The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-05-13

4 mOtnerS eSDe1aiiy 10 Drlng tnelf
small children and to visit with
| each other"
City people in general are begin
ming to believe this also, for the
playground has become so popular
that at the present time individuals
societies and communities are ex.
pending several million dollars an
nually for the creation of these re.
sorts. The records of the Play
ground Association of America show
that no less than 1856 American com
munities, ranging from New York
and Chitago to towns Of a few
thousand, have such places for old
and young in addition to the park
proper. Within one year the num-
ber of towns and cities reporting
new Fairgrounds hes increased by as
many as 119, for two years ago they
numbered but sixty-six.
You can find instances of what the
public playground has done and
what jt means to the masses all
the way from New England to Los
Angeles, in California.
When the boy of the street first en-
tered the Fairgrounds OF Chicago's
South Parks, no wonder he opened
| his mouth as we'll as his eyes. The
three-fourths of a million people who
live in the section of Chicago where
these parks are laid out look around
the horizon and see the black smoke
pouring out OF the hundreds of thim-
neys. At night the flame shoots up
from the stacks of the steel and iron
| furnaces. There are days when the
sun cannot be seen, bcause of the
smoky haze. Grimy tenements with
little dirty windows nave housed
most Of these people. Their homes
fronted on narrow streets coated with
einders and dust. Mingled with the
rumble of freight cars in the rail-
road yards are The hum ana clatter
OF the machinery in the mill and
| factory where the fathers and big
brothers earn most of the money
that the families exist upon.
Then came the playground plan
ners. ard the boys and girls Thought
paradise had indeed opened its
gates to them. The changes which
have taken place in the spirit of play
ior all seem impossible; but seeing
is believing, and they are there, as
Jimmy and Johnny and Sadie of the
| II, hata 1.
coined to this outdoor treat furnished
by the city, without their paying q
cent for IT, The walks and drives
and flower beds and fountains were
all there-but what "caught' them
was the gymnasium in the open with
its bars. rings, trapeZes and Other
muscle-stretchers A fellow could
play ball as much as he liked, anc
for those who knew the games
there were tennis courts and-thirl
OF it!--solf courses! Swimming
pools with hot and cold. water on
showers were at hand, and you coulC
have a whole towel after a dip OF
swim for nothing, and not have tC
] divide up with some one else. Ne
need to go home hungry. Sand
wiches, pies, fruit and other things
| heaped up on the lunch tables, SOLD
for Just what they cost the city. ant
there was milk or hot coffee to 80
with them.
Such was the vision that met the
gaze OF the children on the OPENING
day in the most extensive and best
equipped play-plaees to be found II
an American city. 1t Is worth whil'
TO tell little more about them, ant
why they drew many thousands from
the streets and alleys that had beeI
backgrounds" in the past.
Scattered here and there are wha
Chicago call play-parks, seventeen II
number, each covering from ten Il
thirty acres with its field recreation
house, outdoor and indoor gymnasi
ums for both girls and boys, grounds
reserved for small children, also ten
mis- courts, baseball diamonds, skat
ing ponds and toboggan slides. TIT
4 swiming-and-plrn baths include
ten that are ea,h from so TO $50 fee
In length and OF proportionate width
besides the waters of Lake Michigan
At these places are 10000 bathin;
suits, free to all who come: ant
countless dressing rooms and lockers
How have the people appreciates
It? Let the figures OF attendance tel
the story: In one year $4,000 visit
were made to the indoor gymnasi
ums, there were 2,279,0OO recorde'
visitors TO outdoor recreations-n'
less than 1900 in u single month
while there were 100000 admission
TO the swimming and shower-baths.
The motto of the play-park promot
ers is "all or none. If you ar
going to provide such center hav
II big enough so that all can anus
themselves at something-even tn
toddlers who win kick around al
day in the sand pile and neve
whimper. OF course, mother an
grandmother are not going to pla
basket ball or any such strenuou
=, games but thew can EDlay'' In talk