The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-10-17
Public Fairgrounds
sistcnce Which Gave Grafton
Directed Play.

SAhS - AtoSNE AoA0S VIZ .
sistcnce Which Gave Grafton
Directed Play.
Mrs. Grant Haser of Grafton was
assigned as her subject for tho
symposium The Moral. Social and
Physical Value Of the Public Play
ground in the Community" and cover
ed in AN excellent talk on this move
ment as carried OUT by the club WON
en- in her home city. Mrs. Hager's
talk was heard with extreme interest
and extracts from it follow:
When the topic OF public play
grounds was assigned me. l was re-
quested to give a full description of
the work done in Grafton and the
benefits derived from the same. Each
community must work out its "
civic problems In the way best adapt
h a succeed i'll n place spell fall
ure in another. So. if this subject de-
cribes a rather limited circle around a
local center. 1t Is With the desire to
tell YOU what one town has actually
accomplished towards solving the
problem OF its children at play.
The playground movement finds its
chief response in the city. Social con-
ditions demand it. But its benefits
should moi he limited TO the little citi-
:ens of our crowded areas. II the
well-equipped. efficiently supervised
playground hetters the moral and ply
steal being of the city child; If 1t es-
tablishes an ideal standard of fair
play. self-control and general helpful
ness: if it aids in forming individual
character. is it quite fair to deny this
influence to h child in the rural com
munity? There are some who argue
that: Fairgrounds in a state like North
Dakota, where spaces are as wide as
the prairies themselves. are superflu-
Gus. but unlimited space does not
necessarily make for ideal conditions
of play. Undirected energy holds the
same elements of danger in the
try as we'll as in the town. Supervi-
sion is the keynote of success In the
playground movement. Unless there
is a director of play there is no real
playground.
Launched Without Funds.
1t was in the spring of 1911 that the
of civic Righteousness began
to leaven the Monday Night club. This
ton. but mental ease could not blind
US to the fact that Grafton in the sum-
mer time to adapt a s%criptural has
sag was c~onspicuously full Of boys
and girls. playing in the streets there
OF. So after earnest discussion. the
playground movement was launched.
without money and without enthusi-
asm. except for that supplied by the
Monday Night club. But the member
ship list was a tower of strength. Two
pastors. the superintendent of the city
schools. the editor of one of the pa
ers. the secretary Of the school board,
and the mayor, were thoroughly In
sympathy with the movement. A COM
mittee was appointed to make the
necessary inquiries concerning a train
ed director, apparatus, and to gather
reports from towns where the expert
ment has been tried. An appeal was
also made to the city council and the
school board for financial assistance.
The former voted to place the director
on the pay roll for the months of July
and August. at a salary of SIS a
month; h latter gave the use Of the
Central school grounds. work on the
in value. which should become the
property of the school at the close Of
the season.
Director Engaged.
a. B. Cole Of Oberlin college. was
engaged as director. The school
grounds were cleared and levelled for
tennis. basket and volley ball courts.
An indoor baseball diamond was laid.
trapezes. horizontal bars and rings set
up. sand boxes and teeters provided
for. the little people, and Grafton
awoke bright July morning to find
its public playground in vital opera
ton. with an energetic young man
tactfully, but firmly. giving the chill
dren their first lesson in fair play.
Held Field Meets.
From the first the grounds were
well patronized. The little ones play
ed in the morning. the older children
in the afternoon and the adults in the
evening. The older boys assisted the
supervisor thus preserving hat spirit
OF concord which is necessary If small
brethren are to dwell together in har-
mony. During this first summer two
other with the Grand Forks Y. NJ. C.
a. Both events drew large crowds,
and. from the silver collection taken,
a surplus resulted sufficient to meet
those incidental expenses"
Cost of Maintaining.
The cost Of maintaining the play
ground for the first year was $685..
apparatus. lumber. hardware and
work. After all bills were paid, there
was a balance Of AZ cents in the treas
ury.
The summers experiment had
worked out so successfully that 1t was
decided to continue the work the fol-
lowing year. The city council again
provided for the directors salary.
Charles Wellers. instructor in science
and manual training in the high
school. was engaged at a salary Of $50
a month. 1t vas his Idea to keep the
manual training department open for
q stated period each day. Glasses in
simple cookery were also discussed for
the girls. with a possible class in sew
ing for rainy DAYS. But the wet sum-
mer. which made playing out of doors
prohibitive for days at a time, and
the call o the harvest fields. SO re-
duccd the daily attendance that any
Letters Of a Slim-Made