The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-05-28
FROM OTHER PENS
LEISURE AS CAPITAL

LEISURE AS CAPITAL.
One of the most valuable assets OF
progress is leisure. The use or leisure
is the test of mans capacity to enjoy
liberty, to enlarge his opportunities
and to capitalize his capacities. The
trend of modern life is further to in
crease the margin of leisure. The
working day has been shortened in
in not a few to g. The time for in
struction and education of the young
tends to lengthen rather than to
shorten. The disposition is for men to
Our holidays ar increasing in their fire.
quency. The whole trend of our life
is to devote less Of our time to bread
winning and more of it to the free pur-
suit of individual desires. But the
problem is only half solved when the
world has learned how to get a liveli-
| hood out of less hours Of the day and
less days of the year. the greater
problem is how to utilize leisure to
advantage, with all it's possibilities for
improvement or injury.
In this work!a-day world leisure
must be regarded as a credit. It may
be utilized to increase the burdens OF
| the community in wasteful and reck-
| less consumption of the savings out OF
the past. 1t may be utilized to restrict
production, and thus increase the bur-
den Of making a living, as when the
shorter hours are utilized to restrict
unduly the output of industry. But
the real hope of progress lies in that
use of leisure which will add some
thing to the permanent assets Of the
age in which we live. Idleness,
whether practiced by the rich or poor,
means self destruction. Some substan-
tial gain in the things that enrich life
must be the outcome of leisure, or 1t
will be a failure. Only by regarding
leisure as a free opportunity TO
strengthen. to fortfy and to enlarge
life, in its work as well as IN It's play,
can it be made worth while as a plat
form in business policy.-Wall Street
Journal.
AFTER THE ROAD HOG
In Pennsylvania a campaign against
one type of road hog" has been be-
gun; and there will be general interest
in the courts decision as to whether
or not the law upholds the driver of a
wagon in preventing an automobile
from passing without running into a
ditch. In this case it is alleged that
the wagon driver on comparatively
narrow road held the center, although
by turning reasonably to the right
he would have left ample room for the
automobile to pass on the left. The
owner of the horse, when requested
to turn to the right, it is said, jeering-
ly told the man in the automobile to
get passed if he could. The result was
the rights of the automobile on the
public highway; and the, decision Is
expected to help settle one OF the dir
ferences between owners OF motor cars
and horse-drawn vehicles. That there
is prejudice against automobiles is not
denied and that some Of it is due to
recklessness in speed is admitted. But
the right of the automobile to fair
share of the road is not in dispute. and
there is no warrant for unreasonable
blocking of the highway either by
teams or motor cars. The majority
of horsemen, when the road is wide
enough to permit turning to the right
of the center. comply with the rule
governing the passing OF vehicles pre-
sumably because 1t is the decent thing
| to do. Occasionally. however, the road
| hog blocks the way of the faster
moving vehicle to show his disapproval
| of the use of mechanical power These
manifestations of pettiness do no good
and create friction Jour
max s