New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-09-11
or LnfereSf ~
| ~ TO 6Oomer1.
SHORTER SCHOOL HOURS
Or. Hutchinson Tells Playground
Congress They Are Too Long.

A lsrse audience attended the Second Playground
Congress a the auditorium OF the American Mu-
peum OF Natural History. last night
On the platform were Dr.. Luther H Guiick phys
les. director IN New York schools president Of
RE Playground Association of America; !. Hanp-
Gen Rorb. secretary Of the American Museum OF
Natural History. and DR.. Woods Hutchinson After
ar. Rsbb had spoken few words Of welcome
Acting Mayor MCGOWAN brought the regrets Of
Mayor Mcclellan who is out Of town Mr.. Nc
s<Sovan said, in part:
we have here ladies and gentlemen. a great i'm
psrisI city. and here you viii find the most COS
uopolitan city in the world We have here 5o0,-
300 persons Of Italian birth descent. we have
ee eco Irish and of Irish descent: we hspe 10000
Germans and OF German descent, and there are
-5o oae Hebrews. We have here. think. the hard
est city 10 kepe clean and the finest police force
md the finest Fire Department IN the world"
Or. Hutchinson, speaking Can the Child
Survive Civilization said, among other things:
Half century ago our social and industrial
res rizaiion was so loose that there plenty Of
room soF the child grow UP in the gaps and in
terspaces- Now il IS so compact that he scarcely
has breathing room. and play room. Fifty
years ago re grew up In an atmosphere Of trades
snd craftsmanship New all this is closed TO him
We have not improved matters much by su5sti-
tuttng the school for the yard, the field and the
shop. Since he no longer has any safe place 70
play shut him UP in the schooirooEn all day
Rong
The change has come SO gradually that are
hardly conscious Of # Better playground with
put a schooihouse than a sch0olhouse without a
playground Cut down the school hours ene-hslf
and double the playground hours and you will
have done more for the physical mental and moral
health OF Young America than by any other pos
sible step"
SOUTHERN FAIRGROUNDS.
The Fairgrounds Association Of America expects
10 make special effort extend its activities TO
khe South next year. Fairgrounds still few
below Mason and Dixons Line and there are local
conditions sUcn as the climate and the presence
% tie two races. which make the problem some
what different from that Of the North. 1t is pro-
posed that the swimming pool should be con-
fpicuous feature Of the Southern playground. and
the games viii be modified suit the longer and
hotter
The subject was raised at q meeting Of the
council yesterday in the Museum Of Natural His
tory, and did not altogether meet the approval
81 enc Of the SoUtherners in the audienee-Wsl-
ler Page editor OF Worlds Work
Don't approach the South II Il were q
aprobler1' he urged. we have been inyestlgat-
ed and have been a problem for forty years. and
We are getting little weary Of IL. As individuals
you viii be welcomed in the cities Of the South,
bur resolutions have long been unpopular IN that
part Of the country"
The secretary of the association. Dr.. Henry g
Curtis who had proposed the Southern campaign
protested that they had no intention Of making
problem" OF the South. but must take the local
conditions into consideration II planning Southern
Fairgrounds.
Aside from the Southern campaign, il is proposed
that the work OF the coming year should be rather
Intensive than extensive fostering what has been
begun rather than beginning anything new