physical recreation, and music can always justify its place in any community. Music that can calm mobs and prevent stampedes, music which has made loyal citizens out of potential traitors, music which has rebuilt communities, and music which has diminished juvenile delinquency and adult crime, should be a part of every municipal pro-. gram of constructive recreation.

William J. Burns, the great detective and criminologist, has said: "Show me a city with a maximum of good music, and I'll show you a city with a minimum of crime."

Mayor Dever of Chicago has stated publicly that with the police powerless to check crime, they are going to make more use of music. And Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: "The world is being held back for the lack of music."

But regardless of this preventive side of music, there is a constructive side which is far more important. Theodore Roosevelt at one time made. this admonishment: "Let the love of literature, sculpture, architecture, and above all, of Music, enter into your lives." This advice has been given to us in other phrases of similar meaning by Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge and many other statesmen and men of letters.

It is a psychological law that expression follows impression; and exposure to music will inevitably be followed by a wider use of music as a means of self-expression. It is our opportunity, as leaders in recreation, to guide musical impression and open up the proper avenues for musical expression. In doing this we are pouring happiness on others, and it is impossible to pour that perfume of happiness on others without getting a few drops on ourselves. We are not so much interested in what people do with music, but in what music does with people. We are rendering a real service to mankind in the democratization of music.

How New Orleans Acquired Some of Its

Play Space

L. Di Benedetto, Manager of the Playground Community Service Commission of New Orleans, has sent some very interesting information about the way in which New Orleans acquired some of its parks and recreation spaces.

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From hearing "old timers" talk, Mr. Di Benedetto says, he feels sure that nearly all of the park property in New Orleans was donated by certain individuals. Beauregard Playground during the Spanish and French domination of New Orleans was a fortification known about 1800 as Fort Saint Ferdinand. The sites of the Poydras, Saraparu, Larkin and Keller Playgrounds-the city's smallest grounds-were formerly public markets.

"Bunny Friend" was deeded to the city for park purposes in 1834 by a man named Montreuil, but it was not used for this purpose until ninety years afterward. Washington, Annunciation and Clay Playgrounds were former city squares converted into playgrounds in late years.

The Bonart Playground, the city's latest recreation center, was equipped by Sam Bonart, one of the playground commissioners by a personal gift of $16,000, the city furnishing the ground. The playground has an interesting history. When it was found necessary to move the Washington Girls' School located in a commercial district to a more suitable place, the Commission immediately applied to the Council for the ground made vacant by the moving of the School. This request was granted. As the Commission was about to construct a playground on the property, a business firm of the city began negotiating for the purchase of the ground. The Mayor refused to sell, but offered to exchange with this firm for a square in another section of the city which seemed to the Commission more desirable for playground purposes. As a result of the exchange, the city acquired more square feet of space than the old Washington site provided and $4,000 in addition. The playground equipped represents an investment of at least $50,000.

Galvez and Cleveland Playgrounds are situated. on narrow strips, known in New Orleans as neutral grounds but in most cities as parkways.

One of the notable examples of donated ground in New Orleans is the splendid property given by Elias Pailet for the Behrman Memorial Recreation Center. Mr. Pailet presented the city with. two fine pieces of land, one measuring 250 feet by 875 feet which will be used for the recreation center, and a second piece measuring 300 feet by 600 feet, which will serve as a park. This property is probably worth no less than $25,000. $50,000 has been raised for the memorial and when it is completed it will be a splendid center, equipped with a gymnasium, swimming pool, tennis courts and children's playgrounds.

BY

In Tacoma we have rather a peculiar situation with respect to the relation between the various departments of the city. The school department operates as such, the city government operates along the same lines as most city governments, but the park department has nothing to do with either the schools or the city government. It is an entirely separate corporation so to speak, incorporated under the laws of the state of Washington and subject to them. There is no legal tie between any of these departments. The Recreation Department is a part of the Metropolitan Park District and is controlled by its Board of Directors.

It may be said that cooperation is the keynote to success in every undertaking that requires the united effort of several people. We have cooperation between the workers in our department, we have inter-departmental cooperation in our city government, we have inter-departmental cooperation in our schools and colleges. But the paths to cooperation are not all strewn with roses. Many a thorn and bramble must be removed before the desired state is reached.

It was out of a few seeds planted by Mr. Braden in 1925, that the present department grew. The people who got behind the movement were responsible for Mr. Braden's visit to Tacoma. They had a common object in working for supervised play and adequate recreation facilities for the children.

Rather fortunately no direct attempt had ever been made by the previous administration of the Recreation Department to secure the use of school buildings for recreation purposes. As far as the Park Department was concerned, it had nothing to offer in the way of playgrounds or buildings toward a recreation program. The old "keep off the grass" rules were still rigidly enforced in the various parks. The only thing to do was to secure the use of certain school grounds and buildings,

*Paper given at the District Conference, Santa Monica, California, April 12-14, 1928.

to carry on any kind of a program. To do this required a number of meetings with the school board as well as personal interviews with the individual members.

The first approach was made with a reasonable looking program in hand and a talk on the general aims of the department. Little by little the board was won over to the idea of giving us a chance to "try out our ideas."

Before the close of school in June we had conducted several special programs involving school children, teachers and limited school facilities. When school closed arrangements were completed for using certain school grounds with very limited use of school buildings. The hardest nut to crack was the school janitor. In every case a personal interview was held with the janitor in charge of the buildings we desired to use. In many cases several calls were necessary to explain our purpose and give assurance that the buildings would not be wrecked or the playground carried away.

In addition to securing certain grounds and buildings we succeeded in getting the use of the high school swimming pools. Of course we paid the cost of operation including water, power, heat and such, but by charging ten cents admission, we more than made expenses.

Owing to the absence of certain construction and engineering equipment in the Park Department we had to secure the cooperation of the city engineer. In this we were successful and many contacts were made with the engineering department to borrow certain pieces of machinery, or to have a surveying crew run the levels on a new playground site.

When it came to erecting a flag pole the light department was brought into the program. We got the use of their hoisting equipment for a few hours.

When the summer was over, and the rainy season set in, our attention turned to indoor activity. Again, the Park Department had nothing to offer, so the matter was taken up with the school board.

An approach was again made with a proposed plan in writing and a talk on adult recreation. We secured the use of six junior high schools and two senior high school gymnasiums. Again we had to pay the cost of operation, which in this case included janitor services, light and water. We attempted to make the evening recreation program self sustaining by charging a fee for the use of gymnasiums. This plan was only partly successful.

By using the junior and senior high school physical directors wherever and whenever possible in our activities program, we maintain a close tie with the physical education department as a whole. In most cases, we found the physical directors, especially the women, well qualified for playground and evening recreation leadership.

I might add here that the regular school janitors are appointed by the school board to unlock the doors, turn on the lights and then lock up again at the conclusion of the period, which is usually ten o'clock. This arrangement is not altogether satisfactory, for several reasons. The physical director is in charge of the gymnasium program and is responsible for the conduct of the participants. The janitor is not interested in this sort of thing, consequently he does nothing to aid the program. I consider this the weak spot of the program.

The central administrative office of the school department has been very helpful and cooperative in many ways. In a recent survey to determine the playground needs of the city, much of the information came from that office. They distribute bulletins as often as we care to put them out.

The Superintendent of Schools has more recently taken a personal interest in the work of our department and very obligingly urges his principals and teachers to cooperate with our program in every possible way.

We have also formed ties with other administrative departments of the city, including the general city council and the Mayor's office. We have taken a hand in entertainments for distinguished visitors to the city, cooperating with the Mayor's secretary. This tie has been strengthened by keeping the Mayor and the city council informed as to outstanding programs and special events. They in turn have dealt kindly and favorably with various requests made by us for the closing of certain streets and alleys in order to make possible a new and important district playfield. Thus a state of cooperation between the Recreation Department of Tacoma and the other city departments has been brought about.

Art and Dramatic Day

Memphis Park Commission each year holds an Art and Drama Day in which the following features are usually introduced: exhibits of playground photography, amateur drawings and paintings, boys' minstrel show, story acting contest by Juniors of the Dramatic Club, a puppet play by the Seniors of the Club, a Safety Oratorical contest by boys and girls, and poem pantomimes by the Rhythm Club.

The contest was opened to all boys and girls of playground age and there was a contest in impersonations of Mother Goose characters for children of kindergarten age.

Oratorical Contest

Each Junior and Senior Dramatic Club conducted an Oratorical Contest for boys and girls. The children wrote their own essays, the subject of which was Safety-How to prevent street and home accidents, memorized them and presented them at a preliminary contest held during the week of which Art and Drama Day was a part. All contestants were eliminated except one boy and one girl. These two latter represented their playground in the "traveling troupe" which visited other playgrounds.

Poem Pantomimes

In arranging these pantomimes, a well known poem is read to the children, some of whom are asked to act it out as it is read. The rhythm beat of the lines is emphasized and the children asked to keep time as carefully as they do to music. The best poem pantomime selected jointly by the children and the teacher is given on some special day. During each presentation some child or group of children read the lines from the book, List of Poem Pantomimes

1. The Three Little Kittens, Action Poem and Play for Children, by Nora A. Smith.

2. Little Miss Muffet, Action Poem and Play for Children, by Nora A. Smith

3. The King of Yellow Butterflies, by Vachel Lindsay

4. The Morning Glories, by Madison Cauvein 5. Overheard in a Saltmarsh, by Harold Monro 6. Autumn, by Sara Beaumont Kennedy 7. When Young Melissa Sweeps, by Nancy Byrd Turner

8. The Dance, by Lehman 9. Pierrette.

Having heard many and various arguments and statements relative to proper amounts and proportions which should be devoted to recreation, most of them good, and without apparent material results, and judging by the reaction of the listeners to these statements, I am wondering if some other method of convincing the taxpayer and money control power may not be worth a thought.

Reference to a compilation of statistics on recreation showed that New York City devoted 2.3% of the tax dollar thereto and the same table showed 7.8% for San Diego, 3.9% for our city.

We do not have enough, therefore, we assume that New York does not assign or appropriate enough for that purpose. We are certain that the citizenship of our community is just as deserving as that of San Diego and should have as great, if not greater, allotment. But I doubt if you have secured material results from such an argument. Then, it is also possible that if an appropriation of 7.8%, or any increased amount were placed in the hands of any organization now operating on a less amount, that the increase might easily be wasted, at least a large part of it, because it may not be competent to interest the people of its community to a point where increased expenditure would be warranted by results.

We often hear that taxes are high, that we cannot stand an increase. With this statement I am not impressed, provided the people know what they want and are assured of getting it, if they provide the funds. I am sure there is more money to be had in any community in this country, than

*Address given at Western Recreation Conference, Santa Monica, California, April 12-14, 1928.

we dream of asking for, if the people are convinced that they want a thing and that they will receive it if the funds are forthcoming.

This is evidenced by the cheerfulness with which the people vote money for education. I think of but one instance where funds for the promotion of education was refused in our district, that being a request for a three million bond issue, which was not accompanied by adequate, if any, explanation of its necessity. The issue lost by a small majority. The year following seven million was asked for and the request, accompanied by a statement of needs, was granted without any considerable opposition. Such complacent consideration of money requests are made possible by demonstration of efficiency in results, together with economical expenditure.

I believe recreation is, or will become the most important thing in our lives, aside from arranging for a living and the hereafter. I also believe that the people are recreation-minded, and that a large percentage do not know it, or if they do know it, do not know or think we can provide it to an extent satisfactory to them. Their efforts to entertain themselves and the lack of beneficial or pleasurable results are a matter of regret.

The majority now think of recreation as being the stereotyped gym work, set class exercises, good, but not entertaining, or they think of it as games which require vigorous effort and engaged in by those who excel or hope to.

Because of these facts and others, I am convinced that the amount of money which should be appropriated for recreation in any community depends upon the efficiency of the recreation man