The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-24
MRS. RUSSELL SAGE'S
 RACE TRACK PLAYGROUND

for the Sag Harbor school, the Pierson school, an elementary and high school combined. Heretofore the pupils of this school have had no adequate field for their sports, and the new park will an swer all their needs in this direction Mrs. Sage also has provided for necessary caretalSers. The cost of the field and the improvements will be close to s2OOoo.
 Mrs. Sage's gift of a playground to a small community is directly in line with the Playground associations national campaign to induce smaller towns and cities to secure ground for playgrounds before increased population uses up the desirable sites, and at the same time causes realty values to jump. Many of the largest cities have found that they have waited too long, and in some cases they have been called upon to pay $1,OOo, GOO for few city lots which the health of the community required for breathing place.
 If New York had waited until today to buy Central park, 1t would have been compelled to pay s25O, 100000 for the ground alone, to say nothing of the buildings which would have been erected on it. And, moreover, 1t would be impossible, even with a huge expenditure, to take any tract covered with buildings and dup- licate on it the natural beauties of mead ow and woodland. Moreover, the Play ground association is so convinced that playgrounds should be provided in the country that it has called a conference of country superintendents of the United States in connection with its play con- gress, in New York, September to F, to discuss the country playground and athletic field as a means of keeping coun- try boys happy on farms, and so of breaking up the serious migration to the great cities President Roosevelt, who is honorary president of the association, assu has some such idea in mind, for he has appointed a commission to investigate country conditions, with the idea of max ing farm life pleasanter. Prof. L. H. Bailey, one of this commission, will take part in the Playground associations con- ference.
 Mrs Sage's gift of a playground is also in line with a recent tendency on the part of philanthropists to donate playgrounds to their cities. MT. Grant Schley of Far Hills, N. J.. has provided a similar ath- letic ground near his home. Mir Nathan D. Bill, one of the vice presidents of the congress, recently gave to the city of Springfield, Mass, a tract of six and one : quarter acres for a playground and ath- letic field, and offered to duplicate any amount the city would appropriate for its equipment.
 The city gave $5000 and MT. Bill made it a S1O,0O0 fund. In Chicago. the Mccormick family recently gave a playground valued at $5O00, to be used by the children of the Mccormick school for all time. A num- Der of manufacturing plants also have seen the value of playgrounds and athletic fields, and it is getting to be regular thing for these concerns to set aside land and equip it for the use of their work men and their families. It has been found that employees do better work when they have a chance to exercise in the open air. and that the innocent amuse- ments of the playground and athletic field are among the surest competitors of the saloon and intemperance. Once a work ingman has been seized with an ambition to excel in some sport. he will train for this sport, and one of the elements Of training, of course, is the avoidance Of excessive stimulants.