South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-03-22
HolU About Your
Child's Idle Hours?
Parents Should Know In
What Recreation Their
Children Indulge.


| figures are available. the average
( number of days of actual school in
rural schools throughout the United
States was 13S, and the average in
urban public schools was only 1856.
The rural school pupil put in not more
than 1853 hours and the town pupil not
more than 1922 hours.
If we allow ~ hours out of every
day in the year for sleep. meals, etc,
the rural school pupil still has 1921
hours Of spare time. and the urban
pupil 1858. Do you realize what that
means?
1t means that the urban pupil has
more than nine hours a day and the
average rural pupil nearly 10 hours a
day, averaging all the 365 days Of the
year together. in which he is awake.
and bound 10 be interested and en-
gagged in some kind of occupation or
amusement What are your boy and
your girl doing with this more than
nine hours a day Of leisure Do they
average an hour day, the year round,
I IN home study or in useful Occupa-
ton that will train them in home
making and in the principles of liv
ing? Do they average an hour a day
/
/ is their time all wasted?
The right kind Of recreation is not
time wasted, because every normal
human being requires recreation, but
the wrong kind is worse than waste of
| time, because il creates wrong ideals.
and wrong habits, which undermine
the foundations Of character.
Where do your children spend the
hours and hours a day for which they
l hnf
they doing with those precious hours
Are they where you can keep an eye
on what they are doing, and make sure
that their recreation is at least harm
| less? Or are they out of your sight,
among companions Of whom you know
nothing, and, for all you know learn
ing to enjoy wrong amusements, and
TO act according TO unworthy or per-
verted ideals?
This question is not confined to par
ents of school children. 1t equally af-
fects parents of boys and girls who
work, a writer in Mothers Magazine
said | know Of a mother whose
craze for excitement causes her TO
keep her two adOlescent boys in
boarding house in a big city, notwith~
standing that she could as well accede
to their desire for a home in some
suburb. where they could entertain
their friends Declared from receiV-
ing their friends in the crowded
boarding house, unable to return their
hospitality, these two boys are unable
to cultivate a circle of acquaintance
in private homes; therefore, quite nat
urally they have turned to the public
dance hall, of which they are both
frequenters
Don't imagine that this is an I'M
usual instance Recent inquiry among
Fe..Nl
by experts of the Russell Sage tOunda-
ton. brought out the sad fact that in
81 per cent of the homes of high
school boys and in As per cent of the
high school girls homes, parties for
young people are unknown. Elghty-SlX
per cent of the boys and 81 per cent
of the girls have the moving picture
show habit. Forty per cent of the
BOYS and AS per cent of the girls at
tend dances. many of which are held
in hotels The old fashioned school
ward games familiar to children Tor
ages. are almost unknown TO these
Springfield youngsters. They are pre-
cocious and unnatural, because thelr
recreation has been neglected, and
they have gravitated in the line OF
least resistance, which is usually the
wrong line for children to take, any
where The experts recommended a
regular department of physical train
ing and play, school social centers'
Fairgrounds To be kept open aIter
school and during vacations paid SUI
pervisors of play and recreation ana
parent-teacher cooperation.
If vours is a rural community, chill
dren have many natural activities thaI
are denied TO city boys and girls.
There are also definite opportunities
for interesting them In the wonders Oh
nature and in those manifold lnduS-
tries that pertain to the soil. In both
rural and urban communities there is
no lack of opportunity for children 10
get aWav from adult supervision, ana
ocouire habits that may be worthless,
even if they are not positively bad
An important duty of every home Is
to provide the right kind OF recreaIon
for every member OF the Fanny. me
fotber if he is engaged in some 0ccu-
nation TO which he gives due attention,
reouires TO relax and be entertained.
Generally. he takes good care 10 pro-
vide himself with recreation me
mother. busy with household dulles'
and shut into her own home a large
part of the time, needs recreaIloh' anu
relief from her daily routine, even
more than such relief is needed by the
,,-o,aoa father. Some men are too
careless. or too mean, or too ignorant
10 realize this requirement or their
wives. They should be taught better:
Every healthy child is bundle OF
activities He cannot be prevented
from indulging in recreation OF some
kind 1t is important TO direct ms
recreation in the right direction
The home and the SCHOOL must be
brought into closer cooperation. To DO
shat there must be better understand
ing of children and their needs, by
10th teachers and parents. They
should unite. in every community not
only 10 study child nature, child PROB
lens and the best methods ana
processes of academic ana Vocauohal
aa5,,cation hut TO provide what is even
more important than actual school
training in the development of char
acter and citizenship, namely, ade-
ouate. properly supervised recreauon.
LADIES' NIGHT TONIGHT.