Evening journal., 1918-01-12


OF city Fairgrounds, IN her annual re-
port submitted TO The Board ot Park
/ Commissioners. urges the necessity Of
a city-wide recreation system at the
disposal Of the children Of this city all
year round Her report follows.
To the President and Members Of the
Wilmington Board OF Park Com
inissioners:
"Gentlemen-Thero is need Of a city
wide recreation system standing i'm
relation 10 the leisure time Of children
as the school system does TO that time
devoted TO education
TO provide supervised recreation for
two summer months is but meeting
the problem in part. for the response
bility of providing for leisure time Is
an all-year round problem and one
which must be assumed sooner or
later by both large and small cities.
Under such plan here a greater
Use of facilities already i'm hand would
be secured and definite standards Of
athletics and games could Doe developed
with some degree of pcrmanency As
&c is now, before organization is per-
fected. the season Is ended and a large
part OF the effort put forth is apparent
ly wasted
"If three Go 1--WE hundred voluntarily
come daily las at kirkwood and Della
more Fairgrounds, for constructive
organized play for two months in the
year what are those very same chill
dren doing the remaining ten mntis
OF the year There are more than
twenty-five thousand children IN our
city between the ages OF five and eight
cen years. What these children are
doing with their leisure time is @
question well worth the consideration
Of thinking people.
ITO even the casual observer 70 must
be obvious that much time Is spent
in idloness and, on the part OF boys
corner loaflng. Only through a broad
comprehensive plan for all year around
recreation can this valuable asset. now
going to waste, be conserved TO pro
duce health, happiness and valuable
material for future citizenship.
aside from any proposed plan. the
greatest need in the city Is the de-
velopment Of one center we'll center
which can create and focus an intelli-
gent public support for the large work
which Is yet TO be done.
Fairgrounds have now been estab-
lishod since 1911. The experimental time
has past From now on concentration
should be the keynote. To serve its
purpose, that Is. TO be educational as
we'll as rocteatlonal. the playground
must be bigger, better and more at
nIu -
time this Is not true OF our several
Sites Landlnh and Chapel are hut
sun-baked lots OF very restricted area
on which play activities have been
conducted under the most trying cir
cumstances. Walnut and Conrad from
season 10 season have been so torn
up by construction work IN opera
tlon that play has been curtailed
and oftlmes suspended Pine and
Kentmere are only suitable for small
children. although age restriction has
been made. particularly at Pine, which
is practically the only park space
In the nelghborhood.
"Kirkwood and Delamore come near
est offering ideal facilities, and II Is
on these grounds so many satisfactory
results have been obtained.
con each a real community spirit
has been created, because Il has been
possible through varied activities. 10
cater 10 the interests OF the peopl OF
tie neighborhood regardless Of age.
In the six years Of supervised play
we have had our hands, IN part at
least. on the pulse Of the child life
of the city There are many intan-
gihle results which cannot be sum-
med mp. To feel they are there is
but TO have faith in human nature
and a hope for a work which pro-
vides expression OF many Ideals TO
be lAcasured I'm action rather than