The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-10-14

Cardinal Gibbons, Congressman Kent. Senator Wadsworth and other national leaders. Advance agents canvassed personally seventy-f1ve towns in Michi- gan and many elsewhere After the Congress vigorous follow-up work will extend it's influences into many com munities.
 What right have we to hold a Re- creation Congress?" asked one speak, CT when Europe is afame, when America is struggling through politi- cal, economic, social changes of grave moment? Is Recreation statesman like? Is it one of the great socializ- ing forces of the day? Can Play be a Nation builder? ?" .-,t a
 One answer suggested at the Con- gress was that the Recreation Move ment represents the greatest un-work- ed mine of power in every community. Four Million hours of leisure every week in Grand Rapids; three billion leisure hours weekly in the United States. Any great advances in zcivt- lization must be developed out of this margin, this slack this unworked mine. Recreation changes leisure hours from liabilities to assets. fl
 For the invigoration of American life this Congress united the advo- cates and the opponents of military training. Nine-tenths of military training nowadays is trench digging. outdoor life obedience hardihood, courage. These essentials are best developed, not by gun drill. but by games, athletics, physical education. Wellington said: "The battle of Water loo was won on the playing fields of Eton and Harrow" "a
 To the 7,500 employed playleaders of America represented at this Con- gross came the call to formulate pro- grams which shall stimulate and guide all our colleges and schools, ali park forces, libraries. city and town gov- ernments-uniting them in effective efforts for the strengthening of Amer ica nife. These forces are strong enough, if vitalized, to bring about an American Renaissance.
 What delays us ?" asked one speak CT. "Provincialism," was the Nan- swer. America does not yet exist as a unified ideal. A tragic war would rouse us into genuine national ism. Disasters like that at San Fran cisco show how great groups of peo- pie may be lifted out of narrowness into idealism and fraternal action. But ordinarily. an American lives only for his own nearby community. He may contribute to playgrbunds at home, but not to a national movement, not to the up-building of boys and girls outside his own narrow range of wis ion.'t ~
 ITO Re-create America, playleaders must have such vision, such broad, deep, religious fervor as will lead in- to action, in every community, all the vets and drys; the Protestants Cath olics, Lutherans, Jews and Gentiles; all school, park and city forces; the politicians and idealists; and all the fifty-seven varieties of common hu- manity."
 Most hopeful in this direction was the manifestation at this Congress of a larger spirit than previous conven- tions have attained. Through our rousing chorus singing, in the games we have played together, in the hearty tributes to our modest Secretary, in the cordial give and take of earnest dis cussions, in the modest way in which delegates gave to their colleagues the fruits of years of costly effort, in the marked absence of factional spirit "all honor preferring one ianother"- there was evidenced at this greatest of all Recreation Congresses an illum- ined spirit of social service.
 From Uruguay came the report of s5O,OO0 appropriated annually for physical education and playgrounds under the leadership of a trained man from Kansas. From the Arts related to Recreation-from Music, Dancing, and Dramatics, vital contributions were made through this Congress. En- listment and training for this "New Profession" of Playleadership were discussed. Rural Problems" engag- ed attention more than ever before. Recreation in Industries was one of the newer outlooks emphasized by the presence of business men who are planning playgrounds and recreational activities for factories and stores. Gov ernmental Departments and Prison Reforms contributed their quota.
 In Warden Osborne's work, in trans forming Sing Sing prison and its in mates, in reducing from sixty-five to three per cent. the number of re-com- mitments, Recreation was shown to have had a vital share. The daily hour of play in the open air, team games, dramatics, self-conducting schools, the play spirit or spirit of interested self expression installed into the shops the whole game" of lf-government-of playing square, with your fellow
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