Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1924-03-07
Observation-Disclosures,

Less than twenty-five years ago the
late DR.. Luther Halsey Guliek. the
late James +. sullivan, the late Thom-
as J. Crimmins. the late Evert Jansen
Wendell and tie ariier were none too
gently ssh TIE DOOR al the city
hall in New hafk City when they were
old enoug. 10 advocate supervised
playgrounds-suggesting a wider use
of Central Park. a setting aside of
vacant spaces and the acquisition of
new spaces. Ne less skeptical were
our national Legislators at Washing
ton when Gulick and the rest of us
advocated, planned and supervised
recreation programs for all.
why teach a child to play ," we
were asked. Does a bird have to be
taught to fly or a kitten to run after
a ball ?" When Gulick went about
proving that they did, would that we
could have had with US some of the
present-day Burgess books about
Peter Rabbit, Johnny Chuck, and their
furred and feathered friends,
Out of such experiences as these
came the wisdom that brought about
in 1906 the recognition of the Play
ground and Recreation Association of
America. Before 1906 only forty-one
cities had established supervised play
grounds. Today more than 500 towns
and cities maintain supervised play
grounds and recreation centerS. The
attitude of our city fathers toward
public recreation has indeed changed
since the days of Gulick and Sullivan.
Statistics collected through many
cities experiences in promoting di-
rected play have proved the truth and
soundness of the theories which the
recreation pioneers advanced at the
beginning of this century. Cities now
know that play under trained leader
ship can cut down juvenile delinquen-
cy. They know that safe and attrac-
tive play places can minimize the toll
IN child life taken by street vehicles.
Taxpayers have discovered that it is
cheaper to pay taxes for public recre-
alton than to buy expensive and often
unwholesome commercial recreation.
The philanthropic flavor of public
recreation has vanished. Community
participation is now the keynote. City
or town recreation programs are no
longer for the people, but by the peO-
pie, who govern and create their own
activities. Parks and Fairgrounds are
no longer breathing spaces" for the
poorer class. They are centers of life
and sociability for whole neighbor-
hoods.
Theodore Roosevelt was the first
honorary President of the Playground
and Recreation Association of Ameri-
ca. Its message TO cities was and is
"a wholesome and adequate play sup
ply is as necessary to your wellbeing
as a water supply or an education
supply. Throw open your vacant
spaces and equip them for public
play. Plan your future growth so
that your future citizens Will have
places to play. Build more commun-
ity centers and you will not need to
build so many jails. Employ trained
play leaders to direct the play OF your
boys and girls into channels of health,
seif-expression and good citizenship:
Through its information service It's
handbooks and the visits of its held
workers, who act as consulting play
engineers, the Association has given
practical help to hundreds OF towns
and cities.
Children's Fairgrounds are, now bul
one of the many phases OF the puDle
movement in America. Cities are plan
ming their recreation programs to IN
clude people of all ages. 1t pays, they
say, not only in happier and health,
ier body of citizens, but in increased
cooperation, increased efficiency, and
decreased crime.
Such public play facilities as ath-
letic fields, gymnasiums, swimming
pools, recreation piers, and munlclpal
vacation camps are fighting the tend
ency of twentieth century America 10
get its reeeation passively ana eN-
pensively merely by watching other
people play. Community art, eommun-
itv drama and community music are
giving routine workers opportunities
to find creative expression In theIf
free hours. Self-governing nelghbof-
hood associations are accomplishing
interesting things in civic welfare as
we'll as in better recreation.
Not only towns and cities, but fofal t,l
districts are practising the. twentieth
century play gospel. play 1or
larger life" They are building soclal
cenfers, staging pageants, equpplhg
plav fields and forming for themselves
both an athletic and artistic traaitioh