have a right to be called a
house. They become a good house, and, indeed, they are
indispensable to a good house, but at present the good house
exists only in potentiality.

The "healthy-mindedness" and "physical morality" which play and games
foster rarely result from physical training as a business, at stated
times, indoors, under class direction. It is too much like taking
medicine. A certain breakfast food is said to have lost much of its
popularity since advertised as a health food. When the National
Playground Association was organized President Roosevelt cautioned its
officers against too frequent use of the word "supervision" on the
ground that supervision and direction were apt to defeat the very
purpose of games and to stultify the play spirit. Is the little girl on
the street who springs into a hornpipe or a jig to the tune of a
hurdy-gurdy, or even the boy who runs before automobiles or trolley
cars or under horses' noses, getting less physical education than those
who play a round game in silence under the supervision of a teacher in
the school basement, or who stretch their arms up and down to the tune
of one, two, three, four, five, six? Who can doubt that the much-pitied
child of the tenement playing with the contents of the ash can in the
clothes yard or with baby brother on the fire escape is developing more
originality, more lung power, and better arteries than the child of
fortune who is led by the hand of a governess up and down Fifth Avenue.

Children have not forgotten how to play, but adults have forgotten to
leave space in cities, and time out of school, home work, and factory
work in which children may play. Again, the child--whether a city child
or a country child--rarely needs to be taught how to play. Teaching him
games will not produce vitality. Games are the spontaneous product of a
healthy body, active mind, and a joy in living. Give the children parks
and piers, roof gardens and playgrounds in which they may play, and
leave the rest to them. Give them time away from school and housework,
and leave the rest to them. Instead of lamenting the necessity for
playing in the streets, let us reserve more streets for children's
play. There are too many students of child welfare whose reasoning
about play and games is like that of a lady of Cincinnati, who, upon
reading the notice of a child-labor meeting, said: "Well, I am glad to
see there is going to be a meeting here for child labor. I