Omaha daily bee., 1914-11-22
MONOTONY DRIVES
TOWARD INSANITY
Playground Man Says Work With
out Play is Mental Poison
for Anyone.
TELLS WHAT OMAHA NEEDS
Declares BiG Bends Unnecessary
but Paid Play Supervisors Must
Ne Secured 10 Keep the
ChiIaren Moral.

Dead monotony tends toward insanity;
playless days make people immoral: IA
tigue Of body and mind II dangerous
poison II unrelieved by the stimulation
OF harmless recreation: spree now and
, then Is good for mem" the big brother"
time has come.
So declared DR. Cyrus II. stimson, field
secretary OF the Playground and Recrea-
ton Association OF America, In q quick
fire address to tho Monmouth Park So
ciai center last night
Said DR.. Stimson:
Omaha in fifty years may be q city
the size of Chicago. This IL the time
when wo should dream and plan IL the
lives of our children and our childrens
children are to be worth while.
I'VE have come TO the age Of leisure
for the masses. once consi iered TO have
no rights. we could live now upon a
| five-day work week and tive-hour day,
and there may be q time when We will
maintain ourselves upon a shorter pro-
gram than that"
Dr. stimson urged the need Of play
grounds with radiuses OF mile in cities,
suggesting that no new addition be ac-
cepted unless the real estate men set
aside certain parts for a common"
Anent the Reverend BilHy.
DR.. stimson, who a. an ex-preacher,
referred TO Billy Sundays work In New
castle. Pa He saids
''Bnly Sunday came 20 Newcastle and
he converted saloonkeepers and many
others. The saloons were closed ano this
churches became dark and cold after hs
left. The people went over to fYoungs-
town. a wide-open town. because ther'
was nothing to do In Newcastle, which
the Lord, by Billy Sundays assistance
had closed. Soon business men saw thei
employees come back, from Newcastie'
all-niEht, unsupervised and unrestrtcte'
clubs little better off for the closing o
, saloons ana they found that nothing ma
been provided. to take the place OF tina
which had been taken away,
BILLY Sunday did not look ahead.
. FOOD. sunshine. air. exereiscs-thes
|, are necessary TO life. Do not permit m
. 70 leave the Impression that you must g
I. away from here advocating the voting o
large issues OF bonds for Omaha BY n
i. means. What first we need Is organise
}, leadership. start social centers and play
grounds with competent paid supervisor
(you viii find good teachers in Omaha
In ali parts OF tho city. There are 500
! boys and girls In Omaha under i6 year
!. OF aga They cannot be neglected. The
= need a friend. big brother; they nee
= love
= IL costs $500 TO 500 to send boy I
!" Jail and keep him there a year IN NJ
:. braska. II costs from s1.Oo0 20 Si,loo
~ year to keep him in a reform school.
. will cost from 20 Z cents a day TO hi
le a play supervisor and an expert who W
. see that he viii never be sent TO jail
= 70 a reform school, Il II a matter OF tax
a tiong Then here II is good business
Ok invest money in q play supervisor a.
ef recreation facilities.
squnnderinE School Money.
1T had my way I would have a la
passed prohibiting school boards fro
III squaudering the peoples money by bull
:, ing school houses on ground where the
- is no play space or from even PURCHASE
TO school house sites without buying fro
n- six TO twenty acres for Fairgrounds"
IN The Federated Improvement Clubs ha
BE called a meeting for the city hall Aond
night to give DR. stimson a chance 20 4
~ plain his plans The Fairgrounds expi
Is here IN the employ OF the city couns
no the school board and DIT. Harold Giffo
Park Commissioner j. b. Hummel "
Ii ze commended for the work he has done vi
the small sum OF money available In
led department. Commissioner Hummei. IN
'eo brief address. called attention 10 the nj
IAN OF the park department for more mon
her This department now receives $4,000
"a. year for ali parks. boulevards and plI
grounds. Milwaukee spends $4,000
year for social centers alone" said ]
NJ Hummel