The Washington herald., 1912-08-18
PLAYGROUND GROWTH
DURING RECENT YEARS
Four Hundred Cities and Towns Have Super
vised Bathing Places for All Classes.

Twenty-Five years ago children's play
grounds were almost unknown. Since the
formation in 1906 of the Playground AS
sociation of America about 400 cities and
towns have acquired supervised play
grounds. Their value is self-evident; as
a medium for doing philanthropic work
they are especially useful. Parents
hearts are Immediately won IL special
attention is shown in teaching. Leah to
dance or Jacob to jump. and bananas
and soda water are layished upon the
instructor. Extreme poverty is some
times brought to light through play
grounds, and occasionally a Jesse James
is discovered. who quite often proves to
be Just mentally defective.
But what is being done for the child's
parents and elder brothers and sisters?
Some rich people lead such lives of
luxury that their condition Is almost as
lamentable as the very poor. but at least
they have the means. If not always the
energy, TO better themselves. The poor
PERSONS strongest instinct is to play, but
having no facilities for wholesome recre-
alton, most of his leisure time and money
are expended at the saloon. The middle
class men and women are confined to
lives of constant economy-in money.
time, and pleasure, and not having the
independence of the very rich or the very
poor, their lives are greatly CONSTRUCTED
They ride sedately home at night and
on holidays indulge in the doubtful recre-
alton of theaters and amusement parks
AS a result we have worn-out nerves
and misery and drunkenness, conditions
which are due largel to lack of proper
recreation by means Of which TO coun-
teract the monotony of the days work.
Gymnastfc Work Imperative.
In Germany and Russia gymnastics, is
an important part of tn training in the
standing army, in which every man in
the country is compelled TO serve a
period of two years. In Sweden the gov
ernment requires that a certain part Of
the day be devoted to gymnastics in the
public schools. In England out-of-door
sports and exercises are the common rule;
while in our own country public gym
nasiums and recreation centers are al
most unheard of except in very large
cities.
You say 1t would be absurd for grown
people to play like children. Then hear
where it is actually done:
In England every year at Stratford-on-
Avon there is a pageant given in honor
Of Shakespeare: hundreds of the towns
people take part-men, women and chill
oren VINO dance ana give scenes iron
the life Of Shakespeare and his great
plays. In our own country we have the
festival OF the Mardi Gras in New Or
leans, and during the past summer
pageant was given in the town of Thet-
ford. VT. In which men and women
of the community as well as children
participated. This plan of recreation for
grown people was tried by the depart
ment of docks and ferries in New York
in the early SOS, but a rough ele-
ment proved too much for inadequate
supervision and the attempt was not re-
peated. At Rutherford. N. J.. the past
year Fairgrounds were used constantly
in the evening by grown people who
lacked courage to attend during the day.
AS a consequence of this interest It was
decided to open the grounds to older
persons two nights week. A few weeks
ago the writer attended a. mothers club
meeting under the auspices Of the Chill
dren's Aid Society, in New York, and in
stead of seeing the mothers sit down
and talk over their daily eares. she saw
them dance folk dances AID play, basket
ball. Did they look absurd and undigni-
fed? Not In the least. They danced
gracefully and learned quickly. but the
important thing about 1t was that they