The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-11-03
Why Jack l. a Dull Boy
BY JEROME X. JEROME.

TWAS talking TO a man some time
Il ago; he was a village carpenter.
Somebody has been explaining 10 him
what the world was going TO be like
IN the future. Properly organized.
all the work in the world could he
got throush-so ne had been tolJ-by
every man working three hours a
day; the other tWcnty-onc would be-
long 10 himself in which TO do as he
pleased
We'll" said Il dare say it's
right: haven't gone into the aues-
tion myself. It's wonderful what one
can. do in three hours II one puts
ones mind TO IT, often work three
hours a day myself. l don't say
keep 1t up: but if everybody CLEO
was was doing It daresay Id drop into
at isn't that I'm thinking Of"
said my friend the village carpenter.
whats worrying me la what the
hlazes I'm 10 do with the other
twenty-one hours"
hadn't thought OF that side OF
the question
Twcnty-one hours day" lac con-
tlnued, with nothing TO do. I'd so
stark, staring mad
"a man can always find intervals"
cxpla aimed. There's ssrdenins.
so I've heard" hc said. per
sonally. ] prefer saving wood"
"Thon there's the family" ] con
tinued. You'd be able to take the
children out for A walk.
''Arc YOU going 80 have twenty
one hours "A day with nothing 10 dor
he asked, Because II So. thstu
make II all right. reckon thcre'll
be enough for mo and the old wo-
man without troubling about any
thing else.
cheorcd him up with the hope
that the change MAS unlikely 10 he
brought about this time and LEFT
him putting heart and soul into The
planning OF a foUr-mch plank. But
hours aday work. one hopes. is
niscalculation, but the eight hour
day is already With us, and may
very easily become a universal law,
aud with 1t new problem already
faces tho reforTners
What's a fellow 10 do With the
other sixteen;
The working classes have got 70
learn to play. I'll never believe III
the workingmans claim until he has
doesn't know how. Here and there
a hcaIthy- minded young curate gath
ers a more or less unwilling team
around him 10 play cricket or ioot-
ball An infnitcs'm~l percentage OF
the younger men wih-much To INC
disgust Of the local saloonkccper--
take bicycle rides on sunday.
But the great bulk OF the work
of shirking their PLAY. They have
got TO pull themselves together and
reform themselves. One can't re-
spcct a man who doesn't do his
fair share of play The man who
doesn't play viii never get on: he,n
never be "A healthy, Intelligent citi-
zen, He'll never be ut for anything
else but work.
The workinslnan is too fond or
looking al other people playing With
his hands in his pockets and "a pipe
or cigarette in his mouth nc can
watch other people play for hours.
That Is his idea Of sport II Is my
tens of thousands Of muscular.
hea,ljy young men gaping at foot
bail or baseball game Oils me with
anger and contempt, Why can't they
play the game themselves Ike men?
What are they afraid Of! Or are
they all born tired?
II was not always so. II the old
chronicles are To bc trusted. there
used 10 he bouts OF auartcr-sta
WAS a permanent ilxiure on the vi
lagc green. The boys and girls
danced: their elders got vehement
and excited over bowls.
Political propaganda is excellent,
Let us build mp sane. far-secins
party that viii one day maze the
laws that shall one day make a
country worth The living in. But
portuDt thing, after all. Is the people
who are going To live in Ii. An eight
hour day IL going 10 bc no good 10
people too dun q, Know what 10 do
with the other sixteen. Make a
healthy. merry people capa ble OF en-
joyinc their leisure when they get II.
want hedltnlcr children. and
you'll ge, them quicker by crnsign-
ing euSeu!rs AMI all such like uuock-
cry To the rubbish. heap and teach
ing the girls who are TO become
mothers To swim, 10 ruw. TO run and
leap and lauch. ] would like Ia see
al least half OF lilo money That is
wasted on so-callcd smusements
saved and given I, sport. The dia-
imbecIle hunor: the cheap music-han.
with It's glare and rulg8rity: the
coarse farce and the snobbish melo-
drama; leave them alone nv friends
come ont into Gods air. and learn ~
be strong. clean limbeJ mon and
women. You will find You will get
"A better taste for amusement. and
you'll wonder that YOU ever pat UP
with the tw.ddlc that is foistcd upon
you.
! want 10 SEQ the working classes
doing tlese things for themselves.
not trusting to tho squire and the
clergyman aud we'll meaning Lady
Bouniiful, Teach Your children TO
play.
Show them there arc better games
than playing school on 4 doorstep.
There is lot you can't do al pres-
ont. BIIt this thing YOU can do and
you ought 10 do. There is fitn i'm the
world, and there Is health and there