Evening star., 1922-03-22
11Q,0D0D. c. K|DD|ES
ENDANGER LIVES
PLAY|NGON STREET
Inadequate Fairgrounds of
City Provide Accommoda-
tions for Only $1,000.
SMALL PORTION OF SITES
ARE OWNED BY DISTRICT
Desirable Locations Gradually
Growing Less as Business Prog
ress Makes Heavy Inroads.


ress Makes Heavy Inroads.
| Streets. with their increasing ve-
hicular traffic. furnish the only play
grounds for 10000 young Americans
within the District of Columbia. On
these highways they must get what
| little exercise and wholesome play
| their little bodies require, keeping an
eye strained to prevent themselves
from becoming the victims of some
| rushing Vehicle.
| This city, The Star man found upon
an examination of playground rec
crds, has only playground facilities
enough for $4,000 children, as against
| the child population of 125,000. And
only a small portion of these grounds
are owned by the District. There is
the possibility always hanging over
| the Fairgrounds officials that one
! third of the space now loaned may be
withdrawn at any moment for COM
mercial uses.
Sites Growing Less.
| During the past year three play
ground sites, which had bscn loaned
! by the owners. were withdrawn TO
make way for the march of CONNER
cial progress. The little children who
had enjoyed their games on these lots
! were automatically thrown out of a
play space and into the streets and
its dangers. One of these was sought
by the local Fairgrounds officials. 1t
was the Mades Fairgrounds, at sth
q nd L.
have been purchased for $4,000, but
| the House refused TO provide for il.
| 1t has been sold by the owner now.
This particular lot is located in a
thickly settled section of the city.
| Another was the lot on Park road
east of 18th street. Fairgrounds ia
cilities were provided there for
number of years. but the privilege
| was withdrawn to permit the land to
| be used for a moving picture theater.
The play equipment was removed
some months ago, but the theater has
not yet been started.
| The Gallinger playground, street
between 2lst and 22d streets north
west. also was closedt There is a pro-
| vision in the District appropriation
bill, now in conference, for $4,000
appropriation to be used in the pur-
chase of land to replace this play
ground and to provide play space for
the children of this section.
SSOOOO Asked for Ground.
There is the hope that the confer
ees on the District bill will allow
to stand the Senate amendment 10
the bill providing an appropriation
of $4,000 for the purchase of land
for a playground to take the place OF
the one at 14th street and Park road
Continuous efforts have been made
to impress Congress with the fact
that unless adequate provision is
made for the purchase of Fairgrounds
now, the rapid growth of building in
the city will forever remove the pos
sibility of providing space for whole
some play of the thousands of chill
dren.
For the most part, the so-called
Fairgrounds now provided for the
children of the National Capital are
nothing more than school yards with
is sadly lacking in real playground
spaces. where all forms of amuse-
ment for groups of children can be
conducted. Many of these so-called
Fairgrounds are not open for the en-
tire year. During the summer
months, when vehicular traffic is at
it's heaviest, and when the children
should be kept off the streets in play
SDaCeS wneTe supervised play CdH pC
provided for them. the schoolyard
Fairgrounds are closed Last summer,
it was pointed out. the Fairgrounds
department, through the volunteer
help for supervision and the ald pro
yided by the contributions to the fund
raised by The Star, it was possible
to open and maintain twenty-five OF
d these play spaces.
Attendance Always Large.
All of the Fairgrounds when open
are used to their full capacity by the
children of the neighborhood. Many
of them come for many blocks every
day, and sometimes two or three
times a day. in order to participate
in the play provided.
Attendance figures on the local
; Fairgrounds, the report of the result
of the Department of Labors survey
of local Fairgrounds. show the need
for more playground space, when they
are interpreted in relation to what
standard playground should offer to
the child population of the district
which it serves. Children, it points
out. must have more than standing
room to benefit from the kind OF pro-
gram which a system should adopt
If if is to do satisfactory work. A
> good program should be made up of
activities for every age OF a child,
and should consist OF both quiet
games and those that are demanded
hy the vitality of the young, that is,
the active romping games and also
group games such as base ball ana
basket ball. requiring large amount
of land for a few children, should be
made possible.
Desirable Fairgrounds Limited.
The report says that the areas given
over to play in Washington are ex-
tremely limited and on this point the
report continues:
IF the standard playground is one
which gives to children an all-round
physical development and that stimu-
lus which comes from various kinds
of game reaction, then it is clear that
the question of space per child has
everything to do with the needs and
requirements of good playground
work. Children so massed on a given
number of square feet that they can
not swing. about are defrauded from
the promise which a play space holds
out. 1t is true that careful selec-
ton of equipment and expert super
vision will make possible the most
advantageous use of small area, but
there are limits to what equipment
erd leadership can do" -