Bisbee daily review., 1914-01-04
PLAYFUL YOUTH
 USES MILLIONS
Recreation Grounds Now Es. tablished in Cities Through out the Country Are on Business Basis

in several hundred cities of the United states and Canada ana Is car ried on at an expenditure of millions 1 of dollars. This extent of the move ment to provide playgrounds and leaders to make play and recreation wholesome and efficient is revealed in tho annual census just taken by the Playground and Recreation Associa- tlun of America whose report was made public today. Every communi- ty Of over 5000 inhabitants in this country and Canada was reached by letter and over a thousand cities re- sponded with specific reports on what is or is not being done to aid chil dron and adults in their play and rec. reation
 Six hundred and forty-tNo cities re- ported themselves active in the play ground movement and many others said they were alive to needs of this sort and were working to establish play centers. One of the most satis- factory phases of the report is the showing of growth Of municipal sup port. Less than ever Is left to pri- vate philanthropy. for in III eities the support is now entirely municipal. There are 1i5 cities in which the sup port Is divided between municipal and private funds and 110 in which the work is supported wholly by private henefactors.
 The census is for the year ending November 1. 1918. and shows total expenditure of $5.7OOO00 in the 3i2
 cities where playground and recrea- ton work Is under paid supervision.
 This is a gain of over $l.j00,000 as
 compared with the year 1912. Tn
 sight for further funds authorized
 bond issues are reported in 20 cities
 to the total of S2,35s.0O0. The report
 shows that children in 70 cities have
 been given new playgrounds during
 the past year. The cities which be
 came converts to the movement in the previous year had numbered only f i2.
 Play leaders appear to be now pro fessionally recognized the countrl |. over. Twenty-four hundred play ! grounds and recreation centers art ] under regular paid supervision an,
 moe than 5000 persons are making l. their profession to serve as leader n of play and general recreation. It Q an enlistment of a thousand new wort y CTS in this line during the past yea ,gs a.. T.-,
 ed of these leaders that trainin @ classes for them are being mGintais E. ed. and in 35 of these centers 2,G3 t students are reported.
 ' Leadership is regarded as the cru
 of the playground and recreatio z movement. Almost invariably tn 'f communities which have reported fai d ure in the work they started have e' 'f plained 1t by the report that they Ina ;t no leadership. The point Is becomin
 SO generally appreciated that th Is playground and recreation asscciatio l- sayg that supervised work is certai O. to be widely extended during the con k ing year. The playground or recr
 ation center without competent si le nervisor or leader has proven to h 'e as ineffective as school without n. teacher the report adds, and it 'e further predicted that 300 cities no le active in playground and recreationi
 work are likely tO meet dlscourag rs ment unless they bring themselves H. realize the value Of supervision. nWN Tho t. Itr Ht., IT, to vocational periods. In ever iy- cities 3SS centers were open all yei Is. round last year. and evenings al
 utilized more and more for recreatiC
 work m the school houses. Altoget
 CT the wider use of public schools VI " seen in 137 cities and results we " shown in many ways. The fact tn so per cent. of all ofienses against s O' ciety are committed in the leisu " time hours between II and D. m. h - prompted many communities to op a" their playground and recreation co 10 ters after industrial workers had be i'' released from their days toll, and Ia '"' year 152 cities reported 629 cente - of various kinds open fin the eyenir '' The total average attendance in
 cities was 62.224 gam of over l5.O
 as compared with the previous yea fk' average.
 ~" In the establishment of playgroun " by industrial plants there has al .s, been substantial gain during { m year. In thirteen cities playgrou .n and recreation ccnters have be . maintained by industrial establi
 ments at Dheir own expense or in c
 junction with other agencies
 The leaders in the recreation mo ,o ment, aside from the playground we asts report nc wprkers employed uH.ou - - out the year in 7I cities Sthrough' " the country The activities incli
 not only gafles and athletics
 = gardening. woodwork, arts, era lse. singing. skating, dramatics, folk da ne. ing. story telling, pageants, sw l21 ming, wading-"everything that '