Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-11-06

| n word regarding the matters to he
thought of when placing, children in
the country. from the standpoint of
| employment
One of the strongest reasons for
placing children in the country has
been this: That in the country an
abundance of wholesome employment
| is afforded
1T is Just as true now as it ever
was that Satan finds some mischief
still for idle hands to do
There is certainly plenty of work
| to be done upon the average farm.
This work is often of the most whole
some character. Much of it is out of
! doors under the blue sky, dealing with
| nature at first hand, and doing what
really needs To be DONE
! There is no sham and no deceit
| necessary in farm work. The foster
| parent does not have to rack his
| brainsto devise something to keep the
! restless boy busy, as many city par
ents are forced to DO.
LAS between hard work out of doors
on a farm, and hard work in the
closely confined atmosphere of a fac
tory, the balance falls inevitably in
favor of farm employment.
While all this is true, there is need
of danger signal at just this point.
A careful examination of the facts
in the case win show that very fire.
quently there is altogether too much
work to be done on a farm.
Our new placing-out agent will
need to exercise exceeding great care
in, rn1a nin oh in,
there is much work to be done that
simply must be done, and too few peo-
pie to do it.
Certain farm work is made inn
perative by conditions which cannot
be changed. 1t is very well worth
while to inquire who will do this
work in this or that emergency. Not
only is there frequently too much
work in the country, but the hours
are frequently too long. and the work
too hard. Frequently. I say.
1.-The foster parent, whatever his
Christian character may be, is some
times not good judge of the amount
or kind of work child should do.
But perhaps the severest criticism
that can be made upon employment
in the country is this: That it often
lacks the inspiration of encouragement
and appreciation, of immediate reward
and of the hope Of still better things
to come.
"Recreation differs from work in the
spirit in which it is approached, and
in the reasons for encouraging it.
THE average child does not need
any definition of fun, and to a child's
mind recreation is some form of en-
ployment engaged in for pleasure as
against duty.
Recreation is often quite as hard
work as ones regular employment.
The severest criticism that can be
made upon recreation, as 1t is actual
" afforded by many rural communi-
ties, is that there is too little OF IL,
and that it is entirely apart from any
plan or thought on anybody's part,
and that it is too often bound up with
the pleasure and convenience or
adults.
There is a wide difference between
adults playing with children ana emil
dren playing with adults. 1t makes
all the difference in the world whose
fun it really is. #5f..,.5z
when recreation comes in the
country, if special thought 1T not
given to the matter, it is quite IKE
ly to come in one large chunk IKE
% Grange picnic, a. day at the circus,
a trip to q nearby city or town, Iheh
there are long dreary days. without
any recreation, especially with oicer
bows and girls in the country, ana
very few days filled with what may
prove to be a very unwholesome type
of recreation. 90
when spare hours are to be nlieu
IN there is the temptation to LOAF
around the postofice or the grocery
store. or to patronize the movies
and the unsupervised public dances,
and sometimes event TO sit on the
back seat at a prayer meeting, be-
cause little else of interest is oiierea
by the community life.
"Nany a fresh-air fund child, aecus-
TONED TO the rich, full life of the city,
has looked back upon the two weeks
in the country as q rather dismal eX-
perience. with two bright spots-the trip
out, and the trip back; and oil tnese'
the second was the brighter.
MANY city boy, in the awful isoia-
ton and featureiess life of hillside
farm, has longed with an unuttefapie
longing for folks in place of stumps
.'The third test is that of health. Now
we feel we are on solid ground anr that
from the standpoint OF health there Is
nothing quite like the country. One lit
tie girl said to the writer. some time
ago, "rhere is no one livins mp our way
who has ever died. To her childish
mind, the death rate and the sickness