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A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Partial Fulfillment for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS Department of Sociology Head of Major’Departfiént Dean of Graduate School Michigan State College 1954 THE‘flS f “Trl707" 1—.“ 1227'?er ink/LL‘: o-LLJQ in. 4.: The writer wishes to acknowledge her indebtedness to Dr. E. Mumford, Dr. C. R. Eoffer, and Dr. J. F. Thaden of the Department of Sociology, of Michigan State (3 ollege 7‘ ~ssistance and guidance in the preparatio. ‘\ l H. . I 3;." i y“; for their of this thesis. (' ’3 :i 3 co p. Ca". TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I ' INTRODUCTION _____________ Method of Study .......... 1 Purpose and Scope --------- 5 5 Other Studies of Similar Nature - - 6 II HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLAYGROUND MOVEMENT ............... 9 Play Movement in other Countries - 9 Play Movement in the United States 10 III THE LANSING COMMUNITY AND ITS PLAYGROUND DEVELOPMENT -------- 25 The Lansing Community ------- 25 DevelOpment of Playgrounds in Lansing Playgrounds in Lansing in 1952 - - 59 IV THE LOGAN STREET SCHOOL PLAYGROUND - - 41 Location ------------- 41 Nature of the Population Surround- ing this Playground ------- 45 Type of Children Using Playground - 51 V ACTIVITIES OF THE LOGAN STREET SCHOOL PLAYGROUND IN RELATION TO SOCIALIZATION 61 Nature and Organization of the Playground Program -------- 66 Socializing Influences Effecting Character Development ------ 80 Leadership --------- 80 Teamwork and Cooperation — - 86 Sportsmanship -------- 91 Honesty ----------- 94 ReSponsibility and Loyalty - 98 Interest of Adults --------- 105 VI CONCLUSION - - — - - — - — - — — 4 - - 110 28 Chapter I NTRODUCTION (l) "The impulse to play is universe ." Play tradi- tions have come down through the ages from the time of pr'nitive man. Play, everywhere, has served some just pur- pose otherwise it would not have survived from the earliest type of civilization. Man, as no other type of living be- ing, has a long period of immaturity, and it is in this period of plasticity that play apparently serves its great- est purpose. Through the ages the best minds of the peOple, realizing that progress depended upon the wise use of re- creational activities, have studied the ways in which the group has employed its leisure hours. A few groups, however have been suspicious of play and have discouraged the light moods that accompany the recreative Spirit. But regardless of the encouragement by some and suppression by others, play is a social heritage of children today. The Greeks were the first to display their great strength and skill in the forms of games and Sports. Their technique in swimming, running, jumping, throwing, and wrestling is renownaL Honors in these Sports were contested for at the great Olympic games of 776 B. C. Other countries,such as Rome, advocated exercises to keep their bodies hardened, and the spirit courageous and resourceful. The Teutons devoted (1) Lee, Joseph. The Normal Course in Play. p. 5. 2 their leisure to swimming, wrestling, horsemanship, foot- racing, and the like. Then came the period of Chivalry in which fencing, tilting, and.archery were popular. At this time was born a Spirit of courtesy and Sportsmanship which is still observed today. Ever since civilization has exist- ed, men and women have striven to rise above the hard strug- gle for the bare necessities of life and to achieve leisure for the pursuit of recreational activities. In the modern age part of the rural pOpulation, having been attracted by wealth, or other influence has migrated to the cities. The increased amount of leisure, as a result of COOperative living, made it necessary for the urban group to produce means of constructive recreation. These large groups have found.adjustment problems very difficult, and in a city, where living quarters are close and the child has lost one of his most precious birthrights--the backyard, it has been deemed necessary to provide play areas for children and adults. The benefits of these playgrounds have been of a positive nature. Recreative facilities have seemed so necessary that in 1951,1010 cities provided play areas and (1) recreation leaders. Children will play if given the Opportunity, regard- less of where they are, and it has been the objective of many faithful workers in recreation to provide a commendable place for this activity. Because of this attitude and fore- (1) Yearbook of National Recreation Association - Recreation xxxv (May, 19 3,1) . sight on the part of many educators, settlement workers, social workers, and city officials the playground has found its place in the crowded urban areas. These leaders, in general, have had as their objectives; (1) Provision of safe places for children to play, away from the dangers of traffic and other hazards of the streets. (2) The prevention of crime and juvenile delinquency by pro- viding wholesome outlets for self-expression, under charac- ter-building leadership and supervision. (3) The improvement of public health and creation of happi- ness. (4) The maintenance of the morale of those forced into idle- ness by unemployment. (5) The deveIOpment of good citizenship among young and Old, through an organized program.of recreation. These objectives have been accomplished to a degree in many of the large cities Of the country, but what has been done is slight as compared to what could be done. "he larg- er cities have accomplished more than the smaller cities to- ward this ideal because of their available resources and great need. "The playground is one of the newest institu- tions of our city life which hai)arisen solely to meet the needs of complex social life." This being true, play- grounds should be found in every community in this country. Data, however, show that this is not true, but that groups 4‘; A... 4 _L‘ .... ._.—— w?— j— (1) J’ - B . Na sh . The. .Orsaaiaeiigzia’id. gangsta-:1}. inn. hf. Playggggnds,andgaegreation. p. 20. are rapidly seeing the benefits of municipal recreation and are planning and providing for it. Lansing, for example, with a pOpulation of 78,397 provides a system of municipal recreation which gives su- pervision for a year-round leisure time program. This city has been very progressive in its views and has advocated many Valuable educational methods for leisure time pursuits. The group which has charge of these activities is termed the City Recreation Department. The program which it has promoted has been Varied, and includes enough peeple to af- fect a large portion of the city's pepulation. There is one area in the city near the Olds Mctor Com- pany and the Fisher Body Corporation which is almost total- ly of Syrian and Negro extraction. One well equipped play area, (Scott Field) at the edge of this section is providing many of these children and adults with play space but this playground is ten blocks from the densely pOpulated part of the section. Location of these playgrounds is shown on Map I on page 25. The older children might be eXpected to travel} this distance for play but the younger group which is still closely guided by mothers is left to play in the street. It is for this group that the City Recreation Department has placed supervision, during the summer nonths, on the Logan Street School Playground but the area is so small that it will not accomodate the larger boys, so that many problems have arisen in the administration of this playground. The writer of this study personally directed activities on this playground at the time it was established with supervision. Purpose.gnd Scone The purpose of this study is threefold; namely, (1) to trace the rise of the playground movement in Lansing, Michigan, (2) to study the attendence of the Logan Street School Playground with relation to nationality and color, age groupings, and distance traveled to the play- ground. I (3) to study the program.of the Logan Street School Playground with relation to the socialization qual- ties created bi nlaizround activities. r L Method The method used in this study is-a combination of historical, statistical and case methods. Historical data have been used to trace the rise of the play movement, which conveys the idea that this develogment is comparatively re- cent. Statistics have been used in tables, graphs, and charts to show the facts concerning the develOpment of play- grounds in Lansing, and to study the attendance on the Logan Street School Playground. The case method has been employed to illustrate the character qualities; which seem to be pro- moted by the playground,:ind that are so important to good socialization and true democracy. The writer has used caution not to make exaggerated statements as to the effect of play Opportunities in the develOQment of character and socialization. These traits are a result of many forces, -— individual, social, racial, religious, educational, economic, etc., so that it is easy to make overstatements as to the importance of any one fac- tor. Scientific determination of the results of a subject so many-sided and so elusive is difficult to measure. Ob-. Jective tests for socializing effects of play have not been set up as yet, and the material which has been used repre- sents only a initial attempt. Therefore what facts are available will be stated and generalizations will be made only as the writer has observed their effects or the bene- fits. U) of Similar.§gture There have been many as- Other :Si‘tudie sertions made concerning the benefits of a playground in re- lation to character and socialization Values of play activi- ties. These studies, however, are not objective nor are they substantiated by definite examples. There are data, however, concerning the activities of the children,ihe ages which attend the playground and the distance that children travel to the playground. The Board of Education of Chicago in 1925 asked a few questions of the children to discover what they wanted in their playground program. The question, "Suppose I am a fairy, or wealthy citizen and I am going to 5ive you a bar of gold to make a play5round, l- uha t kind of a play5round would you build? 2- Jhat kind of playthin5s would you have on the playground?. 3- What kind of a teacher would you have on the play5round? The answers to these questions gave the board of education valuable information. Of course, there were many answers, but, in general, the children wanted a lat 5e play5round., swings and slikdes as p aythin5s, and a (I) kind teacher who knew games and was athletic. The Bureau of Recreation of the City of Evanston, Illinois made a study of the percentage of the children at- tending the play5rounds that were of certain a5es. These figures would indicate that the greatest number of children 9 using the olgy5round were 11 and 12 years of 3.58. The Bureau of Recreation of Scranton, Pennsylvania re- ports that its praCtice of re5isterin5 each boy and 5irl at- tending the playgrounds resulted in the securin5 of some helpful information. Out of 4,648 children that were re5is- tered on fifteen pla y 5'rounds, the greatest number were be- tween the a5es of 13 and 12. A great majority, about 90 percent, of the children tr Weled a quarter of a mile or less to the playground. The registration also indicated A _‘A ._— ”4.— (1) ”What Do Children ‘Vant?" Board of Education, Chica.o, IlllhOls. Playground xx, (July 192 6) . 215. _‘A—A“ Department of Recreation. that the playgrounds were servin%lonly about 26 percent of all of the children of Scranton. Helen Farrell studied the effective radius of recreation centers in Hashin5ton, D. C. for the completion of a Master of Arts degree at the Catholic University of America in June 1951. The median distance traveled by Various groups to the playground did not vary with the different age groups, and one-quarter of a mile was about the limit children might be expected to travel, unless some Special activity or facil- ‘2) ity was the ma5net. N) These studies can only be compared to Chapter IV of this study. References will be made to them, however, when- ever effective comparisons can be made. ho study of social- ization values or of character‘values which were similar to this study, was discovered by the writer. (1) Bureau of Recreation of Scranton, Pennsylvania, Play- groundpgegistratigg. Hational Recreation Association, Bulletin, 2836. (2) Helen c. Farrell. The Effective mayday Recreation Centers in Washington, D. C. National Recreation Association, Bulletin, No. ?458. Chapter II HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLAY MOVEIEI” The modern play movement is not a characteristic of a sin5le country. It had its besinnin5s in practically every country of the world, and shaped itself accordin5 to the special physical and social environments of each nation. Countries of Europe and our own United States ave been pro- minent in the develoyment of he modern play movement. Probably Germany has had the most extensive modern back- 5round in the play movement. It was in 1880 that the first playgrounds were established in Berlin. These were simple sandlots for little children and babies. The develOpment of the movement in Gennany as been primarily connected with schools. Many of "the schools for the masses" are equipped with outdoor play spaces as well as indoor gymnasiums. hu- nicipally controller play areas are rare in German‘, but there are many private play5rounds. These are found especi- ally in connection with the athletic associations, with te- nant or apartment houses, and with beer gardens. A few of the city parks and vacant lots have provided small Spaces for play, but in general the larger part of the work is car- ried on b; or5anisations other than the municipality. En5land perhaps rates next as a great sports lovin5 nation. PeOple in this country have Spent much of their time in competitive Sports -- almost to the exclusion of 10 other types of recreation. England does provide munici- pal play Space, but there is no supervision except in the sense of a ccretaker, and very little apparatus is provided. Sweden and France have not found the great yleasure in Sports that some nations have, but they have Spent their leisure time in gymnastic exercises. Perhaps oweden's con- tributions to the play movement in America have consisted of certain exercises which have been found so useful that they are the basic foundations of some of the American games. France has really been influenced by America. Since the World War the American Red Cross has organized pl ygrounds in France and directors have been sent from city to city tea hing games. The Orient and South America have felt the play move- ment only as they have come in contact with the western cul- ture. Tourists and enthusiasts have taxen their ideas with them to these countries and have inculcated the play suirit into their lives. Modern playgrounds, patterned after those found in the United States, can be found in both of these territories. The Play Movement_in United States The play movement of the United States has been consi- derably different than in other countries. "In Germany, it had as its puroose the physical develooment of children to make'better soldiers and mother's of soldiers," (1) and in (l) T. D. Wood and R. F. Cassidy, The hew_fihysical Education, 10. 54. 11 England the movement grew because of the increased leisure .of the uioer class of society. In America Lla""rounds were established as a result of an analysis of unwholesome social conditions, and it aimed to imvrove the environment of the child so that he might develOp more normally into a healthy, happy individual. Playgrounds at first were Sporadic and short lived. The earliest action tona‘d olavqi und develo ment in thi country has been suopcsted as the provision of H3vx En; :1and town commons which date as far back as 1654, when the Boston common was established. There is evidence that these commons were used for play, but their original purpose was for pas- turage. Between 1820 and 1833 a great many Germans thit wei' e 3oliti011 e tiles es tab shed outdoor gymnasiums in the schools .- and colleges of America.. This movement seemed to be just a flare of enthus - em and it faded as soon as these Germans re- turned to their own country. A church in Boston, in 1868, provided a play yard for play and it was maintained in connection with‘the vacation school. Hovxever, this received little if any attention, but it did show a co :1scious ness of a need that did not gain re- cognition until twenty years later. In l876, ‘Ha shinbton Park of Chicago provided a "meadou’" for team games but it has been found that no games were played there. 12 ‘I All of these early provisions for play nave been de- signated by some authors as the beginning of he play move- ment. But it seems that the one most frequently noted as the origin of the movement was established in 1885 in Bos- ton. A.committee member of the Massachusetts Emergency and Hygiene Association, while visiting in Berlin, was impressed with the heals of sand in the parks in which children were playing.. As a result of the report of the committee, heaps of sand were put in different places in Boston. These were only partially szccessful, but in 1886 three piles of sand were put in other places. There was no supervision at first except that given voluntarily by interested mothers and wo- men of he neighborhood. Matrons were employed however, in 1887, when the number of sand gardens had increased to ten. By 1899 the number had increased to twenty-one, of which all but one were located on school yards. This same year the city council appropiated $3,000 toward their support. E. 8. Rain- water, quite conclusively shows that this was the real be- ginning of our modern nlayground and that the first beginnings were just mere attempts with but little community soirit be- hind them. (1) he cities that are reported to have followed Boston in the establishment of glaygrounds, and to have gained aid and even conied the Boston system are noted in Table I. Some of these cities established playgrounds but had little interest 'Orm« W‘- v 1— ‘- ’-§—- 7.7 T (l) Clarence E. Rainwater. Thefiglay Movegent in the United States. p. 20. TaBLE I Cit es in the United States Reporting P aygrounis for the First Time, from 1889 to 1899 Cities : Date :1 Cities : Date : New York : 1889 :: Milwaukee : 1897 : (Sporadic until): 1899 1: ' ("i I Brooklyn 1889 an Fransico : 1898 : (Sporadic until): 1897 Philadelphia : 1893 :: Cleveland : 1898 : Providence : 1894 :: Denver : 1898 : Chicago : 1894 :: Minneapolis : 1898 : (Sporadic until): 1899 :: Baltimore : 1897 :: Louisville : 1899 : so that the permanent establishment had not Come until a later date. By 1900, many of the large cities of the United States had caught the sgirit of this new social movement. However the big impetus did not come until the organization of the National Playground Association, (now the National Recreation Association of America). Undoubtedly the play movement prior to 1900 had a more difficult struggle to exist in this country than it had in other countries. This is probably due to three reason, - "In the first place, our heritage of Puritanism is more gen- eral than that which exists in other lelding nations. In the second place, the conditions of frontier life which dominated our early history were unfavorable to the civilization of the lighter moods of refined recreation; and in the third place, 14 the abundance of natural resources available overstimulat- 1) ed the work motive." With the gradual maturing of our national life, and with the increase in the size and com- plexity of cities there began a conscious effort to culti- 1 Vate the play spirit. effort has seen so effective that ‘ undoubtedly the United states has done more in the promotion of national, state, county, and municipal recreation than any other nation of the world. The slow develOpment of glaygrounds from 1885 to the establishment of the Playground Association may be seen in Table II. Table II Humber of Cities in Playgrounds for the the United States Reporting Supervised First Time, by Years, 1885 - 1907. (2) ...-_‘ ' j. — w '— Date No. Date No. Date No. 1885 1 1898 4 1903 2 1889 2 1899 1 1904 5 1893 1 1900 7 1905 4 1894 2 1901 5 1906 9 .1896 1 1902 2 1907 6 54 Total The Playground'Association was established in 1906, and it began to be effective the first year of its organization. It should also be kept in mind that although cities reported playgrounds it is not certain that they continued their play _.— -‘v 77"-“ (1)Walter R. Smith, 0p. cit., p. 159-160. (2)01arence E. Rainwater, Op. cit., p. 20. (part of table) 15 grounds until 1906. It would seem, then, that the discrep- ancy in figures concerning he number of cities reporting playgrounds at the time of the first meeting of the associ- ation could be accounted for. These figures range from 20 to 41, and the writer was unable to determine which was the most nearly correct. However Table III will show the de- finite figures from 1911 to 1931. Table III humber of Cities in United States Reporting Connunity Re~ creation Leadership, by Years, 1911 to 1931. (1) v—wfiwv' ' —— Date 30. Date No. Date No. 1911 257 1910 398 192 748 1912 285 1919 423 -1928 790 1913 342 1920 485 1927 815 1914(no report) 1921 502 1928 872 1915 482 1922 505 1929 945 1916 371 1923 680 1930 980 1917 481 1924 711 1931 1010 These figures would indicate that there has been an increase in the United States every year since 1911. The increase in the provision of cities for leadership and for more play space is indiCated by Chart I on the following page. .Although the Playground Association is now called the National Playground and Recreation Association of america, it is directed by the same foresighted eadership that has always characterized its proceedings. The first leaders were propagandists in the fields of play and recreation, health, (1) Taken from the May issues (1911 to 1932) of Playground (Statistical yearbooks of the Playground and Recreation Association of America? (3 :2 p. "1 rd $4 23000 20000 24000 23000 22000 ,0000 20000 [9000 A6000 /7000 /6 A5 [4000 /3000 A2000 //000 /0000 3000 6000 7000 6000 6000 4%00 3000 2000 /000 07.909 Number of Employed Recreation Leaders and Number of Di- rected Play Areas in the United states, Ey Years, (1) “~‘O —‘-——v ‘— v w m-‘ (1) Public Re rention Viewed from the Half-way Hark. Recreation, Vol. 25, fiarch 1951. p. 87. l7 and social work. This group helped unify the playground movement. In addition, its field workers went from city to city putting on campaigns of publicity, stirring up 10- cal interest, and giving practical aid in helping each municipality launch its individual movement. The problems in the different cities shaped the recreational programs in different ways. 80 in certain cities the neighborhood cen- ter, or the recreation field house, or the children's play grounds, are the leading form of recreation emphasized. These problems which have been met in these various ways seem to be manifested in s ages of deveIOpment of the play'movement. As one particular recreational feature has been successful in one city it has been tried by other cities and if successful has been made a part of their progrsm. There seems to be a sort of a collection of these different aspects, - such as playgrounds, neighborhood centers, com- munity centers, until today there is the city department of recreation which administers all of these activities under different sub-departments. Rainwater makes a very careful azalysis of these stages » (1) and names seven of them. The names of these stages and he dates that roughly approximate the period21re as follows: ”(1) the "sand garden" stage, dominant during 1885-95; (2) the "Model playground" stage, about 1895-1900; (3) the "small ._.. A4 A — Ff? ._va v (1) Clarence E. Rainwater, op. cit., Chapter III. 18 park" stage, about 1930-05; (4) the "recreation center" stage, 1905-12; (5) the "civic-art and welfare" stage, 1912-15; (6) the "neirhborhood organization" stage, 1915- (1) 18; (7) the "community service" stage, since 1918." The "sand garden" stage designates that period of ten years that the playground had boxes or piles of sand for children under twelve years of age to play in. These sand piles might be placed in church yards, settlement yards, tenant or apartment house courts, or in parks, and school ards. With the single exception of the Charlesbank Out- door Gymnasium, these sand gardens characterised the play- grounds of this decade. The "model playground" stage is best described as an experimental stage. While some cities were just accepting the sand piles others were beginning to emperiment with types of eauipment, and trained leadership. The older child- ren were beginning to be considered as well as the smaller ones. Adults were encouraged to be Spectators, and at times to even participate in some of the activities. In this stage, also, it was realized that provision should be provid- ed for by the public, and not alone by private philanthropic persons, in order that the movement be a success. The "small park" stage is an attempt to beautify the play areas and make them more useable. The period designates (1) Ibid., p. 46. f 19 the need for play area in all the congested parts of the city, and their location be accessible to the homes of the district. These areas were not only to be beautiful by means of lawn and flowers, but they were to be used for play by all ages of the community. The "recreation center" stage was perhaps first realis- ed by the South Park Conmission of Chicago. This period at- tempted to accomodate both children and adults in outdoor activities and indoor recreation. This necessitated hous- ing, which was met by the idea of ”fieldhouses". The pro- grams were combinations of physical exercise; manual play, such as kite making; aesthetic play, or plays, dramas, and musical entertainments; socials, such as dancing, group games and club meetings; and civic activities, as lectures, local meeting, and community improvement discussions. In the past four stages there has been improvement in the structure of the playground. Recreation at this stage is provided.flor all the peeple of that area, and is provided at all times. In this fifth stage there is not a new develOp- ment in the structure of the playground but in the program which is offered. The "civic-art and welfare" stage changed the emphasis from the playground structure to a broader pro- gram. Municipal bands, orchestras, play guilds, play festi- vals, and civic or community singing b-gan to appear in the program. This stage also was a direct reaction against the 20 eXploitation of arts in commercialized recreation. The "neighborhood center" was an organization of play on a neighborhood basis. This organization has attenpted to bring the neighborhood or community together’in groups that were smaller and more manageable than city or county- wide group. These neighborhood groups were encouraged to be self-supporting and self-controlled. They were granted us of the school buildings for their meetings and some of course used the recreation centers. The "community service" stage has been a propagandist stage. shortly following the World War, and even during the war, the Pl"ground and Recreation Association felt the need of Closer union of the neighborhood groups. This movement was the encouraging of municipalities to set Up self-supyort- ing leisure time groups and to limit the group to the neigh- borhood which was a small workable unit, Leaders were sent “3 out to the different cities of the United States or the pur- pose of helying to organise such a progrwn. The community service, Which was sometimes Called the war camp conuunity service, aided cities to adjust themselves to the unnatural conditions of a large number of young men who were in the soldier encampments near these cities. This stage lasted until about 1922 and although Hr. Rainwater has not added another stage, it does seem to the writer that another should be added. 21 There seems not to have been many revolutionary changes in the past ten years. On the contrary there has been a gradual develOpment of each of the seven stages of recreation in each city. More emp asis is being placed on the results that can be measured objectively. The programs are being broadened to meet all the possible needs, of the group. Each city is using statistics to prove the worth of the playground and the community program. Playground develOpment has passed the eXperimental stage and has become a recognized munic'pal benefit. ‘he writer suggests for this stage the name, "the stage of proof." By way of swmmary, it might be well to note the defin- ite trends or transitions that have taken place in the pro- gress of playground develOpment. Various authors have listed many of the sane trends; C. E. Rainwater lists nine in number (1) as follows: (1) from provision for little children to that for all ages of peOple; (2) from facilities Operated during the summer only to those maintained throughout the year; (5) from outdoor equipment and activities only, to both outdoor and indoor facilities and events; (4) from congested urban districts to both urban and rural communities; {53 from philanthrooic to community support and control; 6 from "free" play and miscellaneous events to "di- rected" play with osganized activities and corre- lated schedules; (7) from a simple to a complex field of activities in- cluding manual, physical aesthetic, social, and ClVlC projects; (8) from the provision of facilities to the definition (9) ;: standards fornthe use of leisure time; on .1ndiv1dual interests to "group" and community activ1t1es. ‘ A (l) Clarence E. Rainwater, Ibid., p. 192. James Rodgers would add four more concerning the type of 5t is done on the playground and in the recreation 1 From the old notion of play supervision to play leadership; from tne old idea of need for aoparotus to the more recent emphasis on trained leaders; from picked teams to mass participation; from paid directors to volunteer leaderoLip (in ‘part) 3. F. Steiner has noted several other trends other than those (2) already brought out as: (2) the acquisition of land outside the city corporate limits for recreation, by the city; parks now seem to constitute the major resource of the urban pOpulation for outdoor recreation; These trends constitute the major changes that have taken place in American slay movement, and they have had their influence in every nation of the world. g-‘AAAAA A ‘A (1) James Rodgers, "Ten Changes in Seventeen Years", Plaz- ground, Vol. XVII, E0. 6, September 1923, p. 344. (2) J. F. Steiner, Recent Social Trends, p. 915. 23 Chapter III THE LALSING COIHUHITY AHD ITS P ‘YGROUHD DEVELOPMENT The_Lansing Community Lansing began its career in about 1837, when several settlers built their houses on the banks of the Red Cedar and the Grand Rivers. These early pioneers built a dam across the larger of the two streams and began an industry of sawing logs and establishing homes. The forest has van- ished but in its place stands the industrial city of Lans- ing, to which these two rivers have made and still continue to make their contributions in the beautification of the city as well as in providing a place for water sports. The state legislature in 1847, voted to establish the state capitol in this small community, and Lansing became an important city before it had even gained the distinction of being a village. Lansing did not grow fast, at first, even though it was the leading city of the state. It was not until 1853 that a good road was built from Detroit; nor until 1863 that the first railroad was constructed to the city. Lansing's first industrial activity was a dam, built to provide Water .poter for cutting logs. Later, when the city limits were established by the legislature, certain areas were set aside along the river and designated for "hydralic manufacturing". 24 These industries have tended to locate along the railroad. What few have used the river as a source of no er and as place of waste refuge have greatly destroyed its beauty, and in places have made it quite undesirable. There has been a definite increase in the pOyulation every year since Lansing was incorporated as a city in 1859. The growth from 1860 (5,074 inhabitants) to 1890 (13,229 inhabitants) was fairly rapid. But the increase in pepula- tion has been much more rapid since 1930, due to the develOp- ment of the Rec and Oldsmobile manufacturin; and auto acces- sory industries. Lansing has a small foreign pOpulation. The foreign- born §roup compose only 8.4 per cent of the total of 78,597, the negro only 1.8 percent, and the native white of foreign or mixed parentage about 20 percent. The largest percent of foreign groups is from Canada, Germany, and England. The a- tive white of foreign or mixed parentage have a difficult problem in adjusting to the schools in Lansing and the home environment of their parents. When the playgrounds cater to this type of child, as does the Logan Street School Playground, it is almost impossible to‘judge how much influence can be attributed to the home and how much can be attributed to the school and playground influence. The city of Lansing is divided into.ei;ht wards. The Logan street School Playground is located in ward 3, (as is indicated by the green shading on Rap I.) There are 1,409 r.~C «Ran—é . $3.! \.u// 5 ii ‘||.|i0..lu1urzll I I N C J L0 0} H .suafl.oHH .usflmsmg 2H mandogmhwam mmEEdm dmmH>nmmSm “H 5 no w” \W on w ‘93:. test V3.35 361v» ....weszx‘ alt-ks . oizs‘ u ii... i2 “tiring-.9. Ifttv H30: t: 3 :0an 33.3 2.3.1.6. .Srzt 30 ..wthflg E: at! (block 3.36.9 ~ and ..Qoiyxu fixa.” :54 E ta»: gnaacu ~13! ROE-I u: ; snot~Q ti 3‘ if i u taSLn. u: x ..R hit ‘ M.“ l) Q\tt..v o Hahot cos .2 3 mus-aha» "NW 6.qu 3.! I"! . §. . 33! ck. N mu: 5 :15. rat—at“ Iv~\\ a It nadfig . I I!‘ (8“ Rent!“ \ W ‘Qin OI twutarsw URN “.3 Nb qn-VKQ‘ “l“kkg azaNN§Q U~uh£ °z\w.1 3433\Q Lek Tin: .... uuzkznu «32.x we: .33.? Sm 318°: .SS‘ESE 6.3% .835 u «Stew .6 x33 EDD - Eggs EDD magma WEE: V: ‘k -§l¥< MOM Q {Wmuztbtk N b. «353 x SD 11% 3 (Si its a...“ REQU or it: u x W939. o: 5:83 : ml _ _ m . . ©Z\m/ZQ Sofie. S< m m 1.3.5 400.1 ....s. , m kmmEKW_\(qq ... Sid E II" 'I'l‘. [ll all. .z/ I! I'll. >8 «.0 uocb 625261— Lo err—.5 .5 .22 :2 S. 82.0 negroes residing in Lansing, and 58 percent of these live in ward 5. About 50 percent of the given number Syrians of the city also live in this ward. The greater part of the foreign and negro in this area live near the factories. Lansing has been particularly fortunate in having city officials who have been moderately progressive. Of the city government, the park beard has been especially inter- ested in providing the city with many fine parks and play areas. The board of education supervises all th public schools and this group has been especially farseeing by not bonding the city for new school buildings. The education department of Lansing is almost entirely free from debt, which fact has affected its attitude toward the recreation progran. They have felt the necessity of leisure time pro- grams, and because they have not been handicapoed with burdensome debts they have been able to contribute toward the City Recreation Department activities. According to the 1930 City Directory, there are seventy; five churches, missions, synagogues, volunteer and salvation Army halls which conduct social meetings and especially young peoples' meetings. Some of these churches have been active in the recreation program and several have gone so far as to build gymnasiums in the annex of their church or in the Church proper. Other churches have supported and encouraged ‘team-Sports and have entered their teams in the city indus- trial league s . 27 Others have formed leagues among themselves and have -.had championship teams. They have encouraged adult recrea- 'tion in adult hand-ball classes and volleyball teams as well as the social groups, such as sun ay school classes and clubs. , The Y. W. C. A. and.the»¥. W. C. A. have done exceptiOn- ally well in their recreational program until the city re- creation department became so well organized that many of those who once patronized these organizations now use the facilit es which are offered by the city department because there is no cost attached to the recreational events Sponsor- ed by city. The industries of Lansing have done much toward the advancement of the recreation program in furnishing and sup- portin; teams, encouraging participation by their employees, and by actual financial aid. The industries at one time or- ganized and administered their own athletic propran, but since the city department has been organised the industries and the city departnent have cooperated in the organization and promotion of the leagues. Some of the industries still carry on programs within their own plants, such as bowling, volleyball, and indoorball, between the departments within the factory. The Rec motor Car Company probably has done more than any other plant in the city toward providing their employees and their families with recreation. 28 Tovies, pool-rooms, semi-professionul baseball und ance halls have comprised the greater part of the conmer- Ciel recreational fucilities offered to the Lansing people. With this background of the city of Lansind it is hOpA ed that the reader may gain a clearer conception of the consciousness of the community concerning the necessity of a good recreation program. It seems logical that Lansing, with its stable and progressive poJulstion should have lea- ders that recognize the benefits of an organization to di- rect leisure time activities. Such people consider the worth of playgrounds to their children and its Value in the use of leisure time. Development of Plgxdrgunds in Lansing In the summer of 1911, Miss Hwy Wagner, u principul in the Lansing 3chool,system, was visiting in Rochester, New York. She became very much interested in playgrounds in that city and it was suggested to her thut she night do thut kind of work in her own community. she pondered over the idea for some time and finally decided to try her plan. In September of that year she reported to the Lansing Principals Association.thst sne knew about plsygrounds and suggested that they could be develoned in Lansing. (then a city of 33,300 peoDle, less than half ‘he size it is toray.) As a result a committee wus appointed to present the mutter of muncipdl playgrounds to the oeoele of the city. A muss meeting wls L s. caller which was attended ‘y members of the City Council, 29 the Board of Education, Principiils Association and other individuals who were interested and understood tM1 funda- mental needs of supervised recreution for chiliren. The chairman of the coumittee pesented u plan which was enthus- i stically received and which proved to be a nucleus for the ploy5round movement. At a second mess meetin5, on October 11, 1911, the committee presented s Constitution which nus ecce,ted, and officers were elected. Lu ns in5 Public Play 5rounds became ’v' I" an assured fuct. buch names as Lee odllin5- Jumes m. Reusoner, Mdy Wu5ner, and Hurry hennett appeared among the office rs of this association. Those on the board were Vic- tor Petten5ill, John McClellan, Dr. A. E. Owen, Geor5e K. Thomas, Mrs. F. C. Aldin5er, Mrs. Richlrd ocott, und Hrs. Elijah Poxson. ”11is bourd continued to function du iin5' the period of 1211 to 1915. The newly elected bOurd decided that it \ould not ssh for.municipul support until pluy5rounds in Lansin5 hod prov- ed u success. Throu5h the 5enerosity of u fen citizens who donated from one to ten dollars each, u bud5et of $653.00 was raised for the first year. Durin5 July and Au5us t of 1912, Lansin5 tried its ex- periment of the promotion of public oluy5rounds. Two play- arounds were Opened, one on edst side--Eds side Pork (now Called Out Per?) -- end one on the west side of tonn--Kula- imnzoo street school xldy iouni. It should be noted thrt 50 L ‘ '1 1 from the very first experiment the negro of Aducution Was interested in the movement end ororioted plig-5a round by ul- lowin5 the use of school property for sumner pl y5round use. The attendance for the first year, thou5h not as ltr5e as thlt of the following, WuS very satisfactory, bein5 close to 20,010. Parents freluently did not understand thut puid supervisors were constuntly on the 5rounds durin5 hours and that the children were as safe there us in their own buck- yards. So successful W~+ the pl5y5round work the first summer that the Park Board 51ve the necessary financial support the follow 1 yeur, allowin5 the 91 "(iound con;ittee full au- thority in spendin5 the funds -- employin5 supervisors, di- rectin5 WOL’k {did fixino '” 13.. EI‘OQI'ILI’L. There were three ol-‘uc01nds Opereted durin5 July and Au5ust of second yeur of meintenunce, but as provided, there were n 1%,5T0d1 s which uttructed the older boys and 5irls. Th Pla; 5-0-31 Ass001ution realiz thdt these boys und girls should be reached, and they attempted to provide play space for t'em as soon as they were able to secure the menu . :3 The stunddrds towurd which the association_st ao1flin5 durin5 these first few yedrs were sdequstely ex 1essed in the year-book for 1915 e si7e of Lansin5 should have not less then y5rounds Jith Space reserved for fut dre use. 111‘ be lti5e ernnn“i to 5ive.25511rute spsce d. "A City tli f public 1 v ive p u Lic11rom1 sh o '2' .11 for the old er 5irls 1nd 1 se 3arate Space for the older boys. The ~ro 1V1“) shomll oe laid out by a Co"‘PT nt land- scape architect. Places of shelter, drinkin5 fountains 111:1 toilets should be provided and the sane care and thou 5ht should be exercised es in the case or otlm r suolic utility. Finally these sane slay spaces should be utilised in the evenin5 by men and omen of the community who need who seems recreation." (1) Mr. Edward Deflitt wws the supervisor of 1lJV'roInls for the years 1913, 1914, and 1915. He brou5ht to the work u construe ive, scientific and professional Service which can scarcely be over-estimated. He believed that play supervi- sion Wis a very important ghdse of pldyground work, but he also believe 1 th t it was essential to provide tllVero nds with a certain am101nt of e 1111cnt .nd appai tus. his sc1- entific attitude caused h n to provide e weekly meetin5 for play5round directors in which they discussed their pro5ran for the coming week. N J 5ames and rules were discussed and explained. These pro5rams, included singin5 5nnes, suitaole for small children; 5roug games; congetitive gmnes for boys and for girls; folk vanes; and story telling. In 1915, at the Kalamazoo Street school Play5round, a kite contest had many enthusi lasts, and at East bide Park the youn5er boys organised a sail boat club. Att ender ce ref wort were considerably smaller than they ‘8 today but considerin5 the pegulation, which was about 40,0d0, there was a 51e1t deal of interest shown. _—‘ ._ .w.. *—o— 4‘ '— (l) Lansin; Pl”r roind lssocietion Reiort 1915. V‘fl/LJ" manslv Attendence Reverts of the Lansing PlaYJTOEHdS b" Plav’ grounds for 1914 and 1915 (1) Playground : -:EE.?:d&n_? , : 1914 f 1915 East Side Park : 24,410 : 3 ,301 Kblamazoo 6t. behool : 7,675 : 8,772 Moores Pork : 6,935 : 6,165 Bee Perk : ----- : 9,025 During each summer, the plsr¢rounds were Opened 52 days. It was estizuted that the cost of the two original play5roands for two years amounted to about two cents per day for each child us'ng the pllyground. During this beginning, from 1915 to 1915, finances were obtained from different sources. The cosmittee worzed with great effort during these yesrs to provide ddeauate playgrounds. When the funds were deficient from the Park Board they'hsd to be solic‘ted from citizens who were usual- ly very willing to give their support. At the end of the sedson of 1915 the committee decided that the work st_t00 important to rest Upon Sporadic effort and that it properly belonged to the municipality, so they petitioned the City COUHCLl to assume full resoonsibility in vH--- -_— (l) Lansing Playgroqnd association Report, 1915. order that the benefits derived by the children of the community might be based upon an assurunce of oerxunency, and in 1916 the Park Bohrd assumed control. Between the years of 1916 and 1999 the play program gruduully increased. A rapidly growing modern industrial city, absorbing muny young men and women in its Various in- dustrial plants and uuxillinry enterprises, needed olsy spaces and sport programs to enliven the free hours of its people. The park depurtnent with its foresightedness was holding to n genera park expansion plsn which nus keeping pace with the demands. As the city grew n05 purk and re- creation arias were ac;uirei and a larger program deveIOped.' In the mean time the Board of Education was securing facilities and building excellent structures to keep pace with the education of the youth of the city. They provided. playgrounds in connection with the school buildings which were used during the summer us pluyfields. Severnl Junior, senior, and grade schools, were built with large gyn.ssiums and auditoriums as integral units, with the idea thdt some day these would be used by the general public. A long winter, permitting but little outdoor activity, ‘soon brought in the use of the school gynnasiuns for indoor industrial athletic leagues. Within a few years the problem of caring for all the playgrounds and the facilities of the gynnasiums thut were used ‘uring the winter becune so greut that it was felt thit a full time Director of Recreation C31 )3 r‘j 'v‘l \m. I] T 4:94.; (v.2. .1." ct h rJ (D 9 < ‘3 J O C '1 r.) should be employed to administer started and to erqnx.1uiahri evelOp the m1c 1? u cons;stent with the facilities and funds provided. Conseguently, at a joint meeting of the Board of Education, the PI 'rh Eourd, a repr sentetive of the Eutiondl Recreation Association end the Huyor of the city, the Department of Recreation becnme a fact. Playground develoament durinU these thirteen years who progressing, out only us the Park Board and the Bourd of Education could find time to incorporlte momainto their pro- gram. Perhaps u table will portray best whut took place. The figures in T ole I were oot1ined from the yeurbooks of the Nationul Recreation Associ1tion. The data are not com- plete for each ye1r because some of the yelrbooks were unu- vuileble and 0th rs did not have Lansing enumerated. The National Recreation Associdtion also changed the ouections which they asked so th1t some of the statistics in the tible are not couplets. One will notice how the figures begin to chsnée after 192 when a full tine director was hired and whose only duty it was to oversee city recreation. The one full-time recreation lender that is noted from 925 to 19r8 nus a su- #1 Lpervisor of athletics and physical education in one school J.‘ Enid it was his duty to loch after the school ;luy;rounds, he did not spend ris entire time promoting municipal recrea- 'Uion. Fron1 1916 to 1939 ooth the City Forhs depnrthent uh the Board of Education conducted their pliygrounds under I lad—”1. ..... 55 .dmuoSJ demh one r mo Home OHHfidm .m son soup Heoamq nounemsoms H s04. .l! '1 I: r F‘. H: {H09 30ng mnzommpmop a; “ om “ mm H om " mm H wH u u u u u n u u " mpnnom mHeem u H u H u H u H u u u u u u u u “ "Hoom.sH5m noodpso u m u u u w u u s u u u u u u u u "meon HHmo @011 n 04.1.. 4. u A43). 1 - u an“). H ..- u ”HR H. H u NH..- - u Us u NH u H“ u H.” u H.” u u 4M; u 04.... 1.“ u kfiOr d m1 w. .HO mm-m "mewmom “cowooH .onmHm "oesonH n "noooH ooHuflocs “memo u u "QQQQH" mesmGQoppH ” u no u NH “ u u u u u u u u u ” meios " mm H mm “ em " u u u u n u u u n u now mameon .Hob " m H m u m u H u H u H u H u H u u u n u H " endopm.mw " an n we u om u wH u HH “ 0H u HH " HH ” w u w u n u n u n u meson u 00 “ om u on “ mH u bH ” NH " wH " vH " w u w u m u m u n u 1 new eHmp mHmmmoommH u u n u n u w u n n u u u u u mums¢ Hompo u HH u m u 6 u D u m u m u u u u u u u u Hmpflflfl. mpopcmo.sfioo u n u u u u n u m u u u u u u u mosz Rodeo u sH u mH u HH u HH “ NH “ m H OH " m u m u o u n u n u n " nHoo Hosidm .em:H Hm. com.o. " mmH uHan "ommH “ommH “mmmH “@mmH nmmH "emu uwmmH “mmmH uHmmH uoHdH uonH " “mama op aHmHv w ,H new. hp SumHmoflW ..... .msHmseH SH QOproaomi dQMH>Homnm "Igtui'l 7’ u6 different direction and independently of each other. Some of the years onl"r one of these departments sent in records to the National Recreation Association, so that at times there seems to be a decrease (1992 and 1923) in the number of playgrounds. In 1933 was The City Recreation department b8 new composed of three full tim workers. Mr. August Fischer, the director of re- creation, Mrs. Harold Harvey, the assistant director in charge of all women's recreation, and firs. Gleason, a secretary in the department office. This staff has succeeded in carrying on a program which has had national recognition. Many of the athletic leagues were started by the indus- tries of the city, but the recreation department has organ- ized these under one heed to eliminate overlapping of the activities of the different organizatiens. Table VI will indicate the extent of the program which the recreation de- ])artment is Sponsoring in the line of athletic participation. Diamond ball for the girls and baseball for the men has attracted a great deal of interest in the city. at the championship game of the girl's diamond ball there is record- ed an attendance of 5,000 spectators. Although the depart- ment does not encourage spectatorship, the interest in these games have made it necessary to establish bleachers for the crowds. Besides these games the department has organised a Girl's Recreation Club which gives suggestions to Mrs. Harvey as to TABLE'VI Athletic Leagues Promoted by the Lansing Recreation Department and the Extent of Participation,for 1932 (l) : No. : No. : No. : No. Teams: Played: Players: Spectators : Summer leagues Baseball Capitol City League : 9 : 116 : 164 : 156,430 : Junior Baseball City League : 7 : 46 : 103 : 4,850 : National League : 7 : 48 : 125 : 13,300 : American League : 9 : 6O : 147 : 5,700 : Class D League : 7 : 37 : 110 : 5,000: : men's Diamond Ball : 6 : 47 : 75 : 42,325 : Girl's Diamond Ball Class A League : 5 : 22 : 70 : 57 550 , Class B League : 4 : 20 : 56 : ’ ' Winter Indoor Program men‘s Basketball : Class A League : 6 : 33 : 68 : 29,663 : Class B League : 8 : 58 : 104 : 26,056 : Class C League : 8 : 59 : 96 : 4,372 : men's Indoor Baseball : 5 : 3O : 74 : 2,248 : men's Volleyball : 6 : (men's recreation clubs.) Girl's Basketball Class A League : 5 : 23 : 64 : 13,167 : Class B League : 6 : 32 : 71 : 7,375 : Class C League : 5 : 30 : 62 : 5,000 : (1) Lansing City Recreation Department Annual Report, 1952. the types of recreition the girls would lire to participnte in. The department then surveys the situation and if the suggestion warrants a large enough attendance to he of bene- fit the prograi is put into effect. All the problens which arise in connection with the adninistration of the girls' ball leagues are settled by this group of girls. The men's advisory board is called the Lansing Athletic Federation. It assumes practically the same position as does the girls' organization. Besides the .laygronnd and athletic leagues, the City Recreation Department has organized what is termed Recrea— tion Clubs. These are neighborhood clubs and have been organized in various parts of the city. These clubs meet in the gymnasitns of the grade schools. The membership in these groups consists of those of little means, most of whom are exnloyed only part time, affording but a bare living, and others even less fortunate. For the women the weekly meeting in the school house is a social gathering and is anticipated with great pleasure. In many instances this participation furnishes the only outlet for relief from the ever pressing problems of living. The women's program is divided into two narts: that devoted to calisthenics and games, and that of handicraft, music, dramaties, and socials. The men's clubs devote most of their tine to games. At the end of the season the men's and the women's clubs have a joint play festival. Each group puts on a short play, and the rest of the time is soent in social games. The recreation department also soonsors One hot Play Contests, Marble Contests, model Airplane Contests, First Aid and Life Saving lessons, tennis les .s, tip-dancing lessons, and Christmas Lighting Contests. Each winter tiiere has been conducted a Social Recrea- tion Institute which his as its purgose instruction in guns leadership, c "nunit 3' singing and the general conduct of social grograms. This institute is designed to aid social leaders in parent-teacher associations, churches, clubs, lodges and similar grouos. It is m1e:ccellent ed; ational institute in leadership, and results are apparent in that xcellent social directors have receiv d their training in 1» - - . a tliei‘; 63301193. Playgrounds in ngsin; in 1932 ‘- As will be noted from Table V, there were seventeen playgrounds operated by the Department of Recreationin 1939 They were on park properties and board of education U-v. grounds, as follows: Oak Park, Ferris Park, Scott Playfield, Imoores Park, Potter Park, Reasoner Park, Céuentin Par<, Green- croft Park, Holy Cross School, hichig an Avezlue school, Fos- ter Aver .ue behool, Logan Street School, Christancy street School, Allen btreet School, Grand River Avenue school, ‘Jillow Street School, and Thomas Street school. Map I indi- cates the lOCiCiOn of these in the city. Playgrounds open the middle of June and close the last week in nu W; t providing a ten week yrogrwn that is full of 4O interesting activities for both children and adults to do. The Opening of playgrounds is preceeded by a training institute for playground directors. Ti'11e is s.1ent in theory and administration of a playground and its appied subjects of folk dancing, athletic leagues, tournaments, g"a nes and handicraft. Persons who are given positions as leaders on the pLiy grounds in Lansing are recruited from colleges and the teach- ing staff of the local school system. The department has L. been hiring only Lansing esidents for the p st two ye . and has had exceptional cooperation from the directors. Each of the l? playgrounds is provided with two directors; a man and a woman. This policy has been adhered to as much as possible but there are a few playgrounds which have only one director and some of the large parks have three direc- tors. Play‘rounds were Open every day -- excect suturda aJ and Sunday-- from 9:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. with a continuous pro- gram. Playground attendance is t1hen three times d1ilv; 'crning, afternoon, and evening, and a total of thex\ XVVV Q\\ JOIYMJ 777/176- LNSRsksh; dusosAw sxskaosw . §N\h\ N§§N.Q¥Sskwx%§x FgflZHWWI waogNNsomN. .Vsocxbmu xvarnwm’ .¢.zwwwww6 d LN§Dd§§V g$hfl ufiskkw. AZUV /7%¢’ ‘£0¢WWI\57WZQWV \ .QSM :khfikkfi. §&Qvfi¥V round Layout, Lansing, Logan street School Plays Michigan, Diagram I: 193°. 45 were continually going over the fence, and consequently the family on the east side of the grounds (an American family) was constantly complaining because the boys were not careful when retrieving the ball from their garden. These boys were noisy and inclined to be destructive, re- sulting in the breaking of many of the windows. They seem- ed to care little for the school property or for the neigh- boring private property. While the older boys were playing on the school grounds there was equally as large a group of smaller children playing in the streets. The combination of the larger boys on the playground and the smaller ones in the street was definitely wrong for the welfare of the children. There is a large playfi eld (Scottfield) nine blocks from this school building which would afford plenty of space for the larger boys to play, unhwnpered by the lack of adequate area. (Map I) These larger boys could be expected to travel that distance but it would be impossible :for the younger children to go that far. So an attempt was rmade to change the area into a children's playground, and ‘ o the older boys were asked to patronize Scott Field. A0 a Iresult a supervisor was provided for the Logan street School Playground for the first time in the Simmer of 1931. This supervisor was confronted with many problems be- cnause of the hetero¢eneous composition of the pOpulation. Tflle pOpulation of the city ward, in which the Logan Street IRlayground is situated has been discussed in Chapter III, pa5e 24. This pliy5round is in the midst of two quite distinct ethnic areas - one innediately to the west is negro, and one iimediately to the ea st is Syr an. Th area is in a factory district, alon5 railroad tracks and the river, where property values are low and desirable livin5 conditions are limited. The ward, as noted on Hap I, is a much larger area than that'fliich is served by he Logan Street School Playground.’ The number of families represented by the children that freiuc nt the llaJQTOHHd wa' derived from the re5is- tration cards which every child is required to make out when he attends the play5round for the first time. There are always some who do not file their re5istrations but a large portion of then do, especially on the small play- ground where all of the children are acquainted with the directors. CoMplete re5istration, which is required for eli 5ibility to participa te in the interplay5round activi— ties, make the re5istration more accurate than it mi5ht other ise be. Nationality is not called for on the re5is— tration cards but.this was acluired throu5h the directors' aeguaintance with the children. For the pur ose of this study all the children livin5 at one address are consider- ed one family. During the summer of 1931, there \zere 62 families re- presented hy the children usin5 the playground. Of these families, 40 per03n were negro families, 45 percent were Syrian anilies, a 1d the other 15 percent were American 47 The number of families and their classification for the sumner of 1932 illustrate about the same proportion of Negroes, Syrians, and others as did the first sumner. About 46 per set of the 65 families registered were negro, 41 percent were Syrian, and 12 percent were other families. The location of the fanilies that used the playground is shown on the following two charts. The number within the circle designates the number of Children from each family reg iste red on the playground. The different colors illustrate the nationality or race of the families. No attexnpt he.s been mad e to determine the size of the family from the registration cards, because only a portion of the children in a family are reJresented on the playground. To the writer's knowledge here has been no thorough study made of the negro QOpulation of Lansing, but this seems to be the only ecolo ical a ML of neg population in the city. The negro families are large an 1d the homes rather dilapidated. According to the city welfare 'epartmcnt about 15 percent of the families that have been served by that de- partment are negro charges. The negro only forms about 28 per cent of the population, so that we could conclude that a larger portion of negroes, than the pepulation at large, hare found it necessary to apply to the city for aid. Children are cared for as cell as such sur uneinos will per mit. There were all types of He; roes that visited the playground. Some mothers are concerned about the welfare A’s-r 0.5rvnuwr 48 0 4/56 2P0 Channsrz497maWWZAznss / WEJI‘ 5 r: FIVéUPV/zsa’ .57: R < \ JEN/500’ A r! wau‘ ‘9 7‘ Wave/v Sr: 8* ”14/ I VE Pal/50A, 419.1 ”PC/V 57: :] caauwrsx / S ~ 3 _... r / .34 0. (a k S R k -‘ It § § § a k \ 8 § k t // i R t i a ,BL m, 9) S (A k .‘l \g (a b, § lvsz % N N 3 JYCfl/MZPE .57? 2 cl 7’//V£ 67' Hi ' CWZ3ZMM7 cw? luau/var 57? 9 7a'nw gum 57' J Cap/r01. flue; Way/flé'TO/V 17 V5 Tomes of Children Using School Playgrourd, during 1931. u filil'ls l: I 5.. ~¢ Chart III- .731 Etrihnt i on the Legan Str of Yarn," 6: chool Play ;round, 0 5 V/P/fl/I/ 1 9 GL/VZfigxna GDC9ZZQEfi’AK977oflne4/7n55 hgyrsr 7?; rep V/Eh’ 51' < J's/w $0M Ans, L...J X M01745 ~57 A’wPo/V 57: Wag/500’ _r :1 ‘ - ’ h s t ‘ ~ 3 g t1 a * a ‘* a» v. £7 ., n a \ v 3azz£ .294 v2 . g L 9s i: .‘1 )1 N 3 E4 .21 V/J‘lo/Y ‘5 767741017! 57: ’ ‘ P/AVE .57,‘ {8 615577702” 5 71' . baamr‘ R '57 Tayoszna Jr 5 64le AW: Mara/”773M ’9 "7 of Children Vsing during 1032. ..nv . of their children to the point of gettin3 lc1u111t d ith the 111.' annii direct ras;nnl in11irirn5;1s to t1r=11r03rahs. Others allowel their Children to do as they blessed and supported them in their offens s. The liegro boys and 3irls are guite a thlt tic and they enjoy plagin3 in tegn games. They are a con3enia1 3roup in play activities and the children of 1ml Jound a3e, as (‘f‘ .C‘ - '-~ ..~~ ors 01 .110 gluyz a rule, are not trou‘lesome. he direc 3round did, however, find some difficulty with the older boys beCuuse they'hid aluuys played on this school 3round and they could not understand why they hid to move off. The Syrian pooulation has been quite ade3uately studied by Mr. Waffu in his th concernin3 the byrian pepulation is 61) of the City of Lansing. He concludes that the byrian flab). {"1 3roup near the Olds is industrious and econoxnicul. inc] do not have the standards of housin3 thit nmericans do. They have lar3e houses and but little furniture. Often the furniture is old and 1ackin3 in v1rnish; the ru3s are worn or there maybe no floor coverin3s at all. Many of the homes in the Syrian colony are overcrowded and three and four child- ren sleep in one bed. The Syrian children are tau3ht to obey their parents, and instead of the child doin3 s omethin3 because he wants to, they are made to do it because of the desire of their pare nt . The p 11ents have a very definite -.- ‘ ._. '—-~ '- m"-~ w M *~~-.-‘.-.- “no---..- ---. v-H ~~~ - ‘— (l) Yussif Jiffa, A Sociolo3icul Study of the Syri3n POpu- lation of ansin3, hichi3an, hasters Thes1s, H. b. C. 1928. 51 control even over the older children until their marr'a3e. The Syrian adults seem to enjoy hevin3 their children in school and particularly enjoy seein3 the; make pro3ress. Most of the children can soeak the Syrian lan3ua3e but they use English on the play3round. They have acted as interpreters for the directors on different occasions. Most of the Syrian adults seen to understand the En3lisn langua3e but they seldom use it, and especially is this true when they 3st excited or an3ry. The Syrian peeple as a rule do not attend the Parent Teachers Associations of the schools and according to hr. (1) Hafia's thesis also they do not belon3 to American clubs. The younger children find pleasure in the Y.H.C.A., the Y.W.C.A., and the Boy Scouts. members of the Syrian 3roup heve been factory engloyees and since the factories have discharged so many people this group has suffered with the rest of the unemployed. One Syrian leader said that many of the Syrian pe0ple have lost money in banks and have had to apply to the city for aid. The negroes and Syrian children attendin3 the playground find little difficulty in 3ettin3 alon3 with each other. Of course the children are under the age of 15 and may not have formed any race prejudices. This playground illustrates the truth of the followin3 statement. _ 1 _ . ...“ M V-h -— 'm‘“~---CI—.-r-r‘—~ -‘-wOM”~—--- ’3 “.‘ ~ - 4.“ - r. “-5 w ‘ .~. (1) Yussif V1131, Ibid., p. 97. I believe that the American school playground is the greatest kinde'gurten of democracy ever conceived. Here children of native and foreign-horn citizens:fl3et and min- gle together under the most favorable circumstances. It is the great Opportunity which the American playground offers in bringing together the boys and girls before these prejudices have been develoced too far, and allowing hem to meet and to know each other, that constitutes it an important part of the melting pot. (l) A tabulation of the data on the registration cards for 1931, shows the number of children in the different age groups. Of the 126 children registered, 72 percent ere between the ages of 8 and 14. There are 71 boys and 55 girls or a percentage of 56 and 44 respectively. Of his group also there are 67 Syrians, 48 Negroes, and 11 others who are whites of various parental soock. This 9, ivision shows, in Table VII, that the Syrian group forms over 51 percent of the children attending the playground, while the Negro forms 38 percent, and the others about 9 percent. -.—.- ”-w a“..- w (1) Francis G. Blair, "The Place of Playgrounds in the ‘ American Melting Pot.“ Plo ground Vol. 21 (Feb. 1938), p. 607. ()1 (A TABLE VII Distribution of Children Using the Logan Street School Playground by Age, Sex, Nationality and Color, for 1931 :: :: Color and nationality Age :Total: Pct. ::No.of:No.of:: Number of : No. : ::Boys :Girls::Negroes:Syrians: Others : : l : O. |..a O. z: 1 : 8 1.6 : 2 4 : : 2 : :: l : : : : . :: : z: 1 : : U1 ah ()3 1’0 0. 4.8 : 7.1 .0 Q 0 03 (fl (0 .0 5.6 .0 O. .0 O. O. .0 \2 01 ‘1 (fl 0. .0 N (0 ()3 C21 .0 O. .0 O. .0 O. ._.: 13 10.3 KO (1) Q 0} oo oo oo o. O. .0 (\3 .0 .0 q u 13 10.3 10 16 12.7 10 03 on 0. IF (0 0" 0h H 03 to O. 01 O) O} O) .0 O. u u 0 0" {O C) no ()1 o. u H \7 Up Q 00 ll : l2 : 9.5 2: : z: : : 2 l2 : 14 : 11.1 :: : :: : : 2 13 10 7.9 .0 ['0 14 13 10.3 15 H 00 16 O. O. O. O. O. O. .0 O. .0 :4 F4 .p p» o: cm a» -q 01 (n p. as <3 A) n4 O. O. O. 01 .p. 0 (fl .0 O. H H U! 4> O. O. H O. 17 u 0 <1 u 12 Total 126 :100.0 a: 71 : 55 :: 48 43.6:: 38.0 52. 10 O. .0 C. (J1 O) O .p. O. O. .0 Percent 54 The data regarding the age groups of the children for the summer of 1932 show practically the same trends as illustrated by the figures for 1931. These figures are presented for comparison in Table VIII. In 1932, there were only 113 children registered on the playground. (Girls over 14 were not registered as thei were in 1931) Of this group 66 boys and 47 girls were registered, which is a percentage of 58 and 41 reaoectively. The Negro and syrian groups seem to be more nearly equal; 41 percent were Kegros, 46 percent were Syrians, and 11 percent of other classifiCation. The Syrian group seems to have a well distributed age grouping, while the Negroes have a relatively high number of those old enough to be interested in team games. By far the greater number of Negro children are between the ages of 9 and 14. It is significant to realize that the playground is reaching the children of adolescent age. It is during this age that many of the delinquent problems arise. The approx- imately egual number of fiegro and Syrian groups may account for their ability to play well together. Neither is super- ior in number so that supremacy is gained only by ability, and activity within the group. 51"“ 55 TJQIFIVIII Distribution of Children Using the Logan Street School or? n Playground by Age, Sex, Rationality and Color, for 1232. ‘ a, r F”TTTT“‘T”*T—-' ‘1UlC’I‘ (iflu. _£"~plO{chllL.:yr Age :T tal: Pct. ::Ho.of:fo.of:: Yunber of : Ho. : ::Boys :Girls::Wegroes:Syrians: Otlprs ‘0 o o oo o o. o o (I o o on u on o o L I u u H .8 U H 4 C . .. . C. . . o o .0 o no 0 0 ‘ ‘ A ’I f‘ '7 3 3 a : :.-x 3: u 3 a :: a 3 u 3 ’7) O ’h .0 \1 .0 KO .0 C“) O O. .0 ()1 03 O. 10 O ”3 OX 0. .0 O. [—.J 51‘ ’Q 0. O. [._J ’3 33 O) (\3 CO I. \2 m U 01 1b 43 O. O. .0 O. .0 O. O. O. 01 J I»! x! pk CY) 05 .0 O. .0 .0 l—‘ [-1 l—J ._.) m .0 [._l he '_.I Z"? O 4; .0 ,4: [._J O .0 .0 03 (N on 11 : 21 : 16.6 :: 15 : 3 :: ll : 1C : 2 : ll : 9.8 :: 8 : 3 :: 6 : 3 : 2 H (,J F’ Lu [._.J H Ci 0 J: o. x} O. ,5 I '1 4s. .0 ()1 Lu .0 6 H 4‘ [._J C) CD ) o o a1 : 113 :lC0.0 :: 66 : 47 :: 47 : 53 : 13 cent: : :: 58 : 42 :: 42 : 47 : 11 01 0) It was also found that the children travel from one to six blocks to the playground. In 1931, 65.8 percent of the children traveled two blocks. These statistics are presented in Table IX. The writer included the block in which the child lived but not the block in which the school building was located. The distance traveled by children living across the street from the school was con- sidered as being one block. EEKBIK Distance Children Travel to the Logan street School Playground, in 1931. 44 A“ A ..A‘ ‘ Nb. of : gmgrg ; szg;u1 ,5 thgr 4: Tetal--._ Blocks = so. : Pct : No. : Pct : No. : Pct : ro. : Pet 1. 10 21 41 62 5 42 56 44 2. 11 25 14 21 2 17 27 2 s. 14 29 4 7 4 es 2 18 4. 4 e s 4 7 6 5. 5 lo 4 6 1 8 10 8 6. 4: 8 ‘1 3) Total 48 100 56 100 12 100 126 100 This will indicate that 62 percent of the Syrians travel only one block to the playground while about he smue per- centage of negroes travel about three blocks. The fact hat the Syrians live closer to the playground makes it 01 \‘2 more accessible to them and probably this is the reason that more Syrian adults are interested in the playground than egro adults. Of the whole group, 83 percent live within three blocks of the p ayground. Miss Farrell found in a study'of playgrounds of Washington, D. C., that the median distance traveled is slightly farther than that traveled by the Logan Street School playground child- ren. (1) The Distance that the children traveled to the play- ground in 1932, is shown in Table K. These distances are aboqt the sane as those shown for the first summer. The statistics for this table were obtained by the same method as were those of the preceding summer. 4 g“ -‘ A g -‘ _.‘-_—‘.“.‘.—— (1) Farrell, Helen Gertrude. The Effective Radius of Recreation Centers in Tashin¢ton, D. 0. Bulletin of National Recreation Association, No. 2438 (June 1931). 58 TABLE X Distance Children Travel to the Logan Street school Playground, in 1952. giacgf f whegrg : égzrian : ‘ ther‘m-; r;ggrfi__. J “0-;4ho. il€Ct : no. : Pct : do. :‘gct‘:;xo:‘:cht‘A l. 6 15 52 63 6 46 44 59 2. 18 58 16 50 6 46 4Q 55 5. ll 23 1 2 2 ll 4. 7 15 7 6 5. 5 ll 4 8 l 8 10 9 6. - All 141 _l 1.1 Total 47 100 55 100 15 100 115 100 The majority of Syr'an children live within a block of the playground while the Negro children travel a greater dis- tance. The percentage in the unclassified grouo designated as other travelina one and two blocks is very high because the number of children is small. The large yercent of negro children between the ages of 9 and 14, referred to above, may be due to the necessity of the negro children to travel farther than Syrians to the playground. The small children are not allowed to go two or three blocks to play unless they are accompanied by their parents or an older brother or sister. For the summer of 1952, 85 per- cent of the children traveled hree blocks or less to the ple..3=’;_;1‘ov._v_nd, and the average Child traveld 53.55 blocks. x. f k, 0‘: KO Computations show that supervision and quioment on this playground cost the city about $.03 a day for each child using the playground. This cost was computed from the average daily attendance, (183) and from the salary of leadership ($300) and cost of equipment ($95). (Th (0 method of taking he attendance has been referred to on ('3 omiared J page 71, Chapter V. ). This cost seems low when to commercial recreation. A child Can play on the play- ground from 9 o'clock in the morning until 8:30 at night for only a cost of $.09. (This cost of $.09 is because the attendance is taken three times a day and if the child was on the playground he would be counted three times.) The playground is not adequate for this area. The older children are not cared for, there are no wings, slides, nor standing apparatus which children like on the (l) playground. The area is too small for large team games without disturbing neighboring proyerty, and adults have no opportunity to play except on.specia1 occasions. A sunmarisation of the chapter, will snow that about 43 percent of the families using the playground were byrian, 43 percent negro and 1; percent were not classified in either of the two groups. Seventy-five percent of the children attending the playground were between the age of 8 and 14. Of the playground children who are registered V\ 13-) -9 percent were Syrian children, 40 percent Negro children, (1) Board of Education, ChiCago 1925 Report, "what Do Children want?". Playground, Vol. 20, July 1926) p. 215. 60 and 11 percent were of "other" classifiCation. There has n 13 percent mos boys than girls. The average child travel~ about 2.3 blocks to the plxyground and the negro group tends to travel farther than the Syrian group. The cost to +“e city of providinf supervision on this playground Us- 0 ‘L 'l is about $.03 per day for each child attending the play- ground. In general, it seems that the Logan Street School Playground might meet the needs of the group in this neigh- borhood more adequately by providing a la‘ger playground U} and some standing eduipment such as swings, and slide 61 Chapter V :Cflflflns 03 $35 LOGAN STRhET SCJOCL PLAYGROUND In RLLATIQE TO VOCIALIQATIOT The purpose of this chapter is to analyze the factors and qualities of socialization as they have been demonstraté ed through the activities of the Logan Street School Play; ground. The two main divisions of this chapter are;- first, the nature and organization of the playground program, and second, the various socializing influences which have been observed as effecting character development. These influ- ences fall into several subdivisions such as, - leadership, teamwork and cooperation, Sportsmanship, honesty, responsi- bility, loyaltyeand interest of adults. These social factors will be considered with Special reference to democratic group life. The writer has used two terms which seem to need ex- planation, socialization and democracy. -The concepts of Bogardus and Ross pretaining to socialization seem to ex- press most clearly the socialization ideals as they are re- vealed by playground situations. ”Socialization is the process whereby persons learn toezct dependently together, but not necessarily alike, in behalf of group unity and l constructive change. " ( ) "By socialization is meant the develOpment of the Ee-feeling in associates and their growth in capacity and will to act together. "(2) Neuman's and Dewey's conceptions of democracy seen to express most clearly _._‘ ‘ ..-—._.-.-- - (l) Emory S. bogardus. Contemporary Sociology p. 228. (2) Edward A. Ross. Principles of Sociology p. 595. 62 the processes of democratic life rather than its limitation to a democratic government. A true "Democracy means a fair chance for the deveIOpment of all the Opportunities there are. A democratic society is a group of associated individ- uals in which each by intercourse with others somehow make the life of each more distinctive." (1) John Dewey defines democracy as, "more than a form of government, it is primar; ily a mode of associated living, of conjoint communicated eXperienee." (2) "The two points selected by which to mea- sure the worth of’a form of social life are the extent in which the interest of a group are shared by all its members, and the fullness and freedom with which it interacts with other groups." (5) Communication, cooperation and partici4 pation are necessary to life in a democracy. They are like- wise found in an autocratic group but in the democratic group they are the heart of the organization. The desires and wishes of every person must be known and considered before the democratic group is truely functioning. "A society which makes provision for participation in its good of all its mem- bers on equal terms and which secures flexible readjustment of its institutions through interaction of the different forms of associated life is in so far democratic." (4) Demo- cratic societies allow for more varied contact and interchange of experiences, and the playground forms a democratic society (1) Henry Neuman. Education for Moral Growth p. 63. (2) John Dewey. Democracy and Education p. 191. (5) Ibid. p. 115. (4) Ibid. p. 115. 63 through the variety of’groups found there. "The playground offers experience in an animated stimulating miniature of society which present many of the situations one encounters later in adult life. It forms the cooperator, the competitor, the rival, the leader, the follower, the comrade." (1) These divisions of society are important to the true working of a democratic life and a play group is democratic in that there are these parts of society which are chosen by the group not enforcei from an outside power. Not only does the playground afford a democratic group but it gives practice in the functioning of these groups as well as practice in wise use of leisure time. According to flood, "The recreation movement can be said to function in two ways with reference to the needs of democracy; first, to further efforts aiming at the increase of leisure for these who have too little of it; and second, to establish facilities in communities all over the land making possible for all classes and ages of people a wholesome and constructive use of leisure time." (2) With the growth of the two objectives of a democracy in relation to recreation mentioned by Wood there has been an increase in the number of employed trained leaders. Among authorities in the field of recreation, it is generally accepted that a playground without a leader is worse than no playground at all. (3) When cities first began to open play spaces for children, it was a prevailing notion that (1) Board of Public Recreation of Tampa, Florida. ”A Play ground Club for Girls.” Playground Vol. 24. (April, 1930), p. 41. (2) Arthur Lvans Jood. Community Problems p. 278 (:6) T-..;....‘.- ‘m 'rnn mkn \Tn-nvnn'I nnHM—A 411 11101? n 11‘: 64 it was as useless to teach a child to play as it was to teach a fish to swim. Because of this austaken idea towns and cities opened playgrounds without supervision. This kind of free play was a serious mistake, and the results were such as to defeat the purpose of the whole play project. First, because the wrong element of childhood and youth gained control, just as it does in the free play of the streets. Someone is sure to exert a dominating influence over the play of the group and if it is not a teacher, it is sure to be a self-appointed leader from the more aggressive of the players. This is un- fortunate, as aggressive dispositions are not always associated with broad judgment and good judgment. The result is that free play often includes unfair play mingled with quarreling, teas- ing, and hazing of certain pupils or nearby residents or pas- sersby, breaking windows, and other mischievous pranks of all kinds and degrees. It is only too evident that the playgrounds if undirected, will defeat their own purposes. The Playground association of America realized the situation that unsuper- vised playgrounds were creating, and they advised their field secretaries, that no playgrounds should be equipped until ‘there was a provision for adequate supervision. This led first, to the hiring of cheap help in the form of caretakers, who watched the apparatus and kept order on the grounds. But this only curbed the gangs in their adventure, and gave no activity in place of it; and they left for the streets and alleys again. Through experience it was shown that it is 65 good leadership that makes the playground a place of con- structive influence. As a result there has been a rapid increase in the importance that trained leaders have had in playground promotion. Along with the recognition of the need of trained leaders, there has'been an appreciation of the child's rights and its relation to the leadership of the playground. "Every child has a right to be a participant in interest driven, health building, character forming activities which are called games. Every individual in the group also has a right to opportunities for the wholesome eXpression of these skills and standards which have been taught in school." (1) Experience has shown that it is intelligent leadership that makes self-expression possible for those children who do not have initiative and who would otherwise remain in the background of society. lach child feels that he must excell in something or he does not have a secure place in the group. If the child Spends much of his time in play, then he should be directed in play which will fit him adequately for life in the democratic group. The American people have emphasized team gamesfe method of play which affords training in demo- cratic groups. ”In this country play is more democratic than in any other country. Team games, which are the delight of democratic peoples today, demand not only that the individual play his own part well but that he must relate his part to a (l) J. B. Nash. "Playing the Game for Health and Character.” Playground Vol. 21 (August, 1927) p. 259 66 larger whole, because the team is mo?e than individuals that compose it - it has a personality of its own; it is an organ: ic unity or whole where the breaking down of one part breaks down the work of all the parts." (1) The child must fit into his society of democratic life, and as team sports play an important part in this group the child should learn this side of life which he is to fit into. Children are not born with a knowledge of these team sports. he does not know how to play baseball and football until he is taught how. ” 'a boy no more inherits baseball than he inherits the Lord's Prayer,‘ Professor George E. Johnson, of darvard University has said. The child's native urge to activity may take the form of bases ball or pilfering, of wholesohe acts or unwholesaae, according to his environment and leadership. It is true that boys and girls lezrn many games and skills from other boys and girls. Yet they could often learn them earlier and better from com- petent adult leaders.”(2) Leadership on the playground is as necessary as it is to have children there. Children must be taught the processes of democratic life and American has used team sports as a means of training their youth. The fundanentals of child- play that we have been Speaking about should be kept in mind in organizing any playground program. Nature and Organizatign of the Logan Street School Playground Program. Many of the games that the children near the Logan Street (l) Wilbur P. Bowen and Elmer D. mitchell. The Theory of Organized Play. p. 566. (2) Play Leadership National Recreation Assoc. Pamphlet, p. l 67 School played were those games which were dominated by the O H der boys. This sChool playground without leadership served as a nuisance to the neighborhood because of the rowdyism of the boys. Girls did not go to the pleyg-cund and small children played in the streets. It was heped by the city recreation department that the presence of a play- ground leader would deprive these boys of their dominating influence. A leader On this playground seemed just as necessary as a teacher in the school, a Scout Easter in a Boy Scout trOOp, or a minister in a church. It was the duty of this leader to encourage small children to use the play- ground and to destroy the confidence and fear that the . children had of the gang leader. It was the leaders duty to encourage the backward child who had been intimidated by the boy leader. The development of aigg spirit rather than one of autocratic control was important to these children. A leader for this playground was made possible for the first time in the summer of 1971. At first, an attempt was made to have only a woman director. It was thought in this Not way that the larger boys wouldAfreauent it. As a result a woman director was chosen.who had Spent three years in college as an undergraduate in a physical education department. This director supervised the playground alone for the first five weeks. The older boys caused so much trouble in the discipline of the playground, the department realized that a man was necessary to handle this group. For this reason, a young man was employed for the hate afternoons and evenings. 68 both of these directors liked games and enjoyed playing with children. High ideals of Sportsmanship and loyalty were always encouraged. The second summer that this playground was supervised the young man was employed to direct the program and a woman director for afternoon and evening work. This policy of women working only part time Was followed on most of the playgrounds of the city and was adopted to reduce exgense. The new woman director had three years undergraduate work in the field of physical education. The Program The greatest responsibility of these leaders was the promotion of activities that would develop socialized chari acter. The playground program selected by the leaders should provide for activity in competitive games, dramatics, and other means for satisfying the desire of children to achieve. The directors of the LOgan Street School Play- ground realized that the best way to keep a child out of mis- chief was to keep him busily engaged. It was essential for these directors to know also that children do not come to the playground under compulsion but because they desire to do so and if they did not find satisfaction there they would leave for the street, the alley, or the railroad yards. The program had to supply activity and a degree of adventure, if it held the children's interest. Jhen interest in play 69 is aroused and maintained, the child's mind is wholly occupied with the wholesome activities at hand. There is then no chance for thought and expressions brought up by curiosity which might lead to delinquency. Next to a great deal of activity a provision in the program was mlde for growth in physique, and in capacity to resist disease. These are the beneficial results of play outdoors in the fresh air and under the stimulation of ultra-violet rays of the sun. "The fact that play is en; joyed, is one of the chief reasons why it is conducive to health. Pleasurable activity has a buoyant and stimulating effect upon the nervous system, and this reacts in a bene- ficial way on the whole body." (1) Einally of primary importance to the community, was the promotion of character through play. J. B. Nash says that, "Character is a product of properly guided activities."(2) If this be true and the child is going to attend the play- ground then the playground must supply some properly directed activities in order to benefit the child's character. It must also promote these activities for all ages. The boy or girl not only must have the activities but he must play in them and experience the problems of the group in order to gain an understanding of associated life in a democracy. For children must experience problems before they realize the full details of the difficulty. "The boy must learn for (1) Joseph E. Lee. AgNormal Course in Play p. 86. (2) J. B. Nash Op. Cit. p. 250. 70 himself, already at the youngest age, indeed before birth, his character is in the process of formation. The process of character develOpment is like the flow of a stream. The leader or the parent cannot stop it but can help to guide it." (1) The directors of the Logan Street School Play- ground then considered three major points when making their program, first the necessity for activity, second, the pro; vision for health building games, and third, the influence of the games on the moral growth of the children entering into this play program. However, the play leader, and the play program cannot be expected single handed, to train the child to become a happy and useful American citizen for the child is also in— fluenced by his parents, neighborhood environment, school, and church. The playground leader is but one of the many influences helping to develog a child, and objectives of the playground could be accomplished only so far as they have thecpoperation of other institutions that were guiding the character of the individual. For character is the pro- duct of all the eXperiences, habits, and ideals of a person and all of these agencies aid in forming the child's characi ter. The Legan Street School Pla ground was open for ten weeks between June and September. The grounds were open and supervised under all climatic conditions. During the stormy (1) William H. Kilpatrick. "How Character Comes." Playground Vol. 25 (July, 1929), p. 222. 71 days, the basement rooms, which were provided for storing equipment, were used as shelter, and much of such time was Spent in finishing handicraft, story telling, and folk dancing. The playground was supervised every day except Satur; day and Sunday. The department called a staff meeting each Saturday morning. At this staff meeting problems which had arisen on any of the playgrounds of the city were discussed, and thé coming week's prOgram was planned and explained. The rukas governing interéplayground games and contests were decided and plans were made for the playground circus and pageant. A presentation of a few of the routine duties of the play director will perhaps make the program of the playground clearer to the reader. Attendance was taken on the playground three times each day, morning, afternoon, and evening. When the attendance was at its peak during these periods, the director made the count, and recorded it on the daily reports. The total of these three was considered the daily attendance. In case of accidents on the playground the directors supplied first aid, and in case of a serious accident the director took the injured child home or called the police. A doctor was called only when so ordered by the parents of the child. This eliiinated the claiu on the Department of Recreation for doctor bills. All accidents were then re- corded on the daily report blanks and in case of a serious accident the office was notified immediately. 72 It was the duty of the director to inspect all the apparatus every day. This was to avoid accidents from faulty equipment. The director was held responsible for all of the property on the playground and assumed full charge for conduct on the playground. With all of these points and duties in mind, the playground leaders made prograns to fit their respective playgrounds. The department suggested a daily pregram which was flexible enough to suit any neighborhood condi- tion and which allowed for any inter-playground or city- wide activities. The program follows; Playground Program Suggested by the Lansing Recreation Department (1) 9:00 to 9:30 Opening of playground. Distribution of play material. 9:30 to 10:00 Free play on apparatus and in sand boxes. Games of low organization. 10:00 to 11:00 Track and field events and team games for older children. FolK dancing. 11:00 to 12:00 Badge tests. Story telling. Handicraft. auiet games. 12:00 to 1:30 Games with these on the playground. Lunch period. 1:30 to 2:30 Free play on apparatus. Horseshoes. Handicraft. 2:30 to 3:30 Kindergarden and dramatic games for little children, ball games of low organization. Team games for older children, and tourna- ments on the playground. 3:00 to 5:30 Girls team games and rhythms for small children. 5:30 to 6:30 Twilight games for older boys and girls. 6:30 to 8:30 Twilight baseball, tennis, horseshoes, volleyball, get together meetings, parent nights, musical groups. These hours to be devoted to adult activities. With this program as a basis the play director constructed the following program to fit the Logan Street School Play- ground. Nith two directors there was a possibility of more activities than there otherwise had been; and good conduct was more easily assured. (l) Lansing Playground Directors Manual, 1932. Lansing Recreation Department. 9:39 10:30 11:00 12:00 74 Daily Program on the Logan Street School Playground, to 10:30 to 11:00 9": .(1 to 12:06 to 2:00 Summer of'lggg Clerical routing Distribution ofjiaterial Repair of apparatus Inspection of apparatus Enrollment of children Eosting notices on the.bulletin board General preparation for day Handicraft for boys Checker boards and checkers Puzzles Bean bag boards Kites Lanterns Bird houses flooden animals Doll house Kidget boys practice and play team games Diamond ball Girls free play With balls Checkers O'Leary Sand box Jack stones Boys and Girls games of low organization Bull in the ring Dodge ball Poison ball Prisoners base Freeze out Horseshoes Newcomb Scrub Spud Lunch hour Local playground contests Checker tournaments Horseshoe tournament Jack stones tournament 2:00 ()3 _) O 4:00 5:00 to to to to 4:00 5:OO~ 6:00 75 Athletic Badge tests (Soys) Dashes Standing and running jumps Baseball throw (accuracy and distance) Chinning High jump Girls free play Handicraft for girls and small boys Bean bags Scrap books Pocket books Lanterns Spool dolls Doll house furniture Paper belts Picture frames Table mats Boys Junior team games and practice Diamond ball Jorsesdoes Junior girls team practice and games Diamond ball Volleyball Xidget girls team practice and games I; ewconb Boys free play Lunch hour for man director Rhythmic games Brier Rosebud Ten Little Indians Farmer in the Dell London Bridges Bow to Your Partner Looby Lou Carrousel Shoemakers Dance Have You Seen Ky Sheep Lunch hour for the woman director Games of low organization Horseshoes Scrub Checkers Hop Scotch Bean Bag Game 76 to 8:00 Twilight games for boys and girls (all ages) Team games Stunts Rhythmic games Special activities Sand box 0} O C) 8:00 to 8:30 Story telling for younger children Jack and the Bean Stalk The Greedy Cat The Boy Who wanted the Castle The Boy Who Janted to be a Page The Proud CocK The Squires Bride The Princess and the Pea Freddy and dis Eiddle Continuation of Games for boys and girls Parent nights and special evening functions The activities which were listed in the daily program were those most frequently participated in by the playground group for the time period mentioned. Some of these activi- ties were repeated only a few times while others were par- ticipated in each day of the playground season. Examples of those activities in which interest was continuously mani- fested were diamond ball, horseshoes, volleyball, newconb, handicraft, and sand box play for the smaller children. The City Playground Circus and the Dance Pageant fonnai the two great activities in which all playgrounds combined to sponsor a large entertainment for the parents and the chil- dren of the city who do not participate. In addition to the daily program, there were many Spec- ial activities which included both local and city-wide par- tiCip‘dtiono 77 These activities are listed below. Local Special Activities Tournaments Horseshoes Tournament Jack Stones Tournament Numblety Peg Tournament Hop Scotch Tourlament Checker Tournament O'Leary Tournament Hikes Showers (by the City Fire Department) Parent Fights Baby Shov Pet Show Handicraft Exhibit Peanut Carnival hntertainment of Games Group Singing Athletic Badge Tests City Inter-Playground Activities Tournaments Horseshoes Golf Tenni S Jack Stones Team Games Diamond ball (girls and boys) Volleyball (Junior girls) hewcomb ball (midget girls) Special Meets Swimming Meet (girls and boys) Track fleet (girls and boys) All-Playground Dramatics Playground Circus Playground Pageant Practice and playing of these games and drwnatics found their place in the program of the Legan Street School Play- 78 ground. This progrsn was designed to provide a wholesome environment for recreative activities for the children who lived near the Logan Street School. It was designed to promote leadership, teamwork and cooperation, loyalty, sportsmanship, honesty, responsibility, and to instill into these children proper care of property. It is on the play- ground that character is built and we can only hOpe to fully develop the child by develOping character qualities which he will need to live a socialized life in a democratic country. "The ethical aim in education is to cultivate the Spirit of teamwork, and especially of honorable rivalry, with all that this implies of fair play, courtesy, and generosity both in victory and in defeat." (1) It was hOped that the adults of the community would become interested and would cooperate in the promotion of an adequate neighborhood program. These qualities which the Logan Street School Play- ground has attempted to develOp through its program seem to be the very heart of true socialization.and of a true democracy. 0. E. Brewer recognized these qualities when he asked, "what kind of a nation would we have if our citizens lacked ambition, COOperation, courage, honesty, loyal y, leadership, perseverance, self-control, and a sense of re- . o o ‘s 2 . q o o u SponSibilityr" ( ) how long would this nation last Without (1) Henry Neuman Education for floral Growth p. 63. (2) C. E. Erewer Annual Report for 1929, Department of Recreation, Detroit, Michigan. p. 7. 79 power of leadership and without a cooperative spirit and loyal attitude? "All of the ills of society, all the evil forces of crime and the terrible ravages of disease, far more prevalent in our society today than should be, can be traced to the lack of development of either the social, (1) physical, or mental qualities in our peeple." These social qualities aid in securing a true denocracy and play is one of the great means through which to teach intangible character elements. The child enters into a play situation whole-heartedly and without constraint. When he is extrehe- ly interested in the heat of a contest, he does not put on the cold indifference which he frequently exhibits before a parental lecture or a difficult situation with a teacher. The play group is a democratic group while the school group dominated by the teacher is too often autocratic control which does not allow the child the opportunity to express hinself whole-heartedly. It does not allow him to partici- pate in the school activities as does the play group control. The play leader, in other words, is in a position to influ- ence the child when he is in a susceptible mood. The large number of conduct situations and the relative receptivcness of the child to guidance under play conditions give the leader a remarkable opportunity for molding the child's char- acter. Through the child's participation he will learn to be a leader and a follower. The writer realizes that these qualities are difficult to measure and that many writers (1) Ibid. p. 7. 86 have attempted an objective evaluation of them with little success. Homever, it may be assumed that if a child exper- iences a pleasurable result in a conduct situation it will cause him to repeat it and if he experiences annoyance he will tend to avoid it. Tie director should be alert to these situations and see that the proper results are eXper- ienced by the child. No clain is made that the above qualities are the only qualities that are derived from the playground situation nor that these qualities have been instilled into the children in their entirety, but that situations prOperly directed to produce these desired results will add to the many exper- iences that help to make a child a good citizen. a few typical experiences of children of the Logan Street School Playground Will present for the reader con- crete exaxples of leadership, teamwork and COOperation, loyalty, sportsnanship, honesty, and responsibility which have been develOped through association in the playground groups. It must be remembered that these qualities seldom deve10p separately. One experience may actually be develop— ing several social attitudes. Leadership Leadership and followership are processes which ane particularly necessary to the organization and develOpment of a true democracy. There are many definitions of leader- ship but Bogardus' definition of democratic leadership is 81 very clearly stated. "In the-fullest and richest sense democratic leadership is personal conduct which seeks to increase the welfare of other persons, which is arrived at by the combined judgment of those concerned, which emanates from a simple mode of living, which is carried out magneti- cally by example, and which seeks no reward." (l) The playground movement in the United States has been particularily noted for the emphasis placed on the develoP- ment of leaders. Some cities promoting playgrounds have encouraged leadership through a point system as has the Recreation Department of Saginaw, Michigan. In addition to Q iving points for attendance, for participation in athletic (l \ games, for identifying flowers trees, birds, and insects, . for handicraft projects and for singing, dancing, or taking part in dranatics, the Saginaw system.includes a possible five points a day for leadership in athletic games and for telling a story or reciting a poem. "The result has been an increased number of boys and girls acting as officials, safety patrols, and leaders in various activities. Gold medals are given the ten highest point winners for the summer, silver medals to the second ten, bronze to the third ten,zind ribbons to the next hundred. C. E. Van Bueen, Director of Recreation, considers the sys- tem worth the time consumed in bookkeeping from the increased interest taken by the children in obtaining leadership points,(2) as well as increased attendance in the variety of activities." In Lansing, no such system has been tried as a city-wide (l) Emory S. Bogardus Fundamentals of Social Psychology p. 439. (2) "The World at Play: Saginaw's Point SXStGm"° Playground Vol. 24 (September, 1930), p. 517. ‘ project. ”he ?ecreation repartnent has left such parts of the prograu.to the directors of each playground. Some play3rounds have used such a method to gain cooperation and interest. Kichigan Avenue School P ayground awarded paper stars for participation on a team when they were to play another play ground team. The boy s and girls then that had the most number of stars were taken on an over-night hike. The interest in gettinkgi points was great but it seemed to take the child's mind off of the activity and from wanting to play, to the gaining of points. This outside motivation lasts for a while but soon the novelty wears off and the child loses interest. Che child that is backward may even drop out before his interest is gone but he feels that suc- cess is futile. as a result near the end of the summer there are only a few that are left. Democratic leadership has been given much thought by the directors of the Logan Street School Playground because of the autocratic control so prevalent in the homes of these children. The directors also realized that child- leadership gains an entirely different response from the children tM1 n if they were directed ey the pla""round super visor. Child- leadership on this playground is express- ed principally through captaincy of teams. In organizing the playground program the directors decided that the cap- tains of the teams would be appointed by the director at each game rather than having the boys and girls choose one for the whole season as is the customary method. This would allow more children to be leaders, and it was done under the assumption th t if a boy or girl exseriences the b’ d L. 1. {'3 problems of being a leader, he will have more appreciation for the difficulties of leadership. he thus becomes a bet- ter citizen in a democracy and a better follower of legders if he learns by leadership in a democratic group. Good followers are just as essential as good leaders, and good leaders nust have the qualities that will command reapect and obedience. These qualities of leadership that the playground attempts to foster are initiative, aggressiveness, ability and skill, courage, persev rance, reliability, self- control and self-restraint. The leader must also command respect and must be determined enough to follow projects to their finish. by this method of selecting leaders approximately thirty opportunities were epen for participation as team captains. Considering the total of 113 children that were registered on the playground in 1932, about 25 percent had some definite training in leadership, and of the total over eight years old or about 57 percent had this Opportunity. While if the method of allowing the team to choose a cap- tain had been followed the number of opportunities would have been reduced to six and only 7 percent of the children playing in the teams could have been captain. This method of appointing captains at each game had its advantages. In the first place each child was given 84 a trial at leadership. There were no jealousies among team members, every one knew that at some time he would be captain of the tean. Leadership qualities were displayed and were develOped by each child's performance as a leader or team captain. The director seized this opportunity to commend good qualities of leadership that were diSplayed and to discourage the qualities which were displayed that did not seem to be commendable. Another advantage of this method of choosing captains, was that more children had a chance to play in competition. Each time a new captain was chosen his friends would have a chance to play. This might seem to have caused consider- able friction among the team members but it was practiced in the substitute group. Usually these substitutes that were Special friends of the captain had this Opportunity while the next day some other substitute that was a friend of the new captain would have a chance to play. It was noted that if the children chose their own leaders, they usually chose a boy or girl who was a good player. This placed a high premium on skill and the boy’ or girl that lacked this skill found it necessary to follow the wishes of the leader who was good in the games but who may not have had good qualities as a leader. There would be no prospects of ever being a leader himself either. This method of leadership also tends to avoid cliques and gangs which may start with a team as the nucleus. Such 85 gangs are not always democratic and often they Operate to the disadvantage of the neighborhood and to the disadvan- tage of the boys and girls. However, the disadvantages of this method of chosing leaders hardly seem to over shadow the advantages. The greatest disadvantage was that no boy or girl was captain long enough to develop confidence in his ability as a leader. They merely had a smattering of leadership and if they had done unusually well they felt the satisfaction of group approval, or of group disapproval if they had done badly. Without the motivation of a point system which some other playgrounds had, this method of chosing captains was felt to be the best method of creat- ing and developing leadershipzas well as followership be- cause it gave more children an opportunity to be'leaders, it avoided the high premium which is placed on skill, and it avoided the formation of cliques and gangs.. The method necessitated a Knowledge on the part of the director of all the players and a Knowledge of what to expect from each one when he was the team captain. In this way the director spends all of his time in knowing the chikiren and guiding them rather than so much clerical work as is necessary with the point system. In general, the chillren liked this method of choosing leaders, each child knew that at some time during the season he would be able to be the leader. While the boys and girls were leaders they did the best they could to win their games 86 and they tried hard to be good leaders so that they m'ght be chosen again if the opportunity presented itself. Teamwork and Cooperation The next socializing quality to be considered is that of working with other peOple, as each person must if he lives in a democracy. Teamwork or c00peration are qualities which can be considered together because of their likeness. Both are necessary qualities in play activities and should be fostered in all groups that are encouraging a democratic social life. "Hearty cooperation in matters of moment is indeed a great socializer. Fellow feeling quickly develOps among fighters in the same cause." (1) Cooperation is necessary and is being applied more and more to our business and professional life as the activities of each become more and more specialized. It is necessary for men to work to- gether when each has only a small job to do so that in the end-product there is perfection. This working together of the business parts of our business world has made for greater socialization among men. "This is a social world in which co- operative ability and mutual understanding play prominent (2) parts.o" The plav round is attempting through play 3 activities to instill this necessary element for COOperative living. It is unportant that every boy'and girl should play, and in their games gradually work from.simple to extensive (1) Edward Alsworth Ross. Principles of Sociology p. 496. (2) Gail Powell "Social Development on the Playground." Playground Vol. 21 (November, 1927), p. 418. 87 cooperation, for it is a quality needed in every walk of life today. Undoubtedly more hearty COOperation is exper- ienced by children in team games than in many other social 81.011138 0 "COOperation of the highest type is found in games. The team and each of its members are mutually dependent upon one another. The team is a cooperative living whole; it is possible to know each member separately without knowing the team; and conversely, it is possible to know the team with- out knowing a single individual within the body. The break- ing down of'one of the parts of a team injures the whole. It is this mutual interdependence that is called c00peration. The more completely organized the team, the more p werful is the need of cooperation, and the greater the demand on the individual player that he preform his part, even though it means personal sacrifice and the giving up of some coveted hope." (1) On the playground COOperation is principally taught through the organization of teams and the necessity of teamwork should be felt by every member of the team in order to give the child experience in a true cooperative group. The members of the baseball team of the Legan Street School Playground found a definite need for good COOperation and teamwork when they went to the final game for the west— side championship. The rivalry was keen because the winner of the game would play for the city championship which in itself was quite an honor. The boys of the Logan Street School Elayground realized that it was the duty of every one on the team to do his part or the game would be lost. The boys knew they were well organized but that the opponent team had a good chance to win from them. This rivalry 'id E (l) Wilbur P. Bowen and Elmer D. Hitchell The Theory of Organized Play. p. 351. 88 intense excitement about winning the game caused the team to see a definite need for organization and cooperation. The year before when the team was only mediocre they de- monstrated individual skill and little cohesion, but the year that they were beginning to be noticed by the rest of the playgrounds they began to see the necessity of self- inhibition. This same tendency has been brought out by Bowen and Mitchell in a paragraph on Cooperation. "The more completely organized the team, the more powerful is the need of cooperation, and the greater the demand on the individual player that he perform his part, even though it means personal sacrifice. There is cooperation in the scrub game, but the need for self-inhibition is less in- tense." (1) Another example found in baseball on this playground shows the value of cooperation. There was one particular boy on the ball team who was an excellent player. He was respected by the group and was generally considered the best infield man that the team had. During one game this boy was so confident that he could cover the entire in- field alone that he continually took opportunities from other boys to make plays for himself. Finally the group disapproval became so strong that at his first mistake the captain grasped the opportunity to remove him from the game. This experience taught the boy that it was necessary (1) Ibid. p. 350. 89 to control his own individualism and self-assertion for the good of the team. In baseball the children seemed to learn that each position on the team was important and it was the duty of each member to play his own position and play it well. In unsupervised groups this does not seem true, the child thinks that the only positions that are important are pit- cher and catcher. This belief in the importance of these positions causes a great deal of quarreling among the chil- dren. Disapproval of the group often made cooperation and teamwork imperative in other forms of activity than base- ball. One example which will make this still clearer fol- lows. It was the rule on the playground when there were others waiting to play horseshoes, that the losers of a game had to relinquish their positions to the next pair of players. At times there were boys or girls that would not abide by the rule and refused to give up their positions. In this case the disapproval of the group waiting to play became so great that the director of the playground was asked to enforce the rule. This is a definite example of the demo- cracy which rules on the playground. The children dis- approved the actions of one of their members so they dele- gated the playground director to carry out their wishes. They knew the director was superior in ability and pres- tige and asked him to represent them. If this playground had not been supervised or if there had not been some one present who could handle their case, the incident could easily have ended in a fight. 90 Another example of cooperation was the friendly spirit that existed between the children and the directors. When it was time to open the playground in the morning there was always help to clean up the playground, and help to distri- bute the equipment; and when it was time to close the play- ground there was always a group who wanted to take the equip- ment into the building, and get the smaller children started on their way home. The directors were always willing and eager to cooper- ate with the children of the community in any project that seemed desirable. The Syrian Boys' Club was sponsoring a baseball team and they asked if they might challenge the playground team to a game. The playground group was will- ing to help, and several games were played even though many of the boys who played on the Syrian boys' team were also enrolled on the playground team. "A lad who learns the difficult art of teamwork and conforms willingly to restrictions growing out of the very nature of associated life is already half socialized and well on his way to becoming a good citizen in a democracy."(l) The playground through these varied activities has attempt— ed to make the child more socialized and to show the child the necessity of cooperation in the life of a democracy. "The varied practice of mutual aid socializes character and engenders social morality." (2) (1) Edward A. Ross Principles of Sociology p. 402. (2) Ibid. p. 245. 91 Sportsmanship Sportsmanship is probably the next most outstanding characteristic sought by the playground program. Team "sport, moreover imposes the difficult ideal of the 'good sportsman', who is just and magnanimous, who neither gloats in victory nor sulks in defeat." (l) Sportsmanship is a term which includes the concepts of courtesy, friendliness, service, thoughtfulness and many others which the work of play has grown to consider as synonymous with the term fair play. "In play there is continual chance for expression of all the ideals of Sportsmanship. The play teacher can bring the lesson home by making use of the actual happenings in the game to illustrate the principle being advocated." (2) A child will not learn the assets of sportsmanship from his play if the teacher does not stress them, and especially so, if no more is made in the way of condemning the acts that are un Sportsmanlike. The Board of Public Recreation of Tampa, Florida has realized the importance of promoting sportsmanship and as a result have devised a merit system for girls which oper- ates through the Girls' Playground Club. Points are award- ed to different girls for certain activities in which they participate. 0ne event that was of particular interest was that points were awarded for a paper written on the (1) Ibid. p. 616. (2) Wilbur P. Bowen and Elmer D. Mitchell. Op. Cit. p. 544. subject of Sportsmanship. Points were also awarded to any girl who has conducted herself in a sportsmanship like way at certain games; this was to be determined by the director of the playground. (l) The directors of the Logan Street School Playground have also attempted to stimulate the children to be better players and better Sportsmen by encouraging and recognizing good deeds. The following quotation brings out most clear- ly the general problems which are met in discouraging Egg? sportsmanship. "In the inculcating of habits of Sportsmanship a few prac- tical things should be noted. In the first place, there is the importance of making the players acquainted with the rules of the game, for ignorance of the rules leads to un- fair play by one side and the other side tries to retaliate. Secondly, the officials should be competent, for their mis— takes arouse ill feeling and the defeated team will not be satisfied that it has been beaten by better play." (2) The quality of Sportsmanship was undoubtedly the most dif- ficult to teach of any of the character qualities of the children of this playground. The directors, in attempting to teach the child the proper way to conduct himself at a game were confronted with the method of adults in showing their disapproval of officiating. Adults quite frequently attended the Logan Street School Playground team-games and they were quite apt to Show their disapproval by talking about the officials. Perhaps one reason for this was that adults did not know the rules of the game, and as a result expressed dissatisfaction with the officiates. A clear (1) Board of Public Recreation of Tampa, Florida. Op. Cit. p. 41. (2) Wilbur P. Bowen and Elmer D. Mitchell. Op. Cit. p. 349. 95 example of this occurred, one evening when the Syrian Boys' Club was playing the playground team in a game of diamond ball. The director asked the leader of this boys' club to umpire the game. He gladly accepted and started the game. However, he was so confused about rules that before long he was entangled in a heated argument with the base-umpire. The director of the playground who was reSponsible for all the conduct on the playground, finished umpiring the game. The playground team refused to play the club team again and the director of the playground provided a set of rules for the Syrian Boys' Club. But the leader of this boys' club was attempting to coach diamond ball to a group of Syrian boys when he did not even know the rules himself. With the official who was uncertain about his rules it is obvi- ous that the crowd of spectators would also be confused. An attempt that same year was made to instill ideals of good sportsmanship into the children so that other teams would enjoy playing with them. The director realized the reputation that teams from this section of the city had, and was determined to raise the ideals and practices of the playground teams to a place of respect among other teams. So the director talked to the girls about what other groups thought of the Logan Street School Playground teams and at- tempted to have them see the need of changing their attitude. Before each game the director encouraged good sportsmanship and conduct at the games. The results of several games were 94 so amazing that the assistant director of playgrounds in Lansing commented on the fine Spirit that the girls were displaying. In boys' diamond ball, poor Sportsmanship of team members was controlled by the team captain who could remove a player from a game in which there was a demonstration of qualities which were unsportsmanlike. Group Sportsmanship has been demonstrated many times by response of the spec- tators to the officiating. Powell says, "The acid test of Sportsmanship is in yielding to an officials' decision." (1) The directors realized the handicap in working with these children. They tried first to inculcate a knowledge of the rules of the game, and second a realization that they must abide by the rules of the officials decisions when his parents do not. However, the directors realized that if the child was never subjected tothe influences of good Sportsmanship he would never experience their effects, and would therefore not know their benefits except as they were told to him. In order to socialize the child he must build socialized habits of action, attitude and thought. If he is well socialized he will find his place more easily in a democracy. Honesty Undoubtedly honesty would be considered by some authors as a part of Sportsmanship, but it plays such an important (1) Gail Powell. Op. Cit. p. 418. 95 part in the discipline of the Logan Street School Playground that it is discussed separately here. Most authors discussing honesty, refer to play situations as they relate to honesty in winning games, or in abiding by the rules of a game. (1) However, the problem on this playground is one of instilling the right ideals in the use of other people's prOperty and of not lying about questioned situations. Honesty is a quality which has so many degrees of perfection or imperfec- tion that it is difficult to say that a person is honest or dishonest. There are many little traits of conduct on the playground that have seemed to Show that the children are honest and some that show that they are dishonest. The most striking example which can be given here refers again to the boys' diamond ball team and horseshoes teams. These teams were to play championship games with the Fer- ris Park team and the Holy Cross team respectively. At the Saturday staff meeting the director learned that there was going to be a check on the ages of the boys who were too old would not be playing out of their age group. The director of the Logan Street School Playground returned to his playground Monday morning and gathered the boys together for a team practice. When they were through playing, he complimented the boys on their work and effort in winning enough games to be able to compete for the (l) Wilbur P. Bowen and Elmer D. Mitchell. Op. Cit. p. 346. J. B. Nash, The Organigation and Administration of Play— grounds and Recreation. p. 49. 96 west-side championship. He also told them that there was going to be a check on the age of each boy, and if anybody on the team was too old, he would just be hindering the team in claiming the game even though they did win it. He suggested that if there was any boy who was too old that he should let the director know at once so that all of the line-up could be sent in with the daily report to the office. Then the group broke up. Later the director was surprised to have one of his best players come up to him and say that he was too old to play, and that his name should be not sent in with the rest of the group. This was loyalty to the team but it was also honesty on the part of the boy to the group. He had played all season and had not had his age questioned and he might have escaped notice this time, but he was too loyal and honest to his team and playground to see_them lose their game because of his failure to do his part. Not only did this playground and its leaders attempt to teach the boy and girl to be honest with himself and the playground but to be honest about the use of other people's property. 'The return of any lost equipment should surely be considered as an act of honesty. An illustration of this, one afternoon there was a rain storm threatening and in the hurry of the director to gather in the equipment he failed to notice that one of the soccer balls was missing. After the storm when the balls were distributed again, the dis- 97 covery was made that one was missing, and immediately a thorough search of the playground began. None of the boys seemed to know where it had gone. About three hours later however, a small boy came to the director and told him where the ball was and that a large boy had kicked it over the fence and had left it there so that he might pick it up for his own use some time after the playground was closed. Small children are quite apt to carry balls home with them, or to miSplace them so that they cannot be found. This might be carelessness on the part of the child but it shows a lack of reSpect for other peOples prOperty. Some of the boys of this neighborhood have little con- ception of honesty in regard to playground equipment. They seem to think that they have a perfect right to take play- ground things if they are not caught in the act. This was particularly true of the large boys who were antagonistic to the playground because they were not allowed to play there. The smaller boys perhaps had this conception as a result of a desire for play things of their own. However, as the playground season progressed they realized that the playground equipment was for their use and that when they took something they could not play with it or some one would know where it came from and might report it to the playground director, or that they were stopping others from playing because there was no equipment. 98 The playground can only do its Share by offering ex- periences in which the child may realize that the equipment does not belong to him and that it is put on the playground for his use. If he takes it home with him the rest of the group as well as himself will not have things to play with while they are on the playground. Honesty is a factor which is most important in a democratic life. It is a part of social approval which is so necessary in good society. Responsibility and Lgyalpy Loyalty and responsibility have been discussed together because of their close connection. If a child is loyal to his family, to his school, or to his playground he has de- velOped a reSponsibility for himself. The social quality, loyalty, has been found in most every type of society of the human race. The following quotation briefly describes the natural progression of loyalty from the most immediate relationship of the human person to more indirect connec- tions. "Loyalty has played an important part in the progress of the human race. The earliest expression was that of the family to its own immediate relatives. Then the group was enlarged to that of the clan which comprised all persons claiming blood relationship. Later, different clans found it better to combine for purposes of mutual protection and subsistence. In this way the nation developed, as strong tribes reached out through conquest or other means. Today nations are combining into larger units, the purpose of these larger leagues being the prevention of war and the cause of humanity in general. Just as history Show loyalty developing from that of the family to that of the nation, so to-day we find the same progression in the deve10pment of loyalty to the team 99 or gang, then to the school, and latel'to one's ideals, one's religion, one's associates, and one's country. Play paves the way." (1) The point system probably has been one of the greatest incentives for responsibility that the playgrounds have used because of the added attraction of a reward which is usually given. The Department of Recreation in Saginaw, Michigan, referred to under the heading of leadership in this chapter, not only attempted to Sponsor leadership but also responsi- bility by the use of the point system. (2) The Michigan Avenue School Playground referred to pre- viously also used the point system to the extent of dele- gating the keys of the equipment room to the child for the day, and it was his duty to handle all of the equipment and to be reSponsible for the care and appearance, responsibility of the room. The children were so delighted with this re- Sponsibility that_there was always the problem of giving every one an Opportunity to share in the position. The directors of the Logan Street School Playground tried to delegate as much reSponsibility to the children themselves as seemed possible. In every way they made it the children's own play yard. The children planned their own rules for games, planned their own tournaments, pre— sented new games, made handicraft for themselves, made ' regulations for conduct, and actually punished offenders. Probably the boy or the girl who was captain of a team had more responsibility than any other person on the (l) Wilbur P. Bowen and Elmer D. Mitchell. Op. Cit. p. 550. (2) "The World at Plav:Saginaw's Point Svstem." On. Cit. p.517 100 playground at one time. The boys' junior diamond ball team was to have a ball game at Scott Field. The director of the team did not go with these boys to their ball games so he delegated all of the responsibility to the boy captain. The captain was given the equipment such as balls, bats, and horseshoes, and he was held responsible for them as well as for the team's actions. The director instructed the leader to remove any boy from the game who made any attempt to diSpute the official or to question his decision. Failure of the captain to do these things adequately would be re- ported by the director of the other playground. In this way not only did the captain have the reSponsibility of the team and the apparatus, but the whole team had a re- Sponsibility to the Logan Street School Playground. The team lost its game and returned without telling the Opponent team what they thought of the officiating. When the team reached the point of feeling a responsibility to the play- ground, and to the playground director, the task of de- veloping reSpOnSibility was accomplished to a considerable extent.. These incidents only tend to give the child more experience in problems of a responsible nature. The method of teaching these two qualities was as important as the actual doing of them. The first day on a playground the children tested the director to see how he would react to their misdoings. The Opening day of the 101 Logan Street School Playground, the director talked to a few boys and asked if they would like to play ball. They, of course, were delighted and proceeded to get a ball and bat from the playground equipment box. The game was very amusing to them for a while. Then one of the smaller children went to the director and reported the baseball had disappeared and that he thought Some one had knocked it over the fence. The remainder of the morning was spent in searching for the ball, and when the boys asked for another, because they could not find the lost one, the director re- plied that she could not get another until the first was found. The director went home to lunch and the ball still had not been found, but when she returned a boy presented the ball and said that he had found it and wanted to know if he could have a bat to play with too. Probably this was the beginning of a Spirit of responsibility and loyalty that was motivated by the desire to play ball, and eventu- ally as a team was organized and as it gained in strength of organization the feeling of loyalty became more powerful. "The more fully organized the team, the more powerful is the fekling of loyalty. Too often loyalty ceases when the team is a losing one. When loyalty is the sterner type which persists in Spite of reverses the word 'morale' is often used." (1) (l) Wilbur P. Bowen and Elmer D. Mitchell. Op. Cit. p. 350. The second summer, a similar situation to the one above produced a different result. A baseball was missing from the rest of the equipment and no one seemed to know where it was. The director expressed the opinion that they could not play ball without a ball and the children proceeded to look for it. About a half hour later a small boy approach- ed the director and said that he knew where the ball was but he was afraid to tell, and he could not get it himself. The director secured the confidence of the child and learn- ed that the ball had been taken by an older baoy as he was passing the playground. The director praised the little boy and did not betray the confidence which had been placed in him by telling who reported the theft. This small boy felt a responsibility to his play group in telling where the ball was. He also felt a loyalty toward the play- ground and to the group that used the playground; and a disloyalty toward the larger boys who he knew did not de- serve the ball. The playground children were held responsible for the proper signing and filing of their enrollment cards. This places a responsibility on the child in looking out for his own welfare in relation to society. Some children have been sent on responsible errands to other playgrounds and to the Recreation Department office. These small re- sponsibilities encourage the prOper activity of the child when larger responsibilities are given to them. Children 105 have taken the directors' daily reports to the office, others have taken equipment to the office or gotten it from the of- fice. These errands give the child a confidence in himself and his ability to carry out such errands, and it also gives a feeling that the director trusts him and will give him re- sponsibilities. This also encourages a democratic attitude with each individual sharing the feeling of social security and confidence. COOperation and Interest of Adults Cooperation and interest of adults near the playground is one of the most important factors in the success of the playground. Without this cooperation any of the experiences of the playground children would be of little value to the child or to the neighborhood in general. There will always be the relationship with the neighbors - which will be either good or bad. If the playground is a good neighbor, it will be accepted as a good part of the neighborhood. The interest of adults at the Logan Street School Play- ground has been especially noted in the increase of atten- dance to playground parent nights. These community programs have been conducted to interest the adults so they may be more cooperative and feel that the playground is their own. This playground has not had room nor facilities to encourage them to come and play at all times so special nights have been set aside and programs have been planned. 104 for adults because the directors realized the value of having the cooperation of parents. - "The community program is of value from the point of view of the director because of the response he gets from his group determines the hold on the center; it is valuable to the supervisor because it shows the quality of work be- ing accomplished and it is valuable to community because it definitely demonstrates the place recreation holds in the community." (1) The daily reports of the Logan Street School Play— ground show that for the past two years there has been a general increase in the attendance of adults at parent night functions. During the first year, there was only one such nights Sponsored and there were about 15 adults .who came and they stayed only a short time. During the second year there were four parent nights held. The adult attendance at these events increased from 18 to 45. These figures are shown in the following table. TABLE XI Attendance of Adults at Parent Nights of the Logan Street School Playground, in 1932. : Attendance Activity : Men : Women Peanut Carnival : 6 : 12 Pet Show : 15 : 20 Baby Show : 2O : ‘ 25 Handicraft Exhibit : 15 : 20 Total : 56 : 77 ¥ (1) J. J. Considine. "Community Night Programs in Detroit." ...- .. -- a A- I. .--. wa-.-.\ ,. J 105 The results of this interest has been the proviSion of the children coming to the playground with bits of cloth, needles, thread, and buttons with which to make things in handicraft. The parents of this neighborhood have also been ' very helpful in preparing costumes that were needed by the 4 children in the playground circus or in the playground page— ant. One mother near the playground sewed twenty little jackets together for a boys' dance in the pageant, Hansel and Gretal. Mothers have cooperated with the playground and with the children when they allowed them to come to the play- ground dressed in their bathing suits or old clothes so that they might enjoy the Shower which comes to the play- ground on the very warm days. Several Syrian women acted as judges at the Pet Show, and they were very efficient. There was a large crowd of adults that attended this show and there were many pets displayed to make the program more interesting. One Syrian gentleman even helped the director in directing a few games for the adults, and he was very helpful and cooperative with suggestions. A Negro adult in the neighborhood, who owns a large truck, for two years has transported the children of the playground to the inter-playground track meet which is held at Oak Park. If parents were antagonistic to the playground they certainly would not be willing to act in these capacities. 106 This increased interest of adults has helped remarka- bly in keeping the area a playground for small children. It has also given the foreign-born parent more Americanized experiences by mingling and socializing at a neighborhood center, - the playground. "It may be a more difficult task to attract them; yet enterprising leaders, especially among the foreign-born, have succeeded in arousing interest in folk-games and dances, and in developing programs of Amer— icanization. Thus the playspirit can become a means for neighborhood integration, and hence for the strengthening of the sources of national life." (1) There seems to be a great need in the vicinity of the Logan Street School, for a place of recreation for adults. The field of adult recreation is new and ingenius leaders are needed to get adults to play. "The field of adult re- creation has never until recent years been developed, as has that of play for children, and adults are handicapped by a feeling of self-consciousness, of false dignity and by lack of practice in play. Moreover, adults are inclined to limit their leisure time activities to passive forms of recreation, and leadership is essential in developing the kind of program which will mean active participation and a well-rounded program which will allow freedom of choice and wide range in activities." (2) (1) Arthur E. Wood Op. Cit. p. 521. (2) Joseph E. Lee. Op. Cit. p. ll7. 107 To the writers knowledge there has been no intention of making the school building into a neighborhood center for the groups about it, but if the building continues to remain property of the Board of Education and it is not used for school purposes it would make an excellent neighbor- hood recreation center. However, such action at present does not seem probable for the Board of Education has re- cently (spring 1955) passed a resolution to with—draw its support to the playground program because of a lack of finances. The Logan Street School Playground was not super- vised during the summer of 1933, and in general the same rowdism prevailed as did before the two summers of super— vision. A few incidents of the Logan Street School Playground activities have been related and if we consider socializa- tion as the process of learning to act dependently together and democracy as a mode of associated living, the playground should help to develOp these social processes through leader- ship, teamwork and cooperation, sportsmanship, honesty, re— Sponsibility and loyalty, because play is democratic. C. W. Kennedy summarizes well the spirit of socialization and de- mocracy that is found on the playfield. "The Spirit of cooperative behavior grows out of team games. The democracy of Sport! There is an aspect that I think very often does not receive enough consideration. Any playing field is a vision of a true and sound democratic spirit. It is a place where boys and girls come together for a special purpose, all other relationships for the mo- ment being suspended. They are there to play a game. One 108 Side will win the game. For the moment, what lies behind is not a matter of discussion. Question of birth, of fi- nance, of social position are completely suspended, and there is the value that comes to youth from being presented from time to time with something to do in which no condition of any kind is imposed upon his ability except that which he, himself, imposes or cannot free himself from in his own per- son. It is a democracy of the playing field of the country." (1) In summarizing this chapter four brief statements may be made: (1) The supervisory leadership on the Logan Street School Playground is one of the most important aspects of the playground promotion for without intelligent direction this playground proved a detriment to the neighborhood because children were rowdy and boisterous and even destroy- ed nearby property; (2) a flexible, diversified program was conducted on the playground that included competition in team games, games of low organization, handicraft, playground tournaments, city—wide tournaments, stunts, track events, rhythmic games, parent nights, and special city-wide events such as the pageant and circus; (3) this program and the methods of direction have presented certain socializing situations to children on the playground, which have added to their experiences, and which were intend- ed to strengthen character traits necessary to life in a democracy. Leadership was especially shown through captaincy of teams, cOOperation and team work was noted in connection with membership on teams, and in cooperation of the directors I1) C. W. Kennedy "Character Values of Play and Recreation." Playground Vol. 24 (January, 1931), p. 556. 109 with the neighborhood in all events that were possible. Sportsmanship found its place in the playground program through an encouragement of the children to abide by the officials decisions while they were playing ball. Honesty, which is considered usually as a part of sportsmanship, was discussed separately because of its serious import with the children of the Logan Street School Playground. This char- acter quality manifested itself especially in a lack of the concept of other peoples property. ReSponsibility and loyal- ty were eSpecially encouraged to give the child a confidence in himself, and a feeling of equality with other children; (4) The interest and cooperation of adults have increased to the extent of offering excellent cooperation with play- ground activities and of attending Special activities which the playground Sponsored for their benefit. HA“TER VI COVCJJUULOHL) Although ehave a1.ays had play, the play movement is comparatively recent, and there are many countries tha are just learn ning the real value of play. The playground move- ment began in Berlin about 1880, and only five years later ited States (:1 the first playground was established in the in Boston. This pl iayground w.as a sand pit where small chil- dren came to play. 0+ her cities followed the examgle of Boston and enthusiasm grew so that by 1908 the National Playground Association was foundet. The play movement in the United States since 1395, according to Clarence Rain- water, has assuzned seven stages designate'l as follows with their approximate dates: (1) "Sand- pile" stage, 1885—95; (2) "Model Playground" stage, 1895— 1900; (3) "Small Park" stage, 1900-05; (4) "Recreation Center" stage, 1905—12; (5) "Civic-Art— L'elfare" sta e, 1912-15; (6) "Neighborhood Center" stage, 1915-18; (7) "Community Service" stage, 1918-. The writer adds another stage, the stage of "proof", in which each department of each city is proving how it is performing a necessary fur ction in the community. The play movement has manifested itself in Lansing, well as in many other oi 'ties of similar size. 9.) U 1 Mlcu‘gan It began in Lansing in 1911 under the direction of a vol— untary recreation committee thnt carried on the work for six years when it petitioned the city council to ass1me the reSponsibility. bEIL’NE.h’L 1". [ruin .. . 1...; ~ 111 This petition was accepted and from 1916 to 1929; the City Park Board and the Board of Education supervised the play- grounds which were financed by them respectively. The growth during these years was as rapid as the departments of each board could handle new facilities in the expansion program. More stress was laid on summer playgrounds than on any other types of recreation until the burdens became so great that the two boards combined their efforts and organized a City Recreation Department. This department made very rapid progress in playground develOpment and in the organization of athletic leagues and contests. The playground program provided by the City Recreation Depart- ment included supervision of seventeen playgrounds in the summer of 1932, which were_0pen from the middle of June to the last of August. Playgrounds were opened every day ex- cept Saturday and Sunday. One particular playground (Logan Street School Play- ground) of the group of seventeen, serves almost totally negro and Syrian population. This playground is located in the south-west part of the city in an industrial re- sidential section. There are railroads, factories, and a river close to the playground. Of the group that attend the playground 40 percent were Negroes, 49 percent Syrians, and 11 percent white Americans. The boys attending the playground were limited to those under 15 years of age be- cause there was not space enough for both small and large .. . 1 ~ ' . .° .- 4. 7* .- ' .w V .. v‘ . ' _ '7‘ IA” ‘5‘ a» I i 1‘"? . r. n _’l -0- " , . A ‘Q I: o, - C’.Al.Lv~_ \ -1. 1; “Abs-Jr):— .L La ’ I.) .Lrv .~--U C-L bad-1. ‘..--... 1111 L; -1 ..T.L_.1O the jlsygrsunl rare Let een the ages of 8 ail 12., It is :1 1) c!" o ‘ “x 9‘. _L‘ 1.. t.‘ .~ 9".'_ V r-x iCQ-th tL‘s‘D Ll-l_;.b-r -lLkJorOs{- ll 1:3 i~€'-‘- C- ;.l.—¢O ti-‘C: @1191? age. The children tray e1 from one to six blochs to the play- -. - a 1:1 1‘ - ,. .. .L . '1 . h "'7 ‘37 . 1 —. m1 '1.” v 1‘ , t‘ 1 r- O '7‘ ”A; ‘ . ‘ .‘ ‘ on“ 51 UJllu .4114 LJALC uV ', L “‘0'” C111 .11 b1 V8.4.“ .1 o --' b1~3vz€~ o 1' 'C Hetero children tend to tr .vel farther than lo the syri;n Children. Th ajgroximate cost to the city per child attending the laygrOJni is about C0.0s oer day. Probably the most ingartant problem of playgroini de— VSlO‘HGnt is the provision of rise and intelligent leader— ship The Logs: Street School Playground, before leader— 1 snip was provided, proved a place where the gangs of tne neighborhood assembled ani played. There was little regard for neighboring groperty or for the school provesty so thpt rise 10 lershi* on this play gr01rl was a necessity to suwlde the evil influences. The leaders of this playgrouni worked princiiallv ior three objectives, (1) activity which would be interesting enough to hold the child's interest, (2) activities and programs which e1 e conducive to good health, and (3) acti- :13 vities Vh;Ch woull promote character tra_ts n-cessary in democratic society. The pregrem carried on by the children and the super— visor of this ylaygrouri consistel of conjcti ion in ted” ames, games of low organization, naniicrsft, playground 3.135, t. ruck eves. ‘ 5;, I‘hyt’rnxlc ('1' O :1‘ ’1 J E D H, (.1. L F '2) L O U '1) C (D L (_..- f D (’1' _) 113 games, parent nights, and special city—wide events snch as the annual dance pageant and circus. Socialization on the Logen Street School Playgrounr has been difficult to measure objectively. However, the writer assumed that if a child experienced and participated :6) in an event and as a 1t elt satisfaction tl:e he \WOJlj tend to reLeat the act, tilt if he felt dissatisfictior then he would tend to avoid it. It is with this BSSlh)t10n in View that the diverse program of the Logan Street School Playground has been presented for examination. C :r] 1.11:; ,3“ H- U) . - .1“- : ~-r.- —. ‘ -‘ - ,\ —. r . ry-. ~s ’s 1 . 1 ..v Teedersnip was one of tee socialising traits e- h riven special attention with the promotion of this program. ‘ 0 It has not been difficult to get the children of this 1 "‘1 I - a;gronnd to be leaders, and an attempt was made to give eve -ry one a chance to EXFBTIGLICG the problems of leadership so that he cosld appreciate the difficulties of using a leader. This layground practiced the policy of appointing he eam captain just before each game. This plan had several advantages over the method of electing one caotain for the thole season. They are as follows; (1) It allowed about 37 percent oi the boys and girls of team age to be captain at some time. (S) It gave everyone experience in leader ' lip. (E) It gave more children an opportdnity to icy to.ard cliqueness and 9 play. (4) It avoided a tends? gangs. (5) It avoided jealo u'ies on the part of team mem- bers. (6) It took the premidm off being a good player he~ Cause good players were always chosen as captains by the children. This method presented one noticeable disad— vanta5e, -ach captain "as not Ca: tain lon5 nei5h to ex perience all the difficult problems of being a leader. A second socializing trait, teamwork and cooperation, was fostered especially in tno rays, (1) cooperation among _4 ball U) (D the children on the playgrOJnd was noted as the ba team conte:r led for the cit by chamyionship and the rivalry and excitement seemed to enconrage working together. The base ball team also cooperated to the extent of os tra is— ing one of their players who noald not work with the gronp. Group disapgroval showed itself in horseshoe playing also, to the extent of call n5 upon the director to settle tne argument; (2) cooperation as it etisted between the children and the director was shown in the willingness to do small errands to heln keep the play5ronnd cleaii, and in caring ca lt to teach the r-u Sooitsnansn p was especially di ff. children of this play5ronnd because the directors were confronted with the method in which the adults shon ed their disaggroval of officiating. A large part of this attitude and disa nproval a esult of i5norance of the rales of the gene. A definite attenvt was made to each sportsman— ship by first teaching the rules of the game, by avoiding n _L *1 Q. (n £3 '3 *1 C) <1 ( ...; 0 ways in which persons could Show thei officiating, by teaching ideals and stimulatin5 a desire for recognition and respect through the girls' teams and bv encouraging boy—captains to exercise their authority J as caita'1 of a team. 115 til {-31 L4 Honesty, a quality which Ly many authors is i1’1cl under the character trait of sportsmanship, has been dedlt with sepa‘etely in this the sis because of tile particul T' f-v (‘1 n1 .. problem thich it presents on the hogsn Street c 1001 Play- (D ground. Son of the children of this playground do not seen to sense the idea of right and wrong when it comes to utilizing the school equipment. The only barrier to dis— honesty which arises is the authority of others and what the results might be. Some of these cLildren have little con— ception or consciousness of their own acts concerning other peoples' prOperty. The ;ldJ:r3“ni directors attempted to U instill honesty through the desire to plhy ant through the sgirit of whet the chili owed to the group rather than him— A self alone. This was es .ec ally noted in the boy who re— vesled his true &;8 to save the tea n from possible default at a championship game. Responsibility and loyalty ere inelities with close correlation. The LOShH Streeto chool Play directors delegdted responsibilities to the children through the care of equignent, the care of the teen when it :lsyed on fields other then its oxn, and t1Mr013h smell errdnds. Responsi— ty to the plsyaronnd motivgted by the desire to play was di3 le yei by the child who respected the nlsygroxni direc~ tor, .ho retirn3d lost eguigmont, who becsme properly en- rolled on the pldyground, and wflno exec1ted errs d5 with self—confidence. H :--‘ Li) -. z I . P’ -: ' ‘ . \A *‘ 7 Wu . 3 .'~ 4'. . ‘ ~ ‘ -, . v' A one sociolioing coo oeuocrotlc glolitics hJEU t:cn maie possible only through a defiolte coooerotiow and J. intére:t of adult;. Their coogerotion was shown by providicg for the children, b; acting as j1r¢es at Lci:; ;ic:, by providing trunsgortction for the rlayground children to parent Ni'r‘1t functions. A. 117 BIBLIOGRAPHY Book References. Bogardus, Emory S. Contemporary Sociology Los Angeles: University of Southern California Press, 1951. Bogardus, Emory S. Fundamegtals of Social Psychology The Century Co., New York, 1924. Bowen, Wilbur, and Mitchell, Elmer. The Theory of Organized Play. New York: A.S.Barnes & Company, 1924. Curtis, E. S. Education Through Play New York: MacMillan Company, 1915. Curtis, E. S. Playgrounds, The Practical Conduct of Play New York: MacMillan Company, 1922. Curtis, H. S. The Play Movement and Its Significanc . New York: MacMillan Company, 1917. Dewey, John. 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Lansing Playground Association Report Lansing, Michigan: Lansing Playground Association, 1915. Lawes, Lewis E. "Shorty" Testifies. (File Heading: Delinquency) Bulletin of the National Recreation Association No. 2657. New York: National Recreation Association, May,l952 Nash, J. B. Administration of Play and Recreation of a City. Pamphlet of the Nation Recreation Association, No. 196. ' New York: National Recreation Association. Park Recreation Areas in the United States, 1950 Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bulletin No. 565 Washington: Government Printing Office. Play Leadership. Pamphlet of the National Recreation Association. New York: National Recreation Association. 124 Playground Registration (File Heading, Administration) Bulletin of the National Recreation Associa- tion, No. 2856. New York: National Recreation Assoc., March, 1955. Ready, Maren M. School Playgrounds. United States Department of Interior. Office of Education. Washington: Government Printing Office. 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