all that can be said to unite sIlthe various ends which have now gNrome to bear the park" label is that Ifhev have to do with recreation out -lIlof- doors, and that in most cases the lEfecreation is expected to come in part Ilat least from the enjoyment of beauty. y|IEN The kind of outdoor recreation ElFwhich seems to involve in the least JI|legree those baf1ling aesthetic eonsld- Mraticns. and of which the functions nd requirements are most readily set USorth. is active bodily exercise.
 If Provision for bodily exercise in the lgbnen air is a matter of vital import Vfnce. calling more and more loudly Ifbr systematic municipal action as clt- lths increase in size and density of ltgcpulation as more and more people l1some to be engaged in confining occu- Nations. and as quick and cheap trans EAortaticn constantly reduces the .EHnount of exercise which people are 1Fhmpelled to take as an incident to Eheir daily work.
 VIZ In a general way this is recognized, Especially as regards children, whose Ifhvelopment into healthy and useful Esembers of the community depends r E,ite as much upon physical as upon Mental exercise Exercise may be ob- Eined from either play or work, and iSSth are needed. In schools the care ,Flllv directed mental work is provided l*r bv the community, while for the Most part the mental play is wisely Ifft to take care of itself spontaneous WI In regard to active physical ex- lscise for the development of sound tbdies urban conditions are peculiarly Fad. for the work forced upon city IAildren is very rarely of sort which Evolves beneficial exercise out oi lsors. and the conditions for active EAvsical play are if anything worse IAan those for healthy mental play Nav they do get, and will. and 1t mus t9 largely on public lands. since pri lSte lands are so occupied as to eX
 hde them; but they get it in way: lftravagantly costly to the commun lf, mainly through using the streets
 is costly in part because the chil
 Hen interfere with the proper uses o e street. but mainly because they ge
 Either the quantity nor the qualtl
 physical and mental play whici lev need to build them into efficien
 ERmbers of the community. The neec
 providing mental training at tn
 lbense of the community has lony
 len recogized. because the efficienc, N the individual is so immediatel,
 Nd completely dependent upon it
 ,3ereas neglect of physical exercise
 Ia community where mental abilit.
 hbf prime importance. produces onl.
 lseneral and indeterninate lcwerini
 an individuals efficiency that doe
 bring home its lesson in a strikin
 Winner except in special cases
 hnot be doubted. however. that il
 II long run city-dwelling people pro
 Ned more and more completely wit
 Htiees for minimizing physical effor
 aAhe transaction of business fc .tlom work" means more and nor
 Nlerally. as the generations go h,
 M1tal and nervous work rather tia
 Escular work are bound to degener
 physically unless they take ade
 Ite means to build themselves III
 are beginning to reall5e tals an
 III gymnasium is beginning to find il
 into the school system. The be,
 f!ls1 of play. which develops body an
 sd and morals alike. can he proviG
 ifor the majority of city childre
 II bv means of public playgrodnds
 Ed discuss adequately the plal
 Blnd problem would require mol
 p than we have tn give to th
 He subject of mark functions
 ieraI and I shall not attempt an,
 sie of the kind. but want to 20 fs