The children who were not able to go to the Echo Playground were invited to similar Easter events at other city playgrounds and Easter Egg Hunts were held at four other centers.

In addition the Department scheduled a children's Easter Party at Queen Anne Playground and an Easter Egg Dyeing and Show at Verdugo Playground.

Successful Community Use.-The Woodruff School, Ypsilanti, Michigan, is a fine example of a modern grade school building. Through the cooperation of the principal, the Parent-Teacher Association of the city and the City Recreation Commission, a total of 14,119 people were reached through community programs during the year. The younger boys were served through the Boy Scouts; the older boys and men by an athletic club with an average attendance of about forty. The older girls and women were also organized in an athletic club. There was a program of community dances, moving pictures, dinners, a Christmas celebration, a Halloween party, a debate and a carnival which drew 1,200 spectators. In addition there were regular Parent-Teacher Association meetings and the Association has a sponsoring committee for the men's athletic club, the women's athletic club, the dances and the moving pictures. During the summer a supervised playground was conducted on the grounds by the Recreation Commission.

A Park Gift for Noblesville.-George Ball, the owner of a large factory in Noblesville, Indiana, has presented the city with thirty acres of land adjoining the present park. The property was formerly used as a serum manufacturing plant and has on it a very fine building which can be converted into a modern bath house. It is planned to build a new modern pool on this site as soon as funds are available. The new addition will also provide sufficient ground for a baseball diamond and other recreation features. Forest Park, with the new addition, is now 150 acres in extent.

Gift for a Park Saved.-Colonel Joseph Battell of Middlebury, Vermont, bequeathed 30,000 acres in the Green Mountains in trust to the president and fellows of Middlebury College for use as a natural public park. A private company sought to condemn part of this land for power purposes, but the Supreme Court of Vermont has upheld the validity of the purpose to which the

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Camp Life. The Camper and Hiker, making its appearance under the new name of Camp Life, contains in the January issue such articles as "A Commercial Analysis of the Camping Movement" and "Shall We Teach Religion in Camp?" Each month there will be pages devoted to camping activities of the Camp Fire Girls and Girl Scouts. Ben Solomon is editor of the magazine, published by Camp Life, Inc., 93 Remsen Street, Brooklyn.

A Nature Lore School.-The School of Education of Western Reserve University announces its 1929 Nature Guide School to be held in cooperation with the Western Reserve Academy at Hudson, Ohio, where thirty-one acres of wooded campus and 500 acres of farm and forest make an ideal spot for the purpose. Courses will be offered in Gardening, Insects, Non-Flowering Plants, Study Practicum in Nature Education, Advanced Physiography, Handcraft, Agriculture and Outdoor Leadership. Dr. William G. Vinal of the School of Education, Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, is Director.

A Nature Training School in Connecticut. -The Nature Training School conducted by the Coordinating Council on Nature Activities will be held this year at Gardner Lake near Norwich and New London, Connecticut, from June 12 to 29. New courses will begin on June 1, June 8 and June 15, continuing for two weeks each. Applications will be accepted for any or all of these periods. Courses will be offered in Trees and Forestry, Physiography and Geology of the Local Regions, Animal and Plant Life and Stream, Plant Ecology, Insect Life, Recreation Leadership, Music Interpretations, Flowering and non Flowering Plants, Nature Education, Stars, Birds, Outdoor Sketching, etc.

Further information may be secured from Dr. Bertha Chapman Cady, Director of the Coordinating Council on Nature Activities, American Museum of Natural History, 77th Street and Central Park West, New York City.

A Plan to Make Toys Available.-A "circulating toyery" which will operate in the same manner as the Public Library is the plan of a group of prominent New York women and social workers, according to the New York Times. In order to make play with toys available to all children, it is the intention of the women interested in the movement to gather a supply of durable toys and lend them to the children for a

The Olympic Games are keen, earnest contests. There is a field where those from all the nations of the world come to give of their best to winand naturally that brings with it conflict. But that is all the more reason why in that conflict, in that striving for success, you should have sportsmanship, courage and modesty in victory, courage and cheerfulness in defeat. And that is what the games are trying to put into the hearts and minds and souls of all competitors.

No great enterprise can be accomplished without trouble and disagreements and conflicts. At the Olympic Games there have been and always will be not only disappointments, but troubles.

At the Olympic Games in Paris four years ago, there was a riot among the spectators when the American Rugby Football Team, much to the disappointment and chagrin of the French, soundly thrashed the French Team and won the Olympic Championship. And yet during the entire game there was the best of feeling and goodwill on the part of the contesting players, the Americans even going so far as has been accurately recorded in the motion pictures-as to assist injured opponents, refusing to take advantage of the rules of proceeding with the game until French substitutes were in position of play, as is customary with us, and cheering their opponents after the conclusion of the contests and in this spirit of camaraderie the French players were not at all behind. An exhibition of such fine sportsmanship on the part of the teams was made use of by the French press in pointing out to the French people that sportsmanship required on the part of the spectator the same kind of action and carrying out of ideals as that displayed by the players--a leaven which produced beneficial results in the entire series of the Olympics of 1924. Just as there have been many who have advocated the abolition of the Olympic Games, so also are there many who have advocated the abolition of the amateur status, now and always a requisite

*Address given at Recreation Congress, Atlantic City, October 4, 1928.

for Olympic competition. Probably there is no problem in sport as difficult as that of deciding what a competitor's qualifications should be so that as nearly as possible he may be upon the same plane as others in such competition. Advisedly, I am not referring merely to men or boys, for the problem is just as acute with women and girls, and it is one which affects us on the playground and in recreation and athletic centers so keenly that we must give heed there, too.

More than twenty years ago the I. C. A. A. A. A. held a congress in the City of New York, at which for three days open discussion was had upon the amateur question and its solution. Since that time the American Olympic Association has been created. The membership of that association consists of practically all the national bodies administering competitive amateur sport in the United States, and of many others. In the judgment of many of us the American Olympic Association should call a congress for the free and open discussion of the amateur problems as they affect this country, not only in the Olympic Games but in all competitive sport. If it does not do so the I. C. A. A. A. A., following its precedent of many years ago, may and probably will, take the initiative in the matter, and recreation workers with many problems on playground and schoolyard should have an active part in it.

The problem with us in the United States is difficult, but not nearly so much so as for those in Europe, especially so far as Olympic competition is concerned. Here over 93% of those representing the United States in the track and field athletic events on the Olympic program were college men, and it is substantially correct to state that of the entire United States team of 280 men and women, over 60% were undergraduates or recent graduates of some university or college of our country. This is not true on the Continent of Europe, and only to a limited extent true of the representation of all other countries other than the United States. A large majority of the members of the Olympic and other sports teams of foreign countries

are made up of artisans, the working men and women, and on the whole they are poor and their employers to a large extent are not so prosperous as to be able to continue the wage of an employee while he is engaged in competition, and almost invariably they are not even inclined to do so. The result is that when a man goes off to play a football game or engage in track and field athletics or to row, or whatever it may be, he is losing his wage. The time given to his vocation has been broken, and hence the urgent demand on the Continent for compensation for broken time, or, in other words, the request that an Athletic Association or Olympic Committee of a country be permitted to compensate its competitors by paying to them during the period of the competition and of travel to and from the same, the amount of wage which they would otherwise have received had they not so competed. The fundamental

argument in favor of such compensation is that unless the working classes are thus compensated all competition in amateur sport would be carried on by the so-called leisure class.

The answers to the argument are many-among others, that professional sport is an honorable vocation, and there is no reason whatever why the working man should not play for money on the many professional teams which abound, and that anything worth while is not only worth while making a sacrifice for but is enjoyed the more when the sacrifice is made; and while it may be that the leisure class would be favored in opportunities for competition in amateur sport, in point of fact in all branches of amateur sport there are few, indeed, of such class that reach the top, or reaching it, stay there long.

This is not the place, and time does not suffice, to discuss problems as to whether amateurs and professionals should be permitted to compete together, and under what terms and conditions. But the problems are vital, especially so to us in our privilege and obligation of helping to frame the mind of the youth toward ideals as well as impart to them ideas.

There is nothing more inspiring than the opening day of the games, with the Stadium filled to capacity, the box of honor occupied by the heads and representatives of the country in which the games are held, the parade of the competitors representing the nations of the world, the grouping of the standard-bearers, as at Amsterdam, with fifty national flags surrounding the chosen athletes of the country of the games, who with great

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solemnity raise their right hands-the signal to all of the several thousand competitors grouped on the field to raise theirs and subscribe to the spoken oath that they are, in truth, representatives of their countries, are amateurs in fact and spirit, and are competing in the games for sport's sake. And then the cannons boom, and thousands of homing pigeons are simultaneously freed, and with tremendous fluttering rise from the ground, circling the stadium and then dart off, as it were, to the four corners of the earth-symbolic of the gathering together of the representatives of the nations of the earth to make contacts, to get to know and to understand each other the betterand then to separate to their respective homes the world over, carrying with them messages of peace and good-will.

There is an International Olympic Committee, an arbitrary, self-perpetuating body, which represents no one, but on the contrary sends its emissaries to the countries of the world. Of course it generally happens that these emissaries are of the nationality of the countries to which they are sent and reside there, but the countries neither directly nor through any agency thereof have any part in their selection.

At the start of the games in 1896, Baron de Cubertin, in whose fertile mind the idea of the revival of the Olympic Games was born, and whose strength and spirit made such a revival possible, with the assistance of his associates on the International Committee practically ran the entire program. And this to a large extent continued until 1908 in London, when the Olympic Committee of the country of the games was in supreme control. This proved so unsatisfactory that in Stockholm in 1912 the various International Sports Federations had turned over to them the administration of the particular sport over which each had its special jurisdiction. These International Federations are much older than the revived Olympic Games, and have been instrumental in holding various international competitions, in many of which America has taken part during a period of fifty years and

more.

So today we have a system about as follows: An International Olympic Committee, which determines the country and place of the competition. This Committee, as you know, has selected Los Angeles, California, for the Olympic Games of 1932, and has awarded to the United States the Olympic winter sports for the same year,

though as yet the place of competition for these winter sports has not been determined. Then there is the National Olympic Committee of the country of the games, which has to do with the physical side of the games, and largely with their social side. This means that the American Olympic Committee will be the administrative body of the Games of 1932. In addition there will be the International Sports governing bodies, such, for example, as the International Amateur Athletic Federation, which will administer all the track and field sports, providing the officials, accepting or rejecting the track and field, or having modifications made therein as are offered to it by the American Olympic Committee, taking care of all competition in this sport, determining all protests, and the like.

What is true in the Amateur Athletic Federation for athletics is equally true in the International Swimming Federation for swimming; Rowing Federation for rowing; Yachting Federation for yachting; Equestrian Federation for horse riding, and so on, throughout the entire list of Olympic sports. Thus you have, as briefly as I can present it, a summary of the make-up of the Olympic Games, and what happens thereat. You see the best of the competitors of the world in all kinds of competition.

At the last Olympics we did well-not so well as many believed we would, and not so well as many believed we should but well enough to keep our pre-eminent position in the world of amateur sport, and not so well as to have other countries feel that with our size and our strength there would be no opportunity for others to fare successfully.

If anyone had said to me—as one who wore his first spiked shoes almost forty years ago, and therefore should know a little about the gamethat we should not win at least one of the sprints of the Olympic program, or that we should not take at least a second place therein the answer would have been that in my judgment such a statement was that of an uninformed and greatly prejudiced individual. For it was believed then by many, as well as by me, and in point of fact is believed by me today, that in Borah and Wykoff we had and have the two fastest sprinters in the world, and with two or three others almost, if not altogether, comparable therewith. Why they did not win is a guess. Perhaps they had been competing too much in this country prior to their trip to Amsterdam. Perhaps they had too

soft a time on that trip, with too much to eat and too little training. Perhaps, and probably, the track at Amsterdam was soft and cuppy and unlike the smooth, hard tracks to which they are accustomed.

But most important of all, it is not only "perhaps" but it is a fact that they were up against stiffer competition, better competition, better competitors and faster men than they expected to meet. And at least in the Canadian, Williams-they were up against a man who could run on anything from a smooth cinder track to a ploughed field. Make no mistake-where we were beaten, we were beaten by better men, and in the girls' events, by better girls and women. Not one of our team lay down. They all gave their best--but their best was not good enough. That we came through to victory was due to the superiority of our competitors in the field events; to Hamm, in the broad jump; King, in the high jump; Carr, in the pole vault; Hauser, in the discuss throw; and Kuck, in the shot-put, with his new world's record of 52 feet, 11/16 inches.

In the team events, as usual, we showed our superiority. Probably the outstanding figure of our track and field team was Ray Barbuti, just graduated from Syracuse University, where he had been the Captain of the Football Team and the Captain of the Track and Field Team-a former public school boy from the City of New York. A rather dramatic figure-Barbuti-with an Italian father and an Irish mother-a boy who won because he had the will to win; a boy who when he was a lad in high school, was told by the coach that he could not try for the team for distance road races because he was not good enough. So he got a friend who owned a bicycle, to ride every evening and he would go out and run behind the wheel. Then on the day of the race he borrowed a pair of rubber-soled shoes and started with the others. He heard the coach tell the members of the high school team to save their strength, to stay in the rear until the others were tired out, and then to go to the front and win. But neither then nor now was there any of the spirit of "stay behind" in him, so he started out with the leaders, and as one leader would fall behind and another one come up, he would stick to that one. About a quarter of a mile from the finish, he still found himself tagging behind the then leader. As he puts it, he got the crazy idea into his head that he could win, so he went out (Concluded on page 718)

Two big festivals, aiming to promote physical fitness and prowess were held this past summer; one, the Olympic Games in Amsterdam-international in scope, the other the National German Turnfest in Cologne. To contrast these two might be of interest to those interested in physical education in general, as well as those who are wondering from whence came this sudden showing of German athletes in Amsterdam. The setting for the Olympic Games was most attractive and answered for all practical purposes. The decorations of flags and standards added much to the festive appearance. The stadium itself, more decorative, perhaps, than ours, was of average size, seating about thirty-five thousand people. It was filled to capacity only several times, including the opening day, when seats were at a premium. There was the additional equipment for the dual sports, such as fencing, boxing and wrestling. The track left something to wish for; it was prettier because of its brick color, but not of that quality to which we are accustomed. Still it was alike for all and alibis are out of order.

Who will ever forget the opening ceremonies? There was that which we could not fully understand and appreciate, for it was so distinctly foreign. Yet, every one agrees that it created an atmosphere of solemnity and dignity, and also of hope that these festivals might yet be a great aid to better international understanding. One became possessed of that latter feeling, particularly when the many nationalities entered the arena and passed in review. How genuine and alike was the greeting for all, and how one was forced to recognize the oneness of humanity. Each nation has its flower of manhood, fine specimens in bearing and build. The followers of each national team were justified in their thrill, manifested in cheers. So were we thrilled to enthusiasm over the magnificent appearance of our boys, not only as a group, but as individuals. The mass chorus of several thousand men too gave a definite impressive color to the ceremony. And then when after several addresses of welcome and stressing of the

purpose of these games, the report of the opening gun signal had died away, there were liberated it seemed a thousand or more homing pigeons. What a sight to behold! They rose like a cloud, and the flutter of their wings was deafening. They flew frantically over the stadium for a while and then finally struck off for their respective home goals, bearing the news that the peaceful battle

was on.

Some eighteen hundred contestants were assembled, and on the days following they awaited their call for action. The details and results of events have been so frequently reported that there is no need to add to that information. Suffice it to say that competition was never keener and that we were proud of our boys. There was nothing the matter with them, no more than with some of the hopes of other nations. We have taught them to specialize, where formerly they generalized in their sports, and they have become our equals. Now if we can but learn to appreciate the significance of a more general training before permitting specialization, we, too, shall have larger numbers to draw from in future games, and serve America better.

The raising of the respective national colors and the singing of the national hymn of the victorious nation, at the finish of an event is a most effective custom and might well be tried at our intercollegiate meets, substituting the college colors and songs, of course. Too sentimental? Perhaps, but we are not overburdened with sentiment. It was

a long and patient wait till our first turn came to pay homage to our flag, but when it came there were three of our flags floated at once. Oh, that America the Beautiful might have been our national song instead of the Star Spangled Banner of which Mark Twain said that it could be sung only by a boy whose voice was changing. Never was it sung worse. A German student sitting behind us remarked good-naturedly, and not for our benefit, "That sounds like Bavarian yodeling."

In expressing the opinion here, that the participation of women in the games is out of place, no