The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-06-17
RICHMOND TO HAVE
FINE PLAYGROUND
Work Will Be Organized and
Conducted Along Model
Lines This Summer.
GROUNDS OPEN TOMORROW
10 Make Swimming in the River
Safe. and Have Sane
Fourth Of July.

For the first time in the history Of
inc city, the children OF Richmond will
this summer enjoy the ADVANTAGES OF
an organized and scientincaIly couip
ped and managed system of pIaygrounds
y ~ IhHior, Jr. superintendent Of
Fairgrounds and recreation. has an
nounced that nine Fairgrounds at va
rlous points III the city, including one
model establishment. will he opened
tomorrow. lie has fifteen assistants
Inc city Council has appropriated
$3.50 10 carry on the work for tho
summer and superintendent Taylor has
'''aoe careful study OF the methods
ana iueais set forth at the Playground
ana Recreat ton Congress recently held
mere an" mas accordingly planned tho
work along scientific lines.
ne playground which will bo
equipped aud conducted along model
mes and which is expected to serve
as 4 standard toward which the Others
VIII he improved, is located ut the foot
=. Nh'inborazo Hill. near Fulton About
FLrV" mas been spent in equipment.
winch includes travelling rincs ri,nt
strides. jumping standards horizomtal
bars slides basketball ana volleyhtll
courts, and a sand pile for the little
children.
Some Others in CITY.
Inc other Fairgrounds will be To-
Gated nj Fairmount Jefferson. Pow
hatan. Elba. Moore tcoloredC, stone.
wall jackson, Randolph and Grace
Nr'hts schools. All viii he o,cn from,
" uHtil Il o'clock in the morning. and
from $40 TO I o'clock. There will lie
Il. ieast one assistant in charge of each
playground all of the time. and at
Do, 1,
WIN he two--a man and n woman
In addition. there will be ono man
ana one woman for special work all
over the city. who will take charge of
games ana athletic contests The man
VIII also devote much Of his time to
ihe supervision OF the natural swim
ming holes IN the James River which
viii be special feature of the work.
me advantages of developing these
hhturat recreation facilities were
brought out AZ the Playground Con
sfess' ana Superintendent Taylor in
tends TO apply the idea here
There are drownings in the James
every summer, and one of the principal
objects VIII be to prevent these by
teaching the boys to use certain holes
which viii be equipped with spring
boards, and in having these carefully
watched Furthermore, the superin-
tendcnt states that Il special effort
urchns who gather at the river i'm
the summer. and who are found to-
gether nowhere else. The prize bad
boys" OF Richmond are in the gangs
along the river front. and il is be
liovcd that organized play will do
much for them.
For n same Fourth.
Tie development OF athletic teams.
and especially baseball teams will he
another feature OF the work. Play
ground baseball, which is played with
u ball that cannot injurc any one will
playsrounds. and there will be inter
plAyetound matches Teams will also
be developed in basketball and vollex-
ball
\ safe and sane Fourth OF July celc-
hr"t!on Viii he held, in which the chill
drrn enrolled at all OF the Fairgrounds
WIN take part There will be no fire
works OF eunpowdcr, but there will be
athletic games and also exercises and
speeches 10 teach the children the real
lsnihcaucc Of the occasion.
II. +. Tompkins has been put in
charge OF the boys over ten years OF
age ut the model playground at Chin
borazo Hin. and Miss Gertrude Cren
shaw in charge Of girls over ten, while
the younger children will be managed
by Miss v Rainor. The endeavor of
these supervisors will be To carry on
the work as il is done in other cities
where organized and scientific recrca-
ton is AN accomplished fact.
superintendent Taylor estimates that
he Will he able to reach about 10 per
cent Of the children of Richmond this
summer. and he points out that the
work must he greatly enlarged Its
success depends entirely upon the atti-
tudc OF the public. and the people are
requested TO visit the Fairgrounds and
to see for themselves what Is being