Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-12
PLEAD FOR PLAY DAYS
Necessity for City Grounds
Urged by Speakers.
BENEFITS TO CHILD LIFE
Recreations That Make Better the
Boys and Girls.
OLD OPPORTUNITIES NO MORE
Reasons Why Municipalities Should
Provide Means to Replace Those
They Have Taken Away.
LID OPPORTUNITIES NO MORE

ninSs. development and scope of the play
ground movement in the United States in
general and in Washington in particular
were delivered last night in the Sunday
school room of the Church of the Cove
nant. 18th and y streets. before a large
audience. The speakers were Dr. Luther
Halsey Gulick, president of the Play
grounds Association OF America, and Dr.
William l.. Curtis, secretary of the local
association.
DR.. Gulick made a strong plea for more
interest in the movement for the develop
ment of the old-fashioned Evolutionary
play element in the makeup Of the child
life, declaring that wholesome play does
| Infinitely more for the chld's development
than anything it gets in the schoolroom
allowing. of course, that the school has its
proper place. He said i'm part:
Prior to 1905 there were ninety cities in
the United States that had Fairgrounds
of any sort for the children. In the past
year that number increased to III. Pre-
viously nearly all of the work was sup
ported by private philanthropy started
by womens clubs throughout the cOun-
try. but now in 146 cities the grounds are
supported by the municipality
| This is only right and proper, for the
advancement of the municipality has TAX
| en- away the places where the children
formerly played. Hence they should pro-
vide some place in exchange.
Changes in Child Life.
Times are different now from the gen
erations past. Everything that formerly
took place in the home has now gone be
You'd its borders and influence There is
no longer opportunity for the child to
work in the home, as did the child of
years ago. who did the chores about the
house and farm.
The social life of the child has now
left the stage of the past when the parties
were always held in the home circle. Now
they find their playmates all in the streets
observances have also left the home. Ed
ucation has been taken away from the
fireside and set in special buildings.
I'm other words the community has
become responsible for the work the
social life. the religious life and the
education of the child. Therefore now,
agreeing that play is absolutely essen
tial for the child. the community must
become responsible for the play of it's
future generations.
streets, houses closely built in rows.
parks and the like have taken away the
places where the boys played tag and
ball and the other healthy games. The
| time of the child is filled to overlooking
with school and school duties. Now we
| must provide for his play. Every child
| needs four or five hours Of wholesome
play every day. That is better for his
development than anything he gets in
the SchOolroOm.
They need to be taught over again
| the old Evolutionary games and plays of
| the old days. They need 1t that they
| may stand well. hold themselves erect,
breath correctly and develop thus a
healthy mind and body.
Perhaps the greatest element of all
| is the effect in after life which play or
average man reaching middle life. hav-
ing lost the play capacity, having left
his leisure time unprovided for, has lost
all appreciation of the beauty Of living.
economic efforts he has lost the best
part of life. We must teach the child
to play, and thus build in him the
qualities for the man."
Conditions in Washington.
DR. Curtis illustrated his address with
stereopticon pictures taken in and about
the Fairgrounds of Washington, of which
he sa id there are eighteen connected with
the schools and thirteen erected and sup
ported directly by the municipality. He
said:
AT the time Fairgrounds were started
in Washington we were told that Wash
ington had so many parks and open
spaces the children did not need play
grounds here, and that they would not
come il Fairgrounds were established but
the attendance has increased from 40 600
in 1865 to 421.OOO in 1908, an increase of
nearly 200 per cent in three years.
THE main difficulty in this whole stu
alton lies In the conception Of what one
means by playground. To many 1t
means simply place to play, or an open
space. The parks and circles OF Wash
ington do not even meet this need, be-
cause there are very few games that can
be played on them by the older children.
They can be used only for the most SIM
pie and unorganized activities. But the
playground movement in America today
stands primarily for organized play. 1t
means sufficient space of ground. equipped
with apparatus and in charge of compe-
tent directors, who organize physical
activities toward social ends.
Each OF the school Fairgrounds OF
Washington is in charge of a teacher
and a janitor. Each of the municipal
Fairgrounds is in charge Of a lady
teacher or kindergartener. who looks after
the girls and small children, and an
athletic director. who organizes the ac-
tivities of the boys.
The Fairgrounds for the colored chill
dren are entirely distinct from the play
grounds for the white children. There
are ten such Fairgrounds in the CITY,
IL
new games and being an older sister In
the play of the children, teaches them
during the hot hours of the day a con-
siderable amount of industrial work,
which consists of crocheting. weaving
and basketry.
Improvement in Athletics.
AT The time the Fairgrounds were
started in Washington the supervisor tried
the test of the Public School Athletic
League (Which requires that each boy UNI
der thirteen shall run the sixty yards in
| eight and three-ifths seconds, Jump five
feet nine inches standing and chin the
| bar four times) in all the Fairgrounds. He
did not find single boy who could pass
the three tests. At the end of the last
| summer there were $50 boys who passed
| the test and received the button. and
there were probably 1000 boys who had
passed one or two of the three tests. The
athletic records of each year are broken
by those of the following year. often by a
wide margin. which seems to show that
we are raising the standard OF physical
| efficiency of the children of the city.
| THE Fairgrounds of Washington are
subject to many criticisms because we
have never had half enough money to
maintain them properly. and more than
| hole of fi,o xxrIj lob che