The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-29

|MS{ Y ITH the summer season all W\W most at close, and with it
 the active enjoyment of
 Birminghams wonderful playgrounds,
 Prof. T. D.. Moor, superintendent of
 the playgrounds work, told me few
 days ago some interesting facts re- garding the wide influence and broad
 and comprehensive field that this ac- tivity covers.
 Professor Moor, who for the past l3 years has been the efficient and popular principal of the Robinson school at East Lake, one of the largest and most flourishing schools in the great public schools system of Birmingham, has also for three years
 past filled the position of superin- tendent' of playgrounds with rare skill and ability.
 An athlete himself. always inter- ested in outdoors" sports, which are wholesome and healthful, Pro- lessor Moor is well qualified Gas he has proven) to direct the affairs of playground work in this city, or any where else.
 When Professor Moor 13 years ago took the principalship of the Robin son school, there were numbered something like 100 pupils, while to- day more than 500 are receiving their schooling under his leadership. In the same proportion the play grounds work of Birmingham has grown and the cordial manner in which it has been received both by the children and the parents of this city shows conclusively that it is one of the most important angles of school work.
 The first year we started the
 work we had eight playgrounds." Professor Moor said. "The second
 year we added five more, making 13. and the past year. which is just now drawing to a close, we had 20 play
 grounds. Next summer we hope to
 have 35.
 During last winter l held train ing classes, composed mostly of teachers, for the purpose of getting efficient supervisors for the differ ent playgrounds," Professor Moor continued, "and this has proven a
 very satisfactory project since all the playgrounds this past summer were supplied with these trained su- pervisors. The city can afford paid
 supervisors only during the summer months, and the remainder of the time I have to take care of all the work.
 Just at the present time we are in the midst of our tennis tournament, said Professor Moor, which is talk ing place at the Country club this
 week, and, by the way. this club has been most courteous and co-opera-
 tive with us In all our playground
 work. About 30 boys and IA girls are
 taking part in the tournament this
 week.
 This is what we call extension
 playground work" Professor Moor continued 'We have lour tennis
 league, football league, and basket
 ball league during the winter months.
 thus keeping the work active the
 year round. Although the out-of-
 doors playground workt which
 touches practically every child in
 Greater Birmingham as participated in, in the parks, is not as active as in the summer.
 Mostly the parks of Birmingham
 are used for our playground work,
 Professor Moor said. while the school
 grounds, too. are utilized, as the city
 owns these grounds with the excep-
 tion of Fairyiew and East Lake schools.
 You ask how the parents of the children have received our play ground work" Professor Moor ob- served "I'll say this. that the solu- |, ton of the playground proposition has been the splendid cooperation Of
 the parents. In many cases the par
 ents of the children have presented
 us with our equipment. such as
 swings. sand piles and other things the city being without sufficient
 finances to do more than keep up the
 parks and school grounds. In some
 instances, we have the playground associations, which are similar to the school improvements associations. and
 they have dons their share toward
 helping us.
 Last year took about 75 of our
 playground boys and girls over to
 Children Cry