New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1915-09-29
CHILD WELFARE is BIG CUES.
TON NOW
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than to run the risk of exposing them to
dangers of the dance hall variety. In
some cities, pool tables have been in
stalled, in one place Rough House"
room was provided where the more
boisterous spirits could work off their
surplus energies. But the point of the
whole matter lay in having some one
who could intelligently direct these en-
.ergies. The speaker told of numerous
cities who have these "play' instructors.
Kalamazoo has eighteen play leaders.
Gary, Indiana was named as the town
where not only the children but
the grown-ups as we'll 60 to school to
learn how to spend their leisure to good
effect. In Gary, whenever the Board OF
Education purchases city square Tor
new building, the City purchases an ad-
Joining square to make sure that there
will never be lack of space for develop
ment of playground activities. In some
places choral societies have been formed,
in others dramatic pageants, telling OF
the history of the country are staged
yearly to engage the interest OF citizens
young and old. How are we spending
the 100000 leisure hours which we have
everv week in New Ulm? Are we turn
ing it into an asset as they are doing in
other cities?
Mr.. Weller stated that 80 per cent OF all
crimes are ''leisure crimes. Play
grounds, inteligently supervised, provide
a preventative for juvenile crimes
ard social centers are the prescrlp-
ton offered for the adult who is n
clined to delinquency. A fit mind can
not dwell in an unfit body, and physical
fitness is a natural result of playground
activity. Here the speaker paid his re-
.spects to the Germans who have given
more attention to this branch OF educa-
ton than have the English and other
nations, mentioning Father jain as the
leader in the movement for physical tit
ness.
Not all playground ventures are sue
;cesses. In some cities they have been
abandoned after being tried out but the
fault has been in the method Of applica-
ton, not in the plan. In Chicago
millions of dollars are being spent in the
work. In Minnesota the work has just
been begun as the larger cities have only
lately introduced playground leaders.
After Duluth had begun the work, the
range cities of the state became interested
and a man from the National Association
has been in Eveleth for several weeks
working out the plan for the city's
play activities. Virginia and Chisholm
are other range towns that are ready
for it. Mr.. Weller then asked New
Ulm to consider conditions here. He
wanted to know what provisions had
been made here for the supervision OF
the leisure time of the boys and girls
of the cities.
In the discussion that followed the
main address, Miss Meeker of Duluth
who is interested in the movement in
that city, told of the experiences in
Duluth in getting the plan started,
due to the indifference of the adults
who thought every girl and every boy
ought to know how to play without
being taught She advocated the adop-
ton of the work as calculated to develop
the spirit of playing fair among the
children, thus making of them men and
women with the right sort of ideals.
When local people were called upon
for their opinions, B. Juni related some
of the experiences he had had in handling
some of the early schools of the County
when he was a teacher years ago. He
stated that when he could interest the
wild, rough boys of the school in games
in which he took a part, he found
discipline comparatively easy. G. A.
Ottomeyer spoke of the organization Of
the Turner'S which has in New Ulm
for years provided place for the
youngsters to play, and a man to direct
them in their play but said he felt that
the city schools should take the burden
from the Turnverein and institute more
sports in their regular work. Alexander
Russell took a turn at Mr.. Ottomeyer
by saying that he had been so busy with
entertaining and arranging for Con-
ventions in the past year that he did not
know that our schools have a fair
amount of sports activities. He added
his testimony to the facts already
stated, that play properly directed makes
the lives Of parents and teachers easier,
besides being of benefit to the children.
When the ladies were called upon for
an expression of opinion as to the
necessity or the feasibility of establish
ing some sort of playground supervision
in New Ulm there was no response.
Where are the women? Have you no
women's clubs in New Ulm? was asked,