American Presidents on Play:

“An opportunity for hard, earnest, and joyous play improves health, develops the muscles, expands the lungs, and teaches the moral lessons of attention, self-restraint, courage and patient effort.  I think that every city is under the strongest obligation to its people to furnish to the children from the time they begin to walk until they reach manhood, places within the city walls large enough and laid out in proper form for the playing of all sorts of games which are known to our boys and girls and are liked by them.”

—President William H. Taft