The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-07-14
THE Gospel OF RECREATION.

The GOSPEL OF RECREATiDN
ID the old world recreation is recog.
ni1ed part Of life. In America II is on,y
beginning to md place. Ia the business
OF civilization this side Of the globe go, /
sueh ate start, and there has been so I
much TO do, and we have been In such I
hurry to get It done, that recreation has I
oeen out Of the question But iateiy
Americans have shown a tendency to stop
now aud then in the mad rush, 10 pause
anu take long breath and look ABOUT
httIe' Gradually the gospel Of recrea.
ZION mas been making converts
1here are several reasons for this. one
is that we really have the most pressing
part OF our task Accomplished. The un.
known land that Columbus stumbled upon
such little while ago has now most OF
the gaucherie OF nature removed and many
OF the more important marks of civilization
pasted on, so that 1t is quite an Imposing
member In the family Of nations. Men
nave accumulated something Of the world $
soods, LOO, SO that they no longer feet
lulte the pressure to unremitting labor
that they did when they faced the uneon-
sl5N2od Sldmo VlIA ss9uJ5puA psIsnb
! ana an ak.
Another thing that is staying our busy
u n now ana turning our minds toward
4 pace Is beginning TO tell. We are learn
/ ing that muscles and nerves are not OF
steel, and that even the American mind
may become tagged. We find that there
/ Gu world 5 habit OF recreation, and that
/ even us strict business proposition 'agl
/ Work and no play" is failure. To WORK,
man must play.
SO the appreciation of amusements, OF
1 holidays ana of vacations is growing. Not
( only are business men coming TO take va
cations, but they are seeing that their
employees get them. Work all over the
/ country is being better done for the VEGA
/ lions that these summer days are bringing.
fortunately the tendency Is growing to
/ spend our vacations out OF doors. Each
year a growing number Of the tired ana
I nerYe-worn go out to Mother Nature for
/ her balm of healing. To sleep TO eat,
TO live under the open sky, is to re-create
( the body and the brain, and make man
better even MS a working animal.
l. America at Play" outlook 1851,
! .. Vacation Days" W. B. Thornton;
Country Life in America, July, 1902
3. Vacations for Everybody Outlook
( II sos, May 81 1902
Below are few selections from the
literature of recreation;
/ 3. Vacations for Everybody" OutleoB
( II 1903, May 81, 1902.
4 AS n Matter OF Course" Annie Pay
son Call: Little, Brown q Co., chapter 3.
g. Essays on Work and Culture" Ham
! lilou W. Ndulef ipdtl' Mtdu W. NC"
York. Chapter upon "Reereation:"
! 6. Wear and Tear: Hints for the over
worked" S. Weir Mitchell
/. The art of Living Robert Grant;
Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. Chap
ter on the Summer Problem"
Numbers 2 aud give account OF the
growth Of the spirit Of recreation and tell
how largely vacations have come TO he a
part OF our life. Comment Is made upon
the general tendency Of business men to
take outdoor recreation. The leaders OF
industry now play as hard and as regular
~ as they work. The tendency to overoo
recreation, now that we have taken 1t up.
is noticed. But not much fear is felt That
the American, with the spirit of work In
born, viii permanently take too much TO
play
Taxation and recreation with the directness
and force that characterize Annie Payson
Call In the chapter Indicated IN 4 sAe
makes plain the Importance OF amusement
I'm this world of work Mr.. Mabie gives
large place to recreation In well-ordered
life We should play, not merely because
play is necessary to work, but because !!
brings a spontaneity and spirit OF freedom
that hrOadens our views ana gives cHal ~
and grace to living
No. 6 by DIR. S. Weir Mitchell. should
he read by every one who vet ta1cles INA
he does not need TO play DR.. Mitchell tens
what he sees in our faces as we hurry by
him In orr work. He SAYS that we stu
idle less and play less than any other race
So emirent nm authority on rerVGus tIou tII,
IN Z, Mr.. Grant, under cover OF MS bright
and breezy style, contributes much sober
advice as to recreation,
OXFORD AND THE AMERICAN BOY
The provision in the will of the late Cec'
, Rhodes for the establishment Of scholar
! shlps in the university Of Oxford for th'
benefit Of students from the United State;
Is receiving wide discussion. The will gives
each State and each Territory In this coun
try two OF these scholarships 10 be assigned
TO promising students III accordance witt
a test outlined IN the will Each holder o
a scholarship gets three years at OXFORD
with an allowance of about $500 i year:
TLt main points of discussion upon tn
, project ale as TO Its general purpose an'
outcome, as TO some of the terms and con
Gitions Of the scholarships. and as TO til,
comparative merits of hnglish and Amelt
, can universities. In the consideration o
! thesc matters much interesting informa
ZION fas been brought out appealing cspe
cialy. Of course, TO the American boy al
: ready INDUCING in day dreams of life Il
Some of our leading educators have locke
upon Nj Rhodes plan wholly from III
) educational standpoint, and have been un
ale 20 see how American boys can gain b,
! going 10 oxford instead Of to tine univei
Stiles of their own country. Others sa
1 that this view Is too narrow. Iney urs
/ that While the purpose OF Mf. RhOues wa
! largely 10 further learning, 1t was NOR
largely TO foster, through the association
/ oil school life, a sentiment thae would ten
: to knit together peoples OF common race an
{ common language.
1 Whatever the purpose OF this bounty, IT
. ! outcome is deemed doubtful. AZ ls quel
4 Toned whether luO American undergrauu
ates would exercise much influence anon
r the thousands of men at Oxlo.d, aud wneth
I er the return 10 this country each year q
. thirty.three Of these Am .rcan DSonian
{ would apprecIably affect the deyeopmenl Q
: our own National life. But the dead em
. pire-builder knew men and he knew na
. lions and his Judgment was that the sna
I leayen would reach far. Another point rs
I | uardiup the outcome of these scholarship
q Is as Ia the effect that the glamor Of az
p cient traditions and monarehical lnstltu
: | tlopsr may have upon the democratic SIN
!, pliety OF the Rhodes scholars. EXPIRES
= slons of anxiety on this score are met b
- assurances that popular Impressions are a
i wrong and that oxford IS In fact NOR
d democratic than most American unlvers
/. ties However even according TO Englls
I authority this Is A moot point.
q In a general way the terms and cond
: lions az these scholarships are declared 1
he win. but the detailed rules goyernln
them are yet TO be worked out. IL y no
= uncertain as 10 what students are eligible
,e some writer's say that the Rhodes scholar
/. should lie graduates of American nniye