The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-09
At4<'~< &. @sY<~~
New York City.
TX. RECREATION AND AMUSE-
MENT.

LIZ. hEChEAJlON AND AM U Sc
MENT
Most people want amusement. not
recreation, though finer is the meaning
Of the latter word, recreation, the
making over of ones self, for constant
doing of the same thing. whatever 1t
may be, Is weakening. Change of occu-
patton is what we all need. save that
young people like change by way or
amusement, not by recreation
ITO play with you" (the latest So
ciety phrase, with it's breadth of signi-
| fication from summer Irritation to a
merry friendship indicates the lighter
| intercourse that is needful if we would
keep our sanity under the moral stress
of enthusiasms and worry. Unitarian
benevolence does not always realize
, this. for a certain philanthropist was
aghast at seeing, a dear elderly couple.
with cotton gloves and neat, thread
bare attire, driving through the park.
Girded with the stalwart purpose of
correction, she called at their tenement
fiat the next day. but before she had
time to begin her reproof they broke
! forth into gratitude. 'Oh, Mrs. Ftske;
we thank you so much for the s. you
| sent us for groceries. but you see for
forty years we've talked about how fine
it would be to sit up in a carriage and
look around. and we did IL yesterday.
and it's given us something to talk
about as long as we live. John tand
the old woman's hand stole into that
of her husband's), he shuts his eyes
and he tells me what he saw, and
shut my eyes and tell him; you can
see beautiful things so much better If
you shut your eyes when you are
thinking OF them" AS Mrs. Fiske
| glanced round the bare room she knew
what they meant, and involuntarily
putting her hand On theirs resolved
henceforth TO make her helpfulnesS
more radiant in happiness. She found
then the secret of recreation
We all take life too seriously instead
of letting a sense of humor. by which
no joke falls fiat. carry us over difficult
ties. Alasi In the treadmill homes of
the daily routine of daily duties there
is Scant time or means for amusement,
| though IL one did but know it reerea-
ton is cheaper, as that implies a recep-
tive state of mind to the influence of
nature and books. 1t takes bright
person to discover that the spirit of fun
is something which we carry within US
and that both amusement and recrea-
ton are cherries unless one lends a
hand to ones self in the business of
being jolly.
Earnestly would plead for home as
the place for good times. We have par
children. but after they are grown up
kind of supineness comes upon us.
and we think we cannot manage il any
longer, not wholly aware what we mean
by it, the result being that our boys
are out after dark and our girls grow
sleepy waiting for some one TO come
in. or deem it stupid to play checkers
with the old folk. All depends on how
you do it.
10 rrov0lxinO that fOlIr
causes which are lessening the capacity
for home enjoyment are yet in them
selves part of inevitable progress Out
door amusements, golf and bicycle.
croquet and ball games. add so much to
health that We have to forgive those
pursuits for taking their followers away
from the indoor pleasures of home. We
next have to forgive public reading
rooms and libraries for enticing chill
dren off from the family center table.
OF course il is better to have libraries
than to be without books and to have
coffee rooms than liquor saloons and
clubs than solitude. Still it is possible
that outside means of enjoyment are
depreciating the pleasant simplicities
of home life. More than half the bless
ings of Chautauqua is its bringing OF
books and studio, into the home. even
the stupidest member becoming
familiar at least with the names Of
subjects.
Then in many country towns that
cannot support certain grades OF
schools the children of a sparseiy set
tied district are carried at public ex-
pense to the most central schoolhouse.
Their conveyance insures them far bet
ter schooling than it would be possible
to Dbtain in an isolated community,
costs the town lesss than TO maintain
several small schools and is a logical
necessity of the right of state 10
educate its future citizens. Yet the
children thus early begin to find knowl-
edge and amusement outside their
homer. for recess time and The shour
spent in the wagon that carries them
back and forth are merry and home
gradually becomes a place chiefly TO
sleep in and keep ones clothes
Lastly, in cities philanthropy exerts
itself in manifold ways to provide
amusement for those whom il deems
incapable of obtaining it. So there is
no end to working girls clubs. sodati-
ties. lectures, cheap music hall enter
tainments which are all right in their
way, as less and less do young people
wish to stay at home winter evenings,
while summer philanthropy takes tbs
more hygienic recreation of picnics and
country weeks. For the few persons
who were weary in couple OF hours
of a wealthy lads private grounds
there are hundreds to whom country
outing is glimpse into the heavenly
land.
Wise is that mother who offsets these
delights by giving her children still
better good times in their own house.
though it requires energy and inven-
ton to do this, and most mothers are
tired and most fathers have little spare
cash. Still let us have our fun at nome
as far as is possible. remembering tnat
il We ask people to share it with us VIC
must be willing to so to them IN Turn
and that always in all places there
should be old and young together
Many a village grandmother has led a
Virginia reel and others could do IL If
they were asked. 1t is as animatlng 10
gre. ages mixed up as it is to GET peo-
Dle out of their ruts of social inter
course.
If ii is true that one can know per-
son by his friends, still better can he
be known by his Inducements There
are people who enjoy funerals IL
needs q Fourth OF July to understand
others. Then there are opidemics in
amusement. Not long ago a travelling
band Of dealers in medicine encampv-
in a village and offered to draw with
out pay the teeth of any one who would
buy their remedies They stayed three
or four days, sold many bottles ard
pulled peck of teeth before the mania
was stopped by the announcement or
the regular dentist of the place that he
should charge extra to those desiring
false sets of teeth unless he himself
had drawn their natural ones Yet the
Young men and maidens had looked
upon this wholesale and individual ex-
traction as a kind of lark
After all is said land much can bel