Evening star., 1923-09-09

an Just tho same | hold that it
| is natural field for women and girls
70 excel in, for, tho older boys and
girls need the chaperonagc and COM
.panionS hip of an Intelligent and sym
, pathetic older girl Just as much as
the little ones nccti the careful watch
ing that only a girl or woman can
give
] Moreover. Mrs. Rhodes cannot sing
TOO highly her praise of the college
graduate for positions "a directors OF
rthe different Fairgrounds.
! We had more than thirty girls
: who are attending college or are
graduates and about twenty college
! boy. home on vacations this sum
! mer. who worked with tn" children
on the Fairgrounds" said Mrs.
! popular with the small folks. and
! showed splendid ingenuity and re-
/ sourcefulneSS in their work. On the
, whole. this was quite the most sue
! OF Washington. More than $4,000
i.clIildie en came to the different play
grounds daily. an increase of 5000
, day over the number who enjoyed
. Next week, when school starts. we
will begin our regular fall athletic
! work On the playgr"unds."
j Mrs. Rhodes herself i an unusual
woman with an unusual ClrlhoCd be-
hind her. She is very popular with
all the girls and boys who work for
, her. and her word is law to thousands
| Of Washington children in their play
time hours. Mrs. Rhodes began life
as Susie Root. daughter of d ply
$ clan. DR.. A. Il. Root. in WISCONSIN.
, She was a small girl when her father
! decided to carry the family TO Crete.
Neb.. in 1872. They travelled the pic
tureSque route of the covered wagon.
She attended the public schools in
; Crete and was graduated from Doane
College. In 1880 she married DIR. Ben
jamin Root. and in 1889 and 1890 at
tended Teachers College. New York
| city. Her husband died in 1891 and
/ she then made her home with her
brother. DR. L. +. Root Of Salt Lake
City. Utah, until. in 1896. she was
married to Capt. Thomas r. Rhodes
! Her home has been in Washington
sine, 1889.
Mrs. Rhodes was a member OF the
advisory council of the worlds edu-
cational congress in 1893: was super
/ visor OF physical culture in Salt Lake
City public schools. 1925: lectured
in Chautauqua assemblies and summer
schools on public speaking, elocution
and oratory and taught primary
, teachers training classes 1876;
taught public speaking and dramatic
/, art. 1904-10: president of League of
American Pen Women. 1866; mem
Der of College Women's Club. Wom-
ems City Club. League of American
Pen Women. Council of Social
Agencies and like organizations. She
was a member of the Board of Educa-
tion in Washington for ten years. be-
ing the only one who received four
successive appointments of three
years each to that board.
Mrs. Rhodes studied elocution with
! Alexander Graham Bell and had kinder
garden work under the famous Angeline
| Brooks. Her training for the play
, ground work was very thorough, for she
! studied Swedish gymnastics with Jocob
| Boln and Baron Nils Posse; German
gymnastics with Prof. Niessen: and
, American with DR.. c. w. Emerson of
| Boston, DR.. William G. Anderson of
Yale and DIR. Jay Seaver of Chautauqua
| Summer School.
| Mrs. Rhodes was a magazine and
| newspaper writer for more than a score
Of years and produced feature articles
| for the press as correspondent from
the White House. Her most recent arti-
Gle is on the subject Of Fairgrounds as
Health Resorts" published last fall. The
marvellous increase in the playground
work this past year has enforced the
,, temporary silence Of her pen.
| OF all her many features on the differ
ent Fairgrounds there are two things of
which Mrs. Rhodes rs particularly
proud and which she wishes to empha-
size TO successful completion. One of
| them is the park playground.
There should be playground in
every park" said Mrs. Rhodes. for the
park is the ideal place for the children
to play in. The school Fairgrounds serve
their purpose very well, but even at
best they are barren blocks of dirt with
apparatus The. park supplies trees.
! shrubs. flowers and frequently water,
the natural aids to children in enjoying
the outdoors.
Col. Clarence Q. Sheriff.. in charge of
public buildings and grounds. has keen
! interest in the welfare Of the boys and
girls. Through his generosity a section
OF Montrose Park. with it's sixteen acres
fof forest and lawn, rose gardens. tennis
and croquet courts and pergolas has
been added recently to- the system of
municipal Fairgrounds We have been
promised $1,000 for more. apparatus on
this playground added Mrs Rhodes,
with 500 of the amount Immediately,
but cannot use the money till the Dis
trict, grants us more ground i'm this
park. noticed when visiting the play
ground officials in fourteen principal
cities of the country last year that the
park commissioners in these cities all
had direct charge of the Fairgrounds
and II was the park playground that was
| emphasized above all other kinds
The other playground project that we
are developing recently is the nursery
playground for tots from two to six
i years in age. These are modelled after
the nursery schools of England, intro
duced there in war time by Sir Auck-
1-,,Nl rall