PLAYGROUNDS AND RECREA TION CENTERS. The first two dec ades of the twentieth century witnessed an increased interest in the welfare of children on the part of the Amer ican public. Legislation prohibiting child labor and restricting the hours of labor for young persons between the ages of 15 and 20 has been passed by the Federal Government and by nearly all the States. Educators have pointed out that in play all the child's energies and talents are given scope, because only in play can his deepest interest be aroused. Some intensity of interest and attention can be secured in work, but nothing in comparison with what can be obtained by play when that play is prop .
erly directed.
The city of Boston established the first playground in 1882, and New York, five years later appropriated $1,000,000 to be used in purchasing small parks to be used as playgrounds. In 1894 the Tenement House Commission secured two small plots from the city of New York to be used as playgrounds for the children of the tenements. One of these parks, left without any apparatus and with no directors, was of little use. The other, however, was directed by the Rec reation League of New York, who raised funds to supply apparatus and to pay for the proper direction of the play. This was opened to the children in July 1899, under the name of Seward Park and at once proved an immense success. In the same year the school boards of the dif ferent boroughs comprising the city of New York appropriated money to equip the school-yards of the city with appa ratus and to pay the directors of the play. From 1900 on, the number of
playgrounds in New York have steadily increased, but not sufficiently to answer the requirements of the children. The success attending the experiment in New York led other large cities, both American and European to establish playgrounds. In 1920 nearly all cities in the United States having a population of over 50,000 had made some provision for playgrounds and for the most part they have had paid supervision. In 1907 the Playground and Recreation Society of America was founded and began to publish a mouthy magazine, "The Play greund." The ownership and management of the playgrounds was at first entirely private but lately it has tended to take its place among those functions expected of a modern municipality. The chief agency in such cases of public ownership has been the school board. Very few play grounds have been a success unless they have been under the supervision of some older person skilled in the direction of children. To meet this demand for trained leadership classes have been opened in many cities.
Many large cities finding the space provided for playgrounds insufficient have set aside certain streets for chil dren's play. Traffic on these streets is prohibited during the hours from three in the afternoon until six at night. Chicago has made perhaps the most elab orate provision for playgrounds and rec reation centers of any American city.