The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-08-17
RECREATION IN
Time OF WAR
important Matter That Has Not
by Any Means Been
Neglected.
MAKES FOR PUBLIC HEALTH
Hard 10 Underestimate the Good Ac-
cornplished by the Thousands OF
Fairgrounds and Other Forms of In.
rlccent Pleasure Provided.

Interest In physical education and
kindred recreative methods has been
stimulated by reason Of war. Indeed,
the relationship Of war to recreation
gefss:ll Is well illustrated in the 1917
yeaIs AZ 'sss-s the Playground and
Recreati6n association Of America.
J In spite Of large economies in al
most every sphere of public life, pro-
vision of healthful play for children
and adults has increased during the
first war year by 18 per cent, if meas
ured by the number of Fairgrounds OPP
Grated. 1t has increased 80 per cent
IL measured by the amount of money
spent upon them-$6,500,000.
One of the most interesting features
of the year is the great increase in mu-
nicipal participation. In POI Of 49l
cities for which complete information
Is available, playground and recreation
center work Is wholly or In part ad-
ministered by the municlpality--in AZ
Of them by recreation commissions, In
% by recreation departments, divisions
or bureaus, In 1O8 by school boards, in
40 by park boards and In nine by city
councils or boards of selectmen.
Another item of advance is the ex-
tension Of organized play into the win
ter months and into the late evening
hours, necessitating. in one case, pro-
vision of suitable buildings or use Of
schools, and in the other the lighting
Of Fairgrounds.
OF the $6,50O.OOO spent on play,
nearly two-thirds was expended In
300 cities on salaries alone. In the 4S1
cities included in the report nearly o.
600 workers were employed, an In
crease Of about rs per cent over those
of the previous year. Even more
promising for the future is the fact
that rs cities maintained training
classes for playground workers with
probably 5000 students, and that In at
least "a cities recreation positions were
filed by civil service examinations.
AS the Survey truly remarks. what
all this means for the moral and ply
sical well-being of the people cannot
be related In cold figures; but some
thing Of this gain may be gathered by
an effort to visualize the three-Quar-
ters Of a million of boys and girls daily
frolicking under the supervision OF
play leaders on some 1000 play
grounds, the 600 or more Fairgrounds
lighted during the evening, the TOO
school buildings or SO used for play
after school hours, the 100000 young
people enjoying wholesome recreation
every evening, the 200 public bathing
beaches, 800 swimming pools and 400
public baths In use.
sss~~sss.ss-~~a.~~e-@@ss~ @ss~aess.~>s>
es~~~~s~
nave J0Ined wlrn ugrHcnmenrs OF Cus-
sacks, who have accepted their leader
snip and are said to be moving west
ward well armed and equipped. There
is no official word yet from the Japa-
nese-American expeditionay forces
which have officially been announced
as reaching vladivostok.
1t is understood here that japan
has urged the United States that these
forces be increased as Developments
may warrant and that no definite
strength be decided on. The Japa-
nese forces are very anxious that the
Czecho- Slovaks be made a most for
midable force 80 that they will at all
times be able to control the large num-
ber Of German and Austrian war
prisoners In Siberia,