The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-10-01

through organized elliott. DNoIy City
has felt the result OF this work in the
prevention of tuberculosis, sanitary.
drinking fountains, pure food, con-
servation OF trees, cleaner alleys and
streets, sanitary disposal OF garbage
and many other civic improvements
We are to speak today Of another
question which Is receiving great at.
tention at present-the playground
movement This movement is one
that is spreading around the word
at a speed seldom displayed by
new movement.
Gin the past ten years 1t has burst
upon us and has brought with 1t an
illumination as to the educational
value of play. It's almost phenomenal
growth can be explained by the fact
that the public needed only to have
It's attention called to the condition
OF children in our cities during the
summer vacations, and this need for
wholesome places to play, to call into
being these supervised Fairgrounds.
Scotland, through the city Of Glasgow
led In this work, and was followed in
turn by Germany, England, Japan and
America.
Curtis is Secretary.
"In 1905 the play ground associa-
ton OF America was organized with
Theodore Roosevelt as honorary
president and DR.. Henry Curtis. who
is to speak for US here in Keckuk.
on Friday evening as secretary.
Prominent men and women from all
parts of the United States were on
the executive board giving evidence
Of the interest taken in American
cities. One Of the members OF our
own civic league worked with the
! women In California in the first ef-
forts made there. The San Francisco
Womans club opened the first play
ground in that state in 1898. Now the
California state law provides that ev-
cry city Of 5000 or over shall have
public play grounds. And so the work
has spread from state to state. In
Keokuk we have made a modest be-
ginning.
Last year the Civic league through
! its committee on public Fairgrounds
and garden committee, made a begin.
ming OF out Of door work by q gar
den contest in which pupils from the
kindergarten to the grammar grade
were visited by the committee and the
children encouraged to enter the con-
test. Hundreds of packages Of seeds
were distributed free to the children
and 142 gardens were sufficiently ex-
cellent to be inspected through the
season, although many more than that
entered the contest Ten books on
nature study were given as prizes.
This year the playground feature will
be emphasized and tomorrow evening
at the close of Dr.. Curtis lecture, we
hope to organize playground assoc
| citation.
Our Interest Aroused.
"Our public interest in Fairgrounds
was aroused when Superintendent
to our realization the local need OF
wholesome play for the idle children
in the long summer vacation. A COM
mittee of men and women was ap-
pointed to begin the work. We were
/ enabled to begin the work at once,
since one Of the centrally located
schools had some out Of doors ap-
paratus, swings, slides, turning poles,
rings and basket ball equipment All
OF this Ind been placed there by the
efforts Of E. s. Patterson, one of our
school principals. Some Of the wood
work was done by the boys in the
manual training department and some
by the principal himself. We have
since added a tennis court Our SUI
pervisor was one Of the young men
who is graduate Of the high school.
an athlete and a boy of fine char
acter and disciplinarian. One men,
hor of our cnmmitfea varv poparOua-