The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-12-12
FOR
OUR UNOCCUPIED
LEISURE TIME
One of tie Great Problems Of To
day and the Future
ADDRESS BY CYRUS F. STIMSOk
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Cyrus f. Stimson. field secretary
of the American Playground and
Recreation association. gave a public
address at the county court house
Friday evening which was attended
by an audience that nearly filed the
auditorium
Mr. Stimson has been in Benning-
ton fo- seye-al days in the interests
Of organized recreation. Wednesday
evening he spoke at the annual din.
ner OF the Bennington county Forest
Fish and Game association. he has
addressed the pupils of the high
school and before speaking az the
court house Friday evening ne APP
Deared before the village boa-d o.
trustees and school trustees Thurs
lay evening he spoke to the mem
Ders of the Bennington Board Of
Trade.
AT the public meeting Friday even
ng MIR. Stimson was introduced by
William II. Nichols. president of the
loa d OF trade who outlined the sub
ect of the speaker.
In opening his remarks. Mr.. slim
son highly complimented Bennington
upon its attitude toward organized
recreation. We were the first com
munity, he said. of small population
10 adopt the policy of all.ihe-year
round instruction. step that has ad.
yeriised Bennington from one coast
10 the other and from the Canadian
Inc 10 the Mexican border Not on
y had Bennington taken this pro
bounced step but the town had ac-
CURED an added distinction through
The novel features that have been
carried out here. The community
sleigh ride, he said. was original with
Bennington Bennington was one o.
he first towns to produce a hstori
cal pageant and one OF the first vii.
lagos TO have community Christ.
mas tree.
The predominaiine idea in all OF
Mr. Sumsons addresses in Benning-
on has been that organized recrea.
ion and play should be directly con
nected with the public schools. The
United States, he said, has 400 bill
lion dollars invested In public schools
and the up-keep and operation OF
these costly plants requires an even
larger expenditure than the original
investment. 1t costs the country six
and one-half billions to care for the
people who. as he exp ressed it, have
gone TO pieces As a purely bust.
ness proposition. he said. we are not
operating our school house plants t.
heir capacity The derelicts of our
modern civilization take their first
steps in the course that ultimately
makes them not only useless mem
1e Is of society but burdens upon so.
ciety during the leisure hours OF child
hood. the hours when the school
houses are closed. One-third of this
yIeckage is created before the un.
'ortunates have reached the age OF
10. because there was too much time
when they had nothing to do.
The moving pictu .es. he said. have
been great influence for good and
are now condemned by the liquor in
ierests almost as vigorously as the
W l. r. L. and the anti-saloon
league The municipal dance halls
1f Milwaukee are being continually
attacSed by the keepers Of question
able resorts who insist that the city
has stolen their business. These facts
only prove that a good thing. II Civ
en- chance. will always ove,come a
bad thine
The speaker touched upon a mum
Der OF features Of modern community
life that are being given serious con.
sideratiOn all through the country.
lie cited the tendency toward larger
piayg ounds fu- schools. the prOba.
tion system for minor offences. the
healthful influence of the modern
dance movement under proper regula'
ton and instruction. In the future
there is to be more leisure Tor all as
Is proved by the adoption OF the
eight hour work day. and our great
problem is going to be the healthful
occupation of the minds Of our PEG
pie during their leisure hours
In closing he went into the future
To- Bennington. or the possibilities
NE cited an outdoor swimming pool
and an indoor swimming pool In The
basement OF a community building.