The Washington herald., 1913-10-12

u
efforts of the different committees, Civ
ing a lecture course. lawn fete, and
song festival.
The bathing beach on the Speedway
was added to the playground system
during the season OF 1901 A portion of
Potomac Park was set aside for a play
ground and athletic field: plat Of ground
situated at Canal, First and n Streets
Southwest. containing 2,1O0 square feet
along the Anacostia River to be used as
a bathing beach. was also added.
The most important addition to the
system this year was the playground m
Garfield Park. The apparatus placed in
this ground was at the jamestown Expo
sition, and was of the latest and best
make: il was donated to the Washing
ton Playground Association by the Play
ground Association OF America and with
the desire and earnest purpose of the
association to make this park playgr Ound
model in every way. to be a show
place and object lesson for the entire
country.
Library Branch Opened.
Another important addition this year
was the opening on April Is, of branch
Of the Public Library in the Western
High School. This was placed unCer the
charge of a trained librarian. The total
circulation Of books from the time of
opening the library until January. term
of los library days. was 4.296. In the
athletic tests this year. JsS children passed
the tests and received the standard but
tong.
During the year 1905 there were in Ope
ration thirty-one Fairgrounds, of which
eighteen were school Fairgrounds. and
thirteen municipal Fairgrounds The at
tendance this year increased IS per cent
over the previous year. The daily aver
age attendapce during the summer season
was 7.43S children. The attendance in
creased from 1858 in 1895 to 42l, 4S in
1908, an increase Of almost 800 per cent.
Seventy-seven teachers, twenty-nine jani-
tors, and ive watchmen we're employed
During this year a playground course
was given the teachers Later 1t was
! adopted as a basis for similar courses,
which are given all over the country. and
which are now considered essential n
and well organized system Of play
grounds
The fall and winter Of 1905 and 1873
were the critical periods in the history
OF the playground movement in wash
ington. Owing to Observation-Disclosures a
number OF supporters had lost faith in
the movement. and II was felt that with
matters in this condition Congress could
not be appealed to successfully for
finances January, 1903. found the play
ground movement without funds.
At a meeting of the board of directors
| il was decided to give up the conduct
OF Fairgrounds. II was declared that tie
board of directors and publio-spirited men
and women had done all that could
| reasonably be expected of them in sup
port OF the playground movement.
At this juncture James l.. West took
exception to the attitude and made q
strong plea for the movement on the
| ground that as the children would be the
ones to suffer most. a strong EFFORT should
be made to carry out the playground
| idea, il being his judgment that Congress
would be more likely TO appropriate for
the Fairgrounds If the board of directors
did their best to carry on the work than
il they permitted the Fairgrounds to re-
main idle for the whole season.
Arthur c. Moses and Mr.WeSt promised
to take the matter in charge. Mr.. West
offered to secure volunteers to help run
the Fairgrounds II il were necessary TO
do so. Mr.. Moses agreed that if the
board of directors would turn over the
whole proposition of Fairgrounds to Mr..
West and himself, he would secure the
money to finance the Fairgrounds for
| the season.
At a meeting of teachers and employees
it was decided to work without pay until
such time as funds could be secured.
Then for another considerable periUd
| they worked with very limited pay With
the cooperation of President and Mrs
Taft. plans for button day were formu-
lated. Nearly $500 was secured in this
| way. BY means of a baseball game be-
tween the Democrats and Republican
members of the House $S20.55 was pro-
vided baseball game between the
Board of Trade and the Chamber of Com
merce Retted over s40O and individual
contributions increased the total receipts
for the year to $4,000.
So great was the interest of Mr.. West
in the movement that he gave up his
position in the Interior Department in
order to carry out the program which
had been planned. More Fairgrounds
were opened, and in place of having
them run for five hours a dag. they were
kept open all day.
Appropriation Is Made.
During the season. sixty members of
Congress visited the Fairgrounds, and
| when the next appropriation was before
| Congress the attitude of members had
changed so greatly that fair appropria-
| ton was obtained. Men who had bitterly
opposed the movement became supporters.
The work of the Fairgrounds in opera
ton was so we'll done, it was declared,
that the opening Of others became neces-
sary.
Among those who were associated with
the work at this time was Col. Spencer
Cosby. Thousands OF dollars were spent
by Col. Cosby and his officials in further
ing the work of recreation for the young
people who attend the Fairgrounds of the
| District of Columbia. as well as upon
the government reservation. Col Cosby
also set aside certain government reser-
4
request of the department.
The Interior Department and Freed