The San Francisco call., 1910-12-04
OUTDOOR GAMES
TOBE ENCOURAGED
Fairgrounds and instruction of
Children Subjects for
Discussion

The question of Fairgrounds for the
children of this state and the neces-
sity not only for their establishment.
but also of teaching the children how
to play games in which all can take
an interest will be the principal sub
jects of discussion In the three day
conference to be held at the st, Francis
hotel December Is, 16 and II. The
subject has been occupying the minds
of the most progressive people in this
and other countries, and civic COM
missions have been appointed in many
of the larger cities for the purpose
of establishing Fairgrounds with the
necessary supervision, instruction and
equipment.
This movement. which began Ave
years ago. has spread all over the
country so that not only the larger
cities, but also many of the rural dis
tricts have properly organized play
centers and these are kept in touch
with the other by the literature the
national association sends out every
year comprehensive papers touching
on every phase of the work. At the
first of the annual conference in this
city the general activity of the organ
liza tion will be read and applied to the
progress of the work throughout Cali
fornia. The state branch was organ
ized locally a year ago. DR.. Luther
Gulick of the national playground
board bringing the society into being
at meeting of the state teachers
association in Oakland, largely through
the untiring efforts of Miss Bessie
Stoddard of Los Angeles.
CHILDREN TAUGHT GAMES
As result. not only have many
4rs1,6 4
out the state, but an endeavor has also
been made to provide capable and in
telligent instructors, interested in out
OF door sports to teach the children
new games and how to play them so
as to get the most enjoyment from
their leisure hours.
How they have succeeded in this
idea and what their future plans are
to be will be discussed at the coming
conference after visit by the dele
gates TO all of the Fairgrounds of this
city and of Oakland. Mrs. Lowell
White. vice president of the Play
ground Association of America and a.
member of the San Francisco commits
sion. will open the meeting Other
speakers of the first night will be Mrs.
Willoughby Rodman of Los Angeles
and DR.. philip King Brown. Children
of the Glenn Taylor private school
of Los Angeles will dance series OF
folk dances under the leadership OF
Miss Irene Elizabeth Phillips.
A luncheon under the auspices or
the Associated Charities will be held
at the St Francis during the confer
! euca. when THE Gifl and the Play
ground" will be discussed by Miss
! Beatrice Mccall, probation officer in
/ Alameda of the. juvenile court. Other
/ speakers on the same topic will be
i Ethel Moore. Mrs. Willoughby Rod
man and J. c. Astredo. Many of those
most interested in urging on the work
incline to the opinion that the juvenile
court can eventually be done away
with If the children have proper places
to play. away from the dust and danger
of the street, with games that hold
! their interest and will help to work
off their surplus animal energy.
WILL. TAKE Boys FROM STREET
The gang of small boys, now the
despair of most neighborhoods they
propose to turn into an organized base
! hall team. with energy devoted to vim
ming games or accepting defeat. Base
! ball basket ball, tennis and other
games, suitable to the strength of the
different children, they hope to in
! stall so that their mental moral and
physical welfare will be insured. To
accomplish this. they propose to secure
| competent instructors. trained ath-
letes or university graduates, with a
/ knowledge of the art. These men and
| women are to teach them not only
new games, but are to coach them
so that they can compete with foreign
! teams or their own, in friendly rivalry,
/ and viii also teach them ia spirit of
| responsibility toward their own par
ticuIar playground.
All of these matters the state board
will work out on scientific lines. Its
board of directors include representa-
] tives of all of the. large cities of the
state and it so far has aimed at co.
/ operating with the schools of the vari-
1 Gus counties in the management and
/ care Of Fairgrounds. Their present
efforts tend toward having Fairgrounds
purchased for every school in the
! state, and in Los Angeles alone their
endeavors have been crowned with
success by the building of Is parks of
/ the kind for the use of the children.
STATE COMMISSION NEEDED
Eventually the association hopes to
petition the legislators for the ap-
! pointment of a state playground COM
missioner. whose duties will be to
assist in establishing Fairgrounds
4 throughout the state and helping in
untangling the many knotty problems
which are bound to arise A mutual
! exchange of ideas on the subject will
be given at the annual conference this
month. Among those who will speak
during the three days session are.
DIR. r. G. Boone. lecturer on education
at the state university; Gilbert N