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THEODORE WIRTH-PIONEER IN PARK PLANNING

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Garden Show in 1930. In recognition of his service to horticulture and for his previous offices as president, he was awarded the Gold Medal of Honor of the Society of American Florists and Ornamental Horticulturists. In 1933 he was awarded the Pugsley Silver Medal of the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society for meritorious park service in his work with the Park Board of Minneapolis.

When Mr. Wirth retired from active service, he and Mrs. Wirth started on a tour of the world which they completed in eleven months. Before returning to Minneapolis the couple visited their sons, Conrad L. Wirth, Assistant Director of the National Park Service in charge of the Branch of Recreational Planning and State Cooperation, in Washington, and Walter L. Wirth, superintendent of parks, of New Haven, Connecticut. Another son is Lieutenant-Commander Theodore R. Wirth of the United States Navy.

Bead Craft as a Playground Activity

(Continued from page 38)

mate cost of various small articles, such as bracelets, head bands, belts and small purses. In our city, as in most communities, there is little money available for handcraft supplies, and on playgrounds it is often hard to find any funds for materials. In introducing bead work on our playgrounds each director started the bead project and that, it seemed, was all that was needed! The children had their own ideas as to color and design, and with a little help worked out many attractive articles. Many of the older girls made small purses, some with initials or monograms worked out as a design in the purse. These were, of course, all along the simpler lines of bead work, but when the fundamentals or principles have once been learned any pattern can be worked out.

The Playground Commission is headquarters for supplies and each child pays his five or ten cents or whatever the price of the article to be made may be. These beads are sold without profit to the Commission. Our experience has shown that if a child really wants to make an article he can find the necessary pennies with which to do it. The first summer's work was carried over into the Girl Scouts' winter program and that of the Girl Reserves and of the Y. W. C. A., Y. M. C. A. and camps located near here. Many calls were received from adults at the close of the summer playground program when they had seen the work (Continued on page 54)

MAGAZINES AND PAMPHLETS

The Library and Recreation

HE RECREATION COMMISSION of Millburn, New Jersey, according to Carl Schmitt, Director of Recreation, has completed a piece of work in a field not usually considered a part of the recreation program.

In 1935 a new recreation building was completed in Taylor Park, the center of the community's recreation activities. The local Junior Service League cooperated by furnishing the building and supplying books for the room set aside as a reading room. The League also assisted by providing leadership every afternoon for this library. It was impossible to make it a lending library since a clause in the deed of the donor of the park specifically stated that a public library could never be established in the park. There was no question, however, of the desirability and interest for establishing a public library in the community. The State Library Association had reported that Millburn was the only community of its size in the state without a public library and something, it was felt, should be done to meet this long felt need.

Aided by the interest created through the reading room in the park, the Junior Service League and the Recreation Commission initiated plans for enlisting the cooperation of other organizations in the town in the establishment of a free public library. The Recreation Commission started the ball rolling by persuading the Township Committee to turn over a two-family residence which it owned and eventually to appropriate enough money to repair and improve the lower floor of the building, install a modern heating plant and make the building available for use as a library.

In the meantime the Junior Service League was busily at work talking up the proposal for a library with other organizations, and a meeting of representatives of the various groups was held to discuss plans. The outcome of this meeting was a second meeting at which a Library Board was appointed. A plan to sell memberships was formulated and a date set for a drive for funds. It was decided to sell active membership for $1.00, contributing membership for $10 and a lifetime membership for $100 or more. The plan included the proposal to turn the contributing and family memberships and all additional active memberships which could be secured into cards for children and others financially unable to purchase them. In this way the library would be open to all.

A great deal of assistance was given by organi

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BEAD CRAFT AS A PLAYGROUND ACTIVITY

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zations, individuals and the State Library Association, with the result that six months after the original plans were discussed Millburn feels assured of realizing its dream of a free library for all its citizens.

Bead Craft as a Playground Activity

(Continued from page 52)

done by the children. Such questions were asked as, "Why not start a class in bead work for women?" "What is the cost of the material?" "How long does it take to finish a purse?"

We organized a women's handcraft class in one of the public school buildings. This class, which met one afternoon each week from two to four o'clock, was received with such enthusiasm that many more similar classes have since been organized in other parts of town. Many women who have taken purses home to work on have been surprised to find that their husbands have become interested in the art and have themselves made purses and belts.

There is something about bead work that grows on one, and when a project is once started it is hard to put it down until it is completed. Bead products from our classes have been sent to all parts of the country and bear labels indicating that they are handmade and have come from Springfield, Illinois. Many employees of local business houses are members of our classes. They are interested in learning to do the work so that they may be able to repair commercial purses if necessary. Many women have made pin money selling their products.

Our office seems to have become the state headquarters for bead supplies, and we have sold beads in all parts of Illinois. This widespread interest may have been due to our exhibit at the State Fair when visitors asked that we hold classes in bead work there. Much interest was aroused when we demonstrated how simply the work could be done and what attractive articles could be made in a short time. So great was the demand for articles that it seemed doubtful whether we should be able to keep any on display at the fair!

Every day calls are received at our office requesting information on bead craft, and many people call in person to see the samples on display and ask questions about them.

After two years of using wooden beads as a handcraft project in our program we feel it is one of the finest individual activities we have ever introduced and developed.

New Publications in the Leisure Time Field

Index to Handicrafts, Modelmaking

and Workshop Projects

Compiled by Eleanor Cook Lovell and Ruth Mason Hall. The F. W. Faxon Company, Boston. $4.00.

THI

HIS VERY CAREFULLY worked out index of articles on handicraft is based on an extensive collection of references accumulated in the Minneapolis Public Library during the past twelve years. It covers a field of miscellaneous and hitherto unorganized material on handicrafts and amateur workshop projects. Only articles giving practical information and the necessary drawings or diagrams for construction have been included.

The A B C of Attracting Birds

By Alvin M. Peterson. The Bruce Publishing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. $1.50.

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YOU ARE INTERESTED in birds and want to have them as friends and neighbors, the suggestions of the bird lover who wrote this book will go far to help you win their friendship. Simple, inexpensive and sure ways to attract the birds are to be found in this book which gives reasons for having birds, information regarding bird baths, feeding and nesting boxes easy enough for anyone to make, and facts telling how trees, bushes and vines act as bird attractors-these are a few of the subjects discussed. In the final chapter suggestions are given for forming an effective bird sanctuary. There are many attractive illustrations.

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NEW PUBLICATIONS IN THE LEISURE TIME FIELD

to each boy who would live up to a given pledge for three years the sum of $200, to be used as the boy saw fit. Each boy selected a sponsor who was to be his guiding star during the three years of testing. By the winter of 1930-31 1200 boys had completed the test and received their awards; approximately 2500 more were in the enrollment test. The writer of this volume was asked by the "Foundation" "to study the boys and the plan in order to determine whether the latter was sound, how well it was working, and whether it should be improved or discarded."

The major portion of the book deals with the description and the working out of the plan. There were interviews with a sampling of boys, parents and sponsors; the opinions of a group of experts in the field of religion and character education were secured; references in current writings in the field of religious and character education were studied in their relation to the plan. Upon the findings from these three sources the conclusions were reached in regard to the value of the Foundation plan. The major conclusion was that offering boys money to be good does not work. Many people would have guessed that in the beginning. This scientific study now proves it, and that in itself is worth much to workers in the field of character education. But the conclusion, however important, is only one of the values of the book. Its description of the research method is excellent. There is much food for thought regarding pledges and awards in general and in the selection, training and responsibilities of sponsors. This book will probably be read widely by persons interested in work with adolescents and in instruments for promoting character growth. - Reviewed by E. C. Worman.

Nature Magazine's Guide to Science Teaching. By E. Laurence Palmer, Director of Nature Education of the American Nature Association and Professor of Rural Education at Cornell University. Published and copyrighted by the American Nature Association, 1936. $1.00.

An enriching program provides access to a wide range of supplementary material. I am glad that a recognized leader in nature education has made the basic content of the Nature Magazine available to teachers of elementary science. The excellent pictures of the magazine have been included. The book is a guide and provides for growth in ten major "realms." The author freely admits the limitations of a guide for one magazine. The role of the publication is to supplement and enrich existing courses. As such, progressive teachers will wish to add it to their kit.-William Gould Vinal, National Recreation Association.

Catching Up with Housing.

By Carol Aronovici, Ph.D., and Elizabeth McCalmont. Beneficial Management Corporation, 15 Washington Street, Newark, N. J. $2.00.

"An excellent bird's-eye view of the housing problem of great value as a primer for social workers, government officials and students of housing." is the comment of Clarence L. Stein, architect, on this practical book which is intended for the use of class study and for the public interested in the improvement of housing conditions in the United States. It contains data on all important housing projects and the development of the housing movement in this country during the last century. It also suggests what might be done in the housing field. The material is clearly classified and ably indexed.

Dogs.

By Alfred W. Meyer. Whittlesey House. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York. $2.50.

If dogs are your hobby, you will find this book on their care and training breeds and selections full of interest.

List of Pageants and Plays for Children,
Young People and Adults.

Education Department, National Council for Prevention of War, 532 Seventeenth Street, N. W., Washington, D. C. $.10.

This extensive list has been carefully classified, arranged alphabetically and separately numbered under each group, with notations as to occasions for which they are particularly appropriate. Brief information is given about the theme, number of characters, playing time and publisher.

Child Labor Facts-1937.

National Child Labor Committee, 419 Fourth
Avenue, New York. $.25.

Facts which every citizen should know about the alarming extent of child labor will be found in a 31 page pamphlet recently issued by the National Child Labor Committee. It is a general informative booklet dealing with the extent and present forms of child labor, the status of child labor legislation, and the effects of premature employment on the physical and mental well-being of children. It gives the factual background for anyone interested in the problem.

The Story of Christmas.

By R. J. Campbell, D.D. The Macmillan Company,
New York. $3.00.

Canon Campbell in retelling the Christmas story has presented it in both its ancient and modern setting, and has illustrated it with materials drawn from a number of periods. There are old Christmas customs, modern Christmas stories, carols and Christmas verse. The selections chosen have been drawn from a vast amount of literature on the subject, and it is Canon Campbell's hope that readers will be stimulated to explore this fascinating field for themselves.

Officers and Directors of the National Recreation Association

OFFICERS

JOSEPH LEE, President

JOHN H. FINLEY, First Vice-President
JOHN G. WINANT, Second Vice-President
ROBERT GARRETT, Third Vice-President
GUSTAVUS T. KIRBY, Treasurer
HOWARD S. BRAUCHER, Secretary

DIRECTORS

F. GREGG BEMIS, Boston, Mass.

MRS. EDWARD W. BIDDLE, Carlisle, Pa.
MRS. WILLIAM BUTTERWORTH, Moline, Ill.
CLARENCE M. CLARK, Philadelphia, Pa.
HENRY L. CORBETT, Portland, Ore.

MRS. ARTHUR G. CUMMER, Jacksonville, Fla.
F. TRUBEE DAVISON, Locust Valley, L. I., N. Y.
JOHN H. FINLEY, New York, N. Y.

ROBERT GARRETT, Baltimore, Md.

AUSTIN E. GRIFFITHS, Seattle, Wash.
MRS. MELVILLE H. HASKELL, Tucson, Ariz.
MRS. CHARLES V. HICKOX, Michigan City, Ind.
MRS. MINA M. EDISON-HUGHES, West Orange, N. J.
MRS. FRANCIS DELACY HYDE, Plainfield, N. J.
GUSTAVUS T. KIRBY, New York, N. Y.

H. MCK. LANDON, Indianapolis, Ind.
MRS. CHARLES D. LANIER, Greenwich, Conn.
ROBERT LASSITER, Charlotte, N. C.
JOSEPH LEE, Boston, Mass.

EDWARD E. LOOMIS, New York, N. Y.

J. H. MCCURDY, Springfield, Mass.
OTTO T. MALLERY, Philadelphia, Pa.
WALTER A. MAY, Pittsburgh, Pa.

CARL E. MILLIKEN, Augusta, Me.

MRS. OGDEN L. MILLS, Woodbury, N. Y.

MRS. JAMES W. WADSWORTH, Washington, D. C.

J. C. WALSH, New York, N. Y.

FREDERICK M. WARBURG, New York, N. Y.
JOHN G. WINANT, Concord, N. H.

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