The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-04-12
4 DRUMMER WITH
 NOTHING ID SELL AdvertiseS Benefit of Play to
 Children NEW YORK ORGANIZATION Sends Out Man To interest Munich palitles In Public Fairgrounds and open-Air Gymnasiums.
 To Visit 62 Cities.

New York. April 12.-Sending man out on the road to make children happy and to advertise the educational and physical benefits of outdoor play for little children Is one of the latest and most novel activities to be undertaken by a New York organization Thi; man might be called play drummer" or a commercial traveller with a com rlete line of play of all kinds" were it not for the fact that he has abso- lutely nothing to sell. although he is ready to provide extensive samples of his wares.
 He has no wish to make his expenses or salary, and all that his firm" de- mands Is that at the end of the trip the salesman" shall report that SD
 many thousands of children in the cities he has visited have been given a place where they can play ball or dig ia the sand without fear of being chased by a policeman, or being killed by an automobile This play promoter, or advance agent for the children, Is
 shortly to start on his spring trip, which will last until July, and which will take him to at least 62 cities, including New Orleans, San Francisco Omaha Duluth and many other places. The people or municipal officers in each of these cities have asked him to visit them In each place, he will aid clubs and committees to organize play ground movements which will arouse a demand for municipal playgrounds or will advise as to the laying out of q play system, organize playgrounds and show just how they can be man. aged most economically and win greatest results to the children.
 This "play agent Is Lee Hammer, field secretary of the Playground Asso- citation of America which will defray all expenses of his trip in order that every city interested may have the benefit of his experience in organiz- ing and conducting playgrounds and athletics for children. Before he took up this field work, MT. Hammer was director of athletics for the New York toard of education and had been or ganizer of games for the Public School Athletic league, which in two years succeeded in getting 100000 boys and a large number of girls interested in healthy sports in spite of New Yorks ilck of adequate playing places. Tn addition, MT. Hammer has inspected the playgrounds of many cities and has col lected complete data as to tn Q methods ct operating these play places so as to give the greatest benefit to the larg- est number.
 The Playground Association of Amer lea, which now has members and of- :icers in practically every city in the United States, was started barely one ycar ago. Its president is pr. Luther Halsey Gulick, director of physical training in New York Among it's of- hcers and supporters are such men and women as Jacob His, Jane Addams, Mrs. Humphry Word Richard Watson Glider, Kate Douglas Wiggin ard scores of sociologists, educators ard settlement workers, the mayors and al- dermen of many cities and many or- sanizations working for civic better ment.
 The objects of the association are to arouse interest in municipal and state legislation for adequate playgrounds, to collect data and disseminate information about playing places, to devise model apparatus. to supply model courses of study for playgrounds and for play ground workers and to establish a cen tral library and museum of play. Last summer in Chicago the association held q great play convention which was attended by thousands of delegates from all parts of the country. It is interesting to note that partly as a result of the interest aroused in the question by this association 100 cities last year for the first time took steps to provide adequate piaygrounds.
 The movement in New York city where the association has it's headquarters at 624 Madison avenue, has been greatly stimulated locally by Ne fact that the 400 are becoming interested in the prop osition. The Duchess of Marlborough, who was Consuelo Vanderbilt at the re- cent dinner given by the association to Mrs. Humphry Ward, at the Waldorf-As- toria, heartily indorsed the movement, as did also number of society leaders who were among the guests. The as- sociation, moreover, has the approval of the Russell Sage Foundation, the trustees of which donated the cost of the play exhibit at the Jamestown exposition. and more recently, have granted additional funds to the association to carry on its work of extension In New York it is expected that the newly awakened interest in the movement among the wealthy people will probably lead to campaigns which will in time give the metropolis the most beautifully equipped and best managed playgrounds in the United States.
 The work of the association however, is national in scope and it Is ready to aid playground movements in every city. Its object is to have every city in the United States provide adequate playgr ounds for it's population. It will also urge play ground legislation on states, and one of it's officers has in mind plan of greg summer camps for children to which Sne little folks can be sent from the hot crowded city streets in summer. The campaign Is not to be confined to cities already congested. Especial attention is to be paid also to places which are not yet crowded in the hope that these places