The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-02-24
PLAY SPOTS FOR THE
PEOPLE ARE FAVORED
Continued From Page One.

6Ol eE GuIG bFbbOuES
Continued From Page One
25,022. cost of per person for "A
good time of little over 13 cents
each. For the second season the
equipping and maintaining two new
centers in connection with the first
cost $S,794.25, but the increased at
tendance made the per capita cost
about the same. The third year they
bought no new equipment, it cost
about 8 cents each.
The Rochester league has been
the means of establishing many pub
lie comfort stations and other mu-
ricipal Improvements. It's influence
tor good has been felt in every
phase of life. At one of their func-
tons the governor of the state was
casion to praise the league for its
good work. Among other things
the governor told the league that
it was laying the foundation for a
spirit of democracy
Growth of the Movement.
The growth of the movement, dur
ing six months, ending May, 1908,
$6,000000 was spent in this work
and in eleven years, $55,O0G.0O0. This
includes $15,000,0OO spent in Chi
cago. A like amount in New York
city, $750,000 in San Francisco.
should explain that while organized
play grounds are part of the So
cial center movement they are also
carried on independently. In 1905,
there were eighty-seven play grounds.
In 1907, the same cities had one
hundred and sixty-seven play grounds,
an increase Of "a per cent. In an
other group in 1905, there were sew;
enty-three play grounds. In 1907,
the number had been increased to
los, an increase of 4S per cent, in
two years. In 1905 there were 100
play grounds of all classes. This
had been increased in 1907 to 247,
an increase of "a per cent, in two
years. In over two hundred cities,
two-thirds of these are supported
from public funds; the number had
doubled in two years. A study Of the
movement shows cOnclusively that
the organization of the social cen
ter movement has taken firm hold
upon American life, and is rapidly
growing in cities.
The Center i'm Mankato.
What a social center would do to
help Mankato:
borhood life, by making people ac-
uuainted with each other. Since you
meet the people of your own neigh
bOrhOod at the social center IN the
case of parents having children in
the public schools. there would nat
urally grow up a bond of sympathy
You want to know the parent OF the
children who play with yours. who
sit beside them at school; and who
study the same lessons. Your chill
dren talk constantly of Willie, Jenny
and Mary. Who are they? You find
out at the social center. 1t is Il
sorrCwful fact that our community
is SO organized that we now have
no such meeting places except i'm
the most limited way. Your church
is not a community church. 1t gath
ers it's adherentS from the larger
community. This is true of all
churches. They gather their men,
bers from the. same territory. Each
church has it's own social and re-
ligiOus life. People next door may
90 to church a mile from you. This
is true of all other social and po-
litical organizations. Some churches
are so organized as to. extend this
division to the day schools, provid-
ing their own. SO children are born
aud educated and live their lives
n"%; door and have often no ac-
quaintances with them, and so no
sympathy for them: many times
speaking a different language from
our own. We have many things ii
common with them, and there are
times when we need to act together,
especially when they live next to W..
Such problems of home sanitation,
water supply; sometimes in sickness
and death, we. would be much bene-
fitted, ii we were not only neighbors
as regards the position OF our
houses. but on account of being
friends. The social center helps,
as in no other plan, to bring people
of such common interest together.
Would Sprout Culture.
Second. The social center affords
splendid opportunity for the out of
school people to gain further culture
by the means of lectures, literary
programs, debating societies, must
Gales, and evening schools, and do
much toward changing the sentiment
now so prevalent, that we finish
our education when we leave the
public schools. 1t has been further
possible to obtain eminent lectur-
ers at minimum charge per lecture
on account of the many social cen
ters in the same city being able to
use the same speaker on successive
evenings.
Third. The social center makes