Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1914-01-05
SIN HUNDRED AND IN.TY-TWO
AMERICAN CITIES ESTABLISH
PLAY GROUNDS FOR YOUNG
FGLk>' RECREATION.
MOVEMENT SPREADS
MUNICIPALITIES BECOMING IN
TEkESTED IN SUPPORTING
MOVEMENT. AND FEWER LEAVE
III To PRIVATE PHILANTHROPY.
BIZ iSSDcidfcd Press

play il now fairly well established In
several hundred cities If the United
States and CANADA and j. carried on AZ
an expenditure If millions 1T dollars.
This extent ~ the movement a. provide
Fairgrounds aud leaders a. make play
AMI recreation wholesome aud efficient
u revealed IA the annual census just TAX
cn by the Playground and Recreation
Association of America. whose report
was made public today. Every commun.
ity Of over 5.uH1 inhabitants Ia this
country and Canada was reached ~ let
ter aud over a Thousand cities responded
with specific reports On what j. or il
not being lone e. aid chilIrcn and adults
III their play aud recreation.
six hundred and forty two cities re-
ported themselves active i'm abe play
ground mIoycv mcnt aud many others said
they were alive a. needs NJ this sort and
were working 10 establish play r-nters.
One IF the mo>I satisfactory phases ~
the report H. The showing ~ growth of
municipal support Less than ever is
left t. private philanthropy. for ia Ill
cities The support j. now entirely mum.
iciplI. There are rs cities IN which the
NulliiA - NsNNfNH fHNNltAlFIN
and private funds and ITO in which the
work i SUPPORTED wholly ~ private
bcncfactorS.
The census " for the wear ending
November 1. 1915. and shows a total OK
rmnditnrc If - 70OiHn in the 81 cities
where playground aud recreation work
- under paid supervision. This " a gain
~ over II .lH0.ODu a. compared with the
4... fHIb Il. -frrhf fAr fartlnr funds nm.
ihorized hnnd issues arr reported Ia -
cities ~ the total ~ -.-gl> uuu. The re-
port shows that children in 10 cities
have been given new Fairgrounds during
the past year. The cities which became
converts ~ the movement IN the prrvi-
Gus wear had numbered only IT.
Play leaders appear 20 BE- now profess
s~ionally recognized the country over
Twenty four hundred Fairgrounds and
recreation ccntcrS are under regular
paid supervision and more than 5000
persons are making IL their profcsSicsIo
serve ~ leaders ~ play and general
recreation.
Ii i an enlistment If "A thousand new
workers ia this line during the past
wear. and efficiency IN this line demand
rl ~ these leaders that training class
g. for them are being maintained. and
in - IL these ccntcrs 2.3> students are
reported.
Leadership j. regarded a. the crux Of
the playground aud recreation move
mrnt. Almost invariably the commune
ties which have rcporird failure IN the
work they started have explained IL Nv
the report that they had no leadership.
The point j. becoming 80 generally ap-
prcr'atcd that the playground and rec
rrariun association SAYS that supervised
work H. certain Ia Ice widely extended
during the coming year. THE playground
or recreation center without a competent
supervisor or leader has .-ovcn 10 w. ~
ineffective ~ = srhooi wit o. \ teacher
the report adds. and u j. further pre-
lictc,l that :uo cities now active IN play
ground and rccrcational work are likely
to meet Encouragement unless they
bring themselves t. realize the value ~
SUPERVISION.
The work H. Nv no means confined 10
vacational periods. In over 90 cities III
centerS were open all wear round last
wear. and evenings are utilized for more
and more recreation work In the school
houses. Altogether the wider use IL pub,
liz schools was seen IN Ia cities and re-
suits were shown IN MANY WAYS. The fact
u lU1l " lFf VIII w wi UNAFi~'~ hENlh~A
snricfv are committed in the leisure time
hours between III and 4 Il IA. has prompt.
cd many communities "a open their play
ground aud recreation centrrs after IN.
duSfrial workers had been released from
their DAYS toll. and last year L.. cities
reported go crntcrS ~ various kinds
"urn ia the evening. The total average
attendance IN n cities was 81 81. n gain
~ over l5Oe0. ~ compared with the pre-
yiou~ wears average.
III The establishment ~ Fairgrounds
bv industrial plants there has also been
. substantial gain during the wear. In
thirteen cities playground and recrca-
riDn c.nrcrS have been maintained nv
Industrial establishment M their own ex-
r"nsc Or in conjunction with other aecn-
cicS.
The leaders in the recreation Movie
irrnt. aside from the PLAYGROUND work.
rcnorf sac worker employed through
nut the country. The activities ~inriulr
not only games aud athletics. hut garden
ing wood work arts. crafts. singing.
~kafing. dramatics. ok dancing. story
telling. D%agcsnt~. swimming. wahing-
"cvcrvfhine that win hing lev and han
Nv self evnrcSsion-and ALWAYS with
SsmDafhctir. haDps free plav leaders a.
all 10 the fund and draw even the most
shy and awkward into the happy circle