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Show PRESIDENT WANTS PLAYGROUNDS FOR ALL THE CHILDREN WASHINGTON, 'Feb. 21. Municipal playgrounds within easy walking distance of every bey and girl in the large cities, was advocated last night by President Roosevelt in a letter, and by Representative Representa-tive Boutell of Chicago, E. E. Brown, United States Commissioner of Education; Henry S. Curtis, superintendent of Washington Wash-ington playgrounds and other speakers at a "Playgrounds banquet," given under the auspices of the Washington playgrounds play-grounds association. Mr. Boutell explained the object Of his bill now pending In Congress. "I have noted with pleasure," says the letter, "the good work which your association asso-ciation has done in promoting playgrounds for the National capltol. I trust that the bill of Representative Boutwell will go through so you may be able to secure sites In the various quarters of the cities while open spaces exist and before be-fore the price upon them becomes prohibitive. pro-hibitive. The plan of playgrounds development devel-opment for -the District of Columbia has been carefully drawn and I hope It may be carried out substantially as outlined. out-lined. I regard this as one of the most important steps toward making Washington Washing-ton the model city which we all feel that the capltol should be. "Play is almost the only method of physical development for our children and we must provide facilities for it If we would have the children strong and law-abiding. law-abiding. If we don't allow the children to work we must provide some other place than the streets for their leisure time. If we are to require the parents to rear the children of the country for the service of the State, the State should make the education as pleasant as possible. |