535 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
FIRST LESSONS IN ORGANIZED PLAYGROUND WORK 
Lowell, Mass., is one of the smaller 
cities that is pushing the newer work 
of organized playground activities in- 
telligently and persistently forward. 
The annual report of the park de- 
partment of this city recently issued 
tells of the playground work of last 
season in .detail and contains much 
in the way of information and sug- 
gestion from the playground super- 
visors that will be of value to those 
who are new to the work of promot- 
ing organized play and play parks. 
Last season there were three play- 
grounds in active operation from July 
3 to September 1: on the South Com- 
mon, the North Common, and Aiken 
Street. The attendance at all of these 
playgrounds was very large during 
the season. The interest of the chil- 
dren in the industrial work and in 
organized play was maintained 
throughout the season, due largely to 
the intelligent, persistent, and sympa- 
thetic work of the supervisors in 
charge. The industrial training of the 
boys and girls was particularly ef- 
fective, serving the useful purpose to 
vary the exercises on the play- 
grounds. The playground movement 
was very much aided by the interest 
and co-operation of the Middlesex 
Women’s Club and the College Club, 
notably by means of money raised 
through their joint efforts, the pro- 
ceeds of an entertainment given un- 
der their auspices, whereby it was 
made possible to obtain the services 
of several supervisors, and to estab- 
lish two local playgrounds in thickly 
settled districts at some distance 
from the Commons. 
The experience of this season has 
made it certain that to get the best 
results from the playgrounds it is 
necessar}^ that there should be a large 
number of efficient supervisors, that 
their work may be subdivided, and 
the number of pupils to each limited 
in number. To insure harmony and 
unity in the highest degree essential 
to secure the best results, the chief 
supervisor should be vested with full 
authority to deal with the supervisors 
under him, and to have sole .direction 
of the work on each of the play- 
grounds. It is essential that he should 
have the earnest aid and co-operation 
of all of his assistants. To accom- 
plish this he must be resourceful and 
tactful, winning or commanding 
ready obedience from all of the in- 
structors. 
The season was notable by reason 
of the splendid gift to the City made 
by Mr. Freeman Ballard Shedd of 
about fifty acres of land situated on 
the northeasterly side of Knapp Ave- 
nue in Belvidere. A plan of the land 
has been prepared by Ernest W. Bow- 
ditch, landscape engineer, that shows 
the possibility of making the combi- 
nation of a park and a playground 
that would be second to none of its 
size in the country. 
An appropriation of ten thousand 
dollars recently made by the City 
Council will be expended, to clear 
the land in part an.d to build a road- 
way from the entrance and to put 
into condition for skating and coast- 
ing the land available for such pur- 
poses. It is the intentio'n of the Com- 
mission as means are afforded to 
make this large tract of land the rec- 
reation grounds of the city, not for 
a ward or a locality, but for the whole 
city, with the view that there may 
be easy access thereto by the street 
railway, and that the grounds mpy be 
laid out in such a way that the youth 
of the city may have an opportunity 
to engage in all sorts of athletic 
sports and exercises. 
It has been demonstrated beyond 
question that one great need of the 
city is the small playground, prop- 
erly supervised, in the congested dis- 
tricts, of which there are many; that 
these smaller playgrounds must be 
fenced in and properly protected 
against annoyances and the intrusion 
of older and vicious boys; that only 
youn.ger children should be admitted 
to these small playgrounds; that 
PLAYGROUND EXERCISES IN OPEN AIR AMPHITHEATRE, SOUTH COMMON, LOWELL, MASS. 
