The Washington herald., 1914-03-29
CAPITAL NOW HAS
26PLAYGROUNDS
Daily Attendance of Children
Is Between 5000 and
5000.
SOME OPEN ALL YEAR
Recreation Spots of Washington De-
scribed in Article by New Post
master of City.

and nine for colored children Thin.
teen Of these Fairgrounds are open al
most the year around. Between S,OOo
an 5000 is the average daily attend
ance in the aggregate at the Wash
ington Fairgrounds. At one play
ground, which was open but lS4 days
in the year. the attendance was l4s'-
e45, or 500 children a day. At another
playground, which was open Tor lSs
days, attendance was 135.o67, or 67s
children a day. At the principal negro
playground the attendance for 20
days was 119,253, or 527 day. These
are the totals and the averages In
fair weather the attendance at the
principal Fairgrounds frequently ex-
ceeds 1000 children a day.
In some respects Washington stands
at the head of the list in the play
grounds movement, and in other re-
spects il has far to travel to catch up
with the procession. The great eie-
ment of strength and efficiency in the
playground movement IN "asnihsoon
is that about one-haf OF Its play
grounds are kept open practically all
the wear Only during two OF the
worst winter months are they smut
down. That gives ten months OF con-
tinuous employment to the playground
directors and their assistants, against
shorter period of employment IN
been enabled to- acquire the best play
ground directors in the country Its
chief shOrtcoming is in the lack OF
shelter houses and gymnaslums' IN
which particular the Chicago play
grounds excel
Passed Million Mark.
The aggregate attendance Tor 'he
Washington Fairgrounds has passed
the million mark. In 1910 the attend
ance totaled $4,000. That means that
in the period that the Fairgrounds
we're omen that number of times chill
dren were playing all the boyish games
and all the girlish games in the play
grounds in moral and physical SAFETY
instead of in the alleys and streets.
That answers the question, why are
plavgrounds?" and explains why play
grounds are profitable in smaller COM
nunities as they they are in the large
ones
The question, why Fairgrounds! is
specifcalIy answered by E. S. Martin,
supervisor of Fairgrounds in Washing-
ton THE boy in the city has no place
for wholesome play" says MI Martin.
He has nothing but the street Tor
playground, and nothing in the street
provided for his play. Even his games
from prisoners base and kick the
stick to 'one old cat are under the pan
of highway ordinances; and the ponce
man. the only representative OF autnor-
ity with which he comes in contact, ne
regards as his natural enemy. II ne
helps himself to lumber and sand from
the builders pile. who shall say that
the community is not partly responsible
II il has failed to provide for his play
instinct? If he Cunningly schemes TO an
nov the COP whom he regards as chief
" emnIoved to chase him, should a conn.,
runity punish hiTn-a community whicn
gave him nothing else TO do?
Strides Have Been Rapid.
The playground movement has made
rernarlable strides in recent years. anc
its DEVELOPMENT is not confined to large
cities The statistics for 1911 show thai
go cities having between 5.VVO ahC
6O0o population were maintaining play
grounds. In that year East orange y
J. spent 35 cents per capita, Chicago
cents, and Newton, Mass, B cents pei
capita for maintenance Of their respec
tive Fairgrounds and social centers. Fol
the Fairgrounds of Washington Congress
according to its mood or the breadth o
mind of the committee which does IN
recommending. aPpropriates from >''u
to $4,000 for maintenance. leaving u
the citizens the raising OF the remainde
that NAV be needed. One year, wheI
Congress was particularly niggardly, IN
pAopIe raised SIP 900 to keep the play
grounds from being closed down
The Fairgrounds Oh W dSillii5h hoh al III
scene of the athletic endeavor OF IN
youth of the Capital. There are 15O base
ball teams in Washington that play un
der the direction and with the co-opera
ton of the Washington Fairgrounds or
ganization. There are between l,ZOO an
l.5OO entries in the field meets OF the boy
of Washington conducted under the au
spices of the Fairgrounds organization
of the city An annual official handbook
the athletic records of the boys Of Wash
ington is published by the Playground
Association
Camp for Boy Scouts.
In Washington the Boy Scouts move
Inent is affiliated with the playground
movement. sixty-acre camp site o
Chesapeake Bay, reached in an hour
ride from either Washington or Bait
more, has Just been purchased by tw
Washington friends of the boys and ha
been dedicated as a national camp 70
the Boy Scouts of America
The bathing beach of Washington. pat
ronized in part by men and women, bu
in larger part by the boys and girls c
Washington, has ben made part of tn
playground system of the District of Cc
lumbia. There is great need for add
tfonaI bathing beaches, and Congress ha
been asked to appropriate $4,000 tn
wear for two more beaches. In the la.
season 52, ,596 white men and boys and Il
le5 white women and girls used the bath
ing beach. On the days set apart II
coIored bathers. 5000 availed themselv,
of the opportunity. The greatest attenC
ance at the bathing beach in a single da
was 1,SoO bathers. In addition to II
single bathing beach, many Of the pla,
rounds have wading pools, which al
mes of great rejoicing and youthf-
Fiarity in the hot days Of the scho
vacation period.
In addition to the Fairgrounds. u
swimming beach, the baseball fields ar
the athletic grounds, the Playground
Association and the Fairgrounds depar
ment Of the District OF Columbia mai
tain fifty tennis courts The latest d
velopment in this recreation movemen
which is gradually taking in the actfy
ties Of grown-ups of Washington. is Il
creation of a central board OF recreatis
composed Of the president Of the Boa
of Commissioners of the District Of c
lumbia, the president OF the board
education, and the engineer In char
of the public buildings and grounds
the District Of Columbia This board
recreation is an unofficial body and