The San Francisco call., 1910-03-12
A SPECIAL DAY FOR KITES
San Francisco School Children.
to Make and Fly Their
Own Kites

are going to have kite day. What
for? To fly kites, of course But be-
fore the one day of flying. them there
will be many day. of making them,
and that's almost the greater fun.
AT present Los Angeles is the only
city in California that makes any at
tempt to set aside a special day for
flying kites. Often it is quite failure
on account OF the lack of wind. But
San Francisco will have no such trou-
BILE. In other cities of the United
States the instruction, as well as the
recreation, to be got out of kites has
been understood for a long time. In
some nations it is not considered a
childs amusement at all. AS every one
knows the Chinese for centuries have
flown kites; grown men, even very old
men, taking as much pleasure in it as
the youngest. Sometimes the picture
of a dignifed Chinese official. with
queue and horned spectacles, gravely
running, a kite streaming out behind
him finds it's way into a magazine, and
at first it seems just a bit ridiculous.
But it is never safe to laugh at any
thing old-neither people nor customs
nor nations. They are generally right
in the end. Our own kite day proves
this particular point.
Tie idea of setting aside a special
day for contests among the school
children originated with Mr. Barthell,
head of manual training in the public
schools.
I'm the first place." explains Mr..
Barthell, 1T is fine exercise mainly be-
cause it is out of doors. In the second
place it is born in a boy to like to fly
a kite, and there is nowhere he can
do it in the city unless he finds a
vacant lot, as there is a city ordinance
against flying it in the street Finally,
the making of, good kite is a scien-
tific piece of work, while the invention
of a new form is a real invention
The thing can't be done in day. 1t
uses up many leisure hours that would
otherwise be spent unproftably. When
a boy or girl--because there is no rea-
son why girls shouldn't make kites too,
no particular physical strength is
needed--has finished making a kite he
has learned it in the best way, by per-
SOHdl experiments ana failures.
So much for the reason for having a
kite day at all When is it to be and
where? Probably the first Saturday in
May; but neither time nor place has
been finally settled as yet. Mr. Barth-
ell is working out his plans and expects
to have them fixed up very soon.
Whenever and wherever it is the fol-
lowing will be about the program:
ENTRIES
Bird kites, Insect Animal Man, Star,
Keel, Bow, Box, Dragon, Tandem, Ar
tistic.
Strong puller (for kites over feet
and for those under 8 feet); yacht
race. for yacht kites; highest flyer;
quarter mile dash. In this the kite
will be let out for a quarter of mile,
the winner being the one who gets his
kite in within the shortest time. Be-
sides making the kite itself, this gives
the contestant a chance to invent a
reel for winding in his string.
The seventh and eighth grades will
compete by themselves, and the grades
under the seventh by themselves. The
girls also will have their contests sep
arately, as it would hardly be fair
to pit a girl against a boy.
Kite day will have nothing to do
with the schools, outside of the fact
that only those taking manual train
ing are eligible for the entries. The
board of education has not set aside
any money for prizes, but the winners
will be rewarded in some way Mr..
Barthell will meet these expenses HIM
self and at present is inclined to think
the prizes will take the form OF small
diplomas. There will be several of
these for different kinds, as:
Smallest plain kite; smallest box
kite; kite with moving parts kites
invented by the children themselves.
Kite day is going to be a great day.
Of Of ha
schools are working out their ideas.
Only one thing binds them The kite
may be of any size. shape, a construc-
tion never before seen on land or sea;
but, to quote Mr. Marthell again
1T must be kite. That Is, it must
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