The sun., 1908-05-10


will do the rest They believe that play
will loso its freedom II supervised. In
stead, 1t gains in richness. The discovery
that the children In the big cities did not
know how to play that their idea Of play
was dragging dead cat through the street
or somo equally ingenious form Of amuse-
ment was what first stirred educators %
this movement Races that immigrate
10 this country, Lithuanians Bohemians,
Scandlnavians and others. have at home
some Of the most beautiful and interesting
old plays-plays that have come down from
the childhood Of the race and are full Of
folklore interest. In American cities they
lose every one Of them. Dr. Luther Guliok,
president Of the Playground association,
10 an enthusiast on the subject Of these
folk plays,
'All city Fairgrounds should be under
the supervision Of the Board OF Education
said he, speaking at the association head
quarters the other day. They should
be pervaded by the educational idea There
should be no idea Of making the children
learn anything, The occupations per-
mitted in some city Fairgrounds, the kinder
gartens, manual work. basketry, cooking,
sewing and the like, should not be COM
pulsory or any part Of tho regular school
system, Children when left TO themselves
do not play active games all day. They like
these other things too, and when they ask
for them and want 10 do them. they should
have them But the object Of playground
supervision should be 10 teach play play
that is beautiful interesting. refined. The
games and plays that are taught arc not the
inventions Of grown up people. They we're
invented by children centuries ago. Chill
drens plays are among the oldest and
most enduring things in the history Of
the race, But the city children have lost
their heritage. because they don't know
such a simple, old fashioned game as drop
the handkerchief.
Instead Of the rather Objectionable public
dancing now found on the recreation piers
Of New York | would have folk dancing
introduced under q competent teacher, and
would have such dancing on the piers Of
New York made a part Of the course in
physical training OF the schools Of New
York, That doesn't mean that school
or school course would be established on
the recreation piers It means that the
dancing there would be put in charge Of
educators who understand the subject and
the object Of physical training. and that
the dancing would become permeated with
the educational spirit The intellect and the
higher taste would be appealed TO and all
toughness or possibility of toughness would
be eliminated.
Among the folk games with music and
dancing which Dr. GulicS likes are such
things as the Polish krakoyiak. the German
kIapp dance, the Lithuanian sandal polka,
the Swedish harvest game. the English
May game and Swaban hopping dance.
Cornish aud Swiss May dances, Russian
teapot game Danish ring dance. Russian
haymaking dance, Italian peasant dances
and the American Old Dan Tucker Prob
ably the most remarkable exhibition Of |
national dances ever seen in America was
the one at the play festival which closed
the annual meeting Of the Playground |
association last summer in Chicago. In |
that city we're found members Of almost |
every race in Europe who in the public |
watched by many thousands |
of spectators, performed their national |
dances with grace and beauty
The Bohemian beseda was performed |
by sixteen couples from club composed |
Of the richest Bohemans in Chicago. The !
Lithuanian peasant dances, on the other
hand, were given by peasants so recently
that they spoke not a word Of
English The most finished and remarka-
Die Of all the numbers was that by the
Swedish society Philochoros. members Of
which in costume gave all the Swedish
national dances.
Other features Of this carnival showed
low the Chicago children are taught to
lance in the Fairgrounds Eighty girls
lanced the highland reel TO tho music Of
he bagpipe played by a real Scotch piper
n kits. Girls from another park gave a
rue Dutch dance in wooden shoes to the
une Of THE Dutch Company with the
hunderous accompaniment Of all the
sooden shoes Gathering in unison Beau
iful Spanish dances, negro clog dancing.
ailor's hornpipe and scores Of others
wakened great enthusiasm.