Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-20
EDWARD r. HARTMAN
On the PIay Needs Of the Child

THE play needs of American children,
L especially those of pre.school age,
furnish one of the most important ques-
,ions of the present day, according to
Edward T. Hartman, managing director OF
the Child Federation.
whatever the thought may be about
education" said Mr.. Hartman, I'VE have to
admit that the first thing in life is life If
we are not alive. we are dead: if we are
only half alive. we are not developing, ph!r-
icaily, mentally or morally. Incsc facts
bear on our educational problems, also on
our civic. industrial and military problems.
burden in expense and efficiency. Is largely
due to the fact that our People are not phys
ically fit.
Officials Realize Need
"All over the world there is an awakening
70 the necessity for better physical Opportu-
mites for children; and the United states
Government. in one of its health education
leaflets, says that the determination Is
widespread that the public schools OF Tie
in the past. place book learning before phys.
zeal fitness Frank Cody. superintendent
Of the Detroit schools. says that the most
far reaching change in education is the ne"
emphasis upon health education. twenty
Years ago health activities were incidental
10 thc main purpose of the schools. Today
they are the first Of our seven obJectivcs..
Sir George Newman. chief medical officer OF
the English Board of Education. says, that
1T scoms futile to attempt TO reform tducn :
ton apart from the physical condition OF
the child
$50 our schools have definite task In re-
lotion TO health. If the money are
spending on them is to be we'll spent; if we
are to get results in education; il we, are
10 turn out from our schools people able 10
do their work. the work they and the country
need; il ignorance, Incompetence and un-
natural slothfulness are not to pull us down
IL the greater bill for Il greater i'll Is hot
10 SAD our treasury for care of the cr!nlna,,
IMPOVERISHED and incompetent classes, the
schools must build, build in every sense With
every child.
The Pre-. School Period
"But If the schools are to build, for life,
for the work the world needs, what abou:
neriod of childhood: The pre- school child Of
today is the school child of tomorrow, the
citizen of the day after tomorrow.
.We are slowly learning the Importance
~ the prenatal period. We arc doing IL
little work in this. and lNle in the period
of infancy. but not enough. This is obvious
from the fact that in Philadelphia more than
c0OO children are born dead every year,
more than 1000 die in the first week of life
and 5000 die between one week and one
YEAR of age. So what we are doing here Is
NOT all that needs to be done.
"But We are doing practically nothing be-
tween infancy and the school period. Here
nre five years, among the most important
in the development OF the child, physically
and mentally. when we leave 1t to chance.
The Health Department needs more nurses,
trained in health nurture, to enable 1t to
reach into this period.
"And the school department must do
something. 1t must reach down into the
| pre school period and prepare its material
| for the schools. Why not? If the public
reaohes down into the school period to pre- 4.
mare material for renewing itself, for per.
retuating civic life, 1t is surely logical for
| The schools to reach into the pre- -schoo.
,criod and prepare the material with which
/ they are to be continued In the absence of
| tIis the schools find their material unified,
diseased, backward and all progress is re-
tarded 4 year. two years, perhaps the
whole school period. Is wasted in trying to
make school material out of the results OF
neglect in the pre- school period
Play Space Required
"How are they to 60 about it? Here !,
just one suggestion: The pre- school child
needs one thing not provided in abundance
| by parents, private organizations or thu
|! city, and that is proper play space and