Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-02-24

posite result has followed. Swinging
to the opposite extreme. modern civila-
cation has produced, In the cities es-
pecially, conditions In which q large
| number Of children have practically no
| work to do. They are. In many cases,
allowed to DRIFT and thru contact with
vice and crime and thru the formation
i Of habits Of Incidence they become
useless and sometimes dangerous
members OF the social body.
To remedy these evils or defects,
playground associations have beer
| formed. Dr. Henry 6. Curtis of the
National Fairgrounds Association re-
| Gently delivered an address, In Kansas
City and among other things he said:
| When the Fairgrounds were first
started the general thought in the
minds of the people was that the pur-
pose OF the playground was to keep
the children of the streets. Today we
have come to see that the playground
| has specific training to give, which
is no less definite, and perhaps no less
| important, than the training of schools.
| One of the ideals of training is phys1-
cal strength. If you would have a
child grow up healthy and vigorous
| you must keep him in the open air
much Of the time. We have learned
/ that there is no specific for tubercu-
! losis, that the only cure is the open air
life. The playground was one Of the
most effective means in the preven-
ton of disease.
The child today gets practically AL
Of his physical strength from his play.
Fifty years ago we were getting strong
from the work We did but today the
work of the city boy has disappeared.
i The city chuld must get both his
physical and his vital strength by
playing.
Children form most of their habits
In play. The child who forms the habit
of cheating in games forms the habit
for good and all. The playground di-
rector is the umpire of the games and
insists on honesty every time. and his
example is more largely copied that
the exa mple Of any other person in the
community.
Most of the friendships Of children
ing a girl can have for society is play
in childhood. II is certainly true that
friendship is essential to play and Is
always the product of the better type
OF play If a playground does not make
the children better friends, you can
set it down as a failure.
Joseph Lee has said tina. "a boy
without playground is father to the
man without job" by which he
means. I suppose. that if child loafs
thru his childhood he goes on loafing
In his adult life by the mere force OF
habit. A child at ealthy. clean play is
not loafing, and it is when he is not
playing that he learns the baser things.
The ideal playground for the city
He will be directed and encouraged In
his play and he will also be directed
and encouraged n some useful work
in which he may see the growth and
development of plant and animal life.
Most all boys have high ideals. They
want to grow into strong, useful man
hood But they do not know that these
ends can only be reached by successive
steps They do not understand that
character is the ultimate end and aim
of life and that beautiful character.
like beautiful building, only comes
as the result of following plans and
designs. If a building is to be sub-s
/ stantial every brick or stone or piece
| of material that goes into 1t must be
sound and good. II the character Of
! the man or the women is to be like
wise substantial. each day in the life
OF the individual must be made OF
sound material. This can only be done
by Intelligent supervision and direction
nit TOO much of either-for there
must be no mollycoddlng and sup
preston of individuality and initiative.
but enough to prevent the weeds of
vice from choking and making fruit
| less the germs Of divinity in the ru-
man soul.
| The boy needs just what plant life
! needs-a healthful environment and
| intelligent cultivation. He needs ,ehse
things unit, he becomes a creator and
not crearuer of environment. The
| important consideration In this con-
nection Is the attitude OF mind Of
the child. When work becomes drudg-
cry 1t degrades: when play deeener-
taos into a mere effort TO win 1t IL
more likely to be harmful than helpful.
When in each case the real purpose
the development Of characters kept
dominant. then, and only then. will We
make the most Of our boys and girls.
Both work and play may be made in
strumentalities for bringing out and
making dominant the good in children
indeed, they are the only instrument
tAlities thru which this may be done
and they should be made 20 serve this
purpose.
|