The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1917-11-23
RECREATION FOR
Men IN CAMP
Reports Show Much Has Already
Been Accomplished.
Societies help IN Work

ENS4GSSNdte " S0IilHS OF
the Good That Can BE Done by Sup
plying the Proper Environment for
Eoys in Carp.
community recreation for soldiers
and sailors III camp in training for the
new American army, and the manner
III which this recreation is TO be car
rled On, is explained in a report made
10 Raymond i. Fosdick, chairman of
the war and navy department COM
missions on training camp activities.
The report was made by Victor Il.
Manning, one of the field secretaries
OF The Playground and Recreation AS
Soclati0n of America, through whose
experienced workers III the field pro-
vision is being made for furnishing
leisure time recreation of all sorts for
the men i'll uniform at the eighty or
more camps throughout the country.
Three dollars for each soldier and
sailor"-a total Of $3,750,000 is to be
raised for this purpose. A national
committee on which number of prom
inent men and women are serving has
been named by Secretary Baker to con-
duct the campaign for the war camp
community recreation fund. To bring
camp and community into happy,
healthy contact is the purpose of this
fund.
Mir. Manning in his report to Mr..
Fosdick shows the relation of the war
camp community recreation fund to
the work which is being done inside
the camps by the Young Mems Chris
tan association, the Knights Of Column
bus, the Young Mems Hebrew associa-
ton and other agencies, and in the ex-
ciuslon of vice and vicious resorts
from the neighbOrhoOd of each camp.
He shows also how the Playground
and Recreation Association of Amer
lea, through work done by its repre-
sentatives already has demonstrated
the great value-indeed, the impera-
tive need-of building up all sorts Of
proper recreation and amusement for
establishing camps and communities
on the best basis.
Objects Much the Same.
1.-THE community Organization work."
says the report, (which is that of In
=, terpreting the adjacent community to
the boys in camp and Of interpreting
the life of the soldier to the citizecs, is
to be dorc by the Playground and Rec
reation Association of America through
it's workers experienced in this field.
What this service means is explained
in the following statement by one of
these community organizers, Ira w.
Jayne of Detroit, as follows:
1.-THE object in each community is
much the same-to convince the citi-
zens that this boy in uniform is still q
human being; that he has been up
rooted suddenly from his native soil,
stripped of every social prop and safe
guard-his family ties, his friends, his
church, his neighborhood, his fraternal
groups, his business connections and
the influence of women Of his kind, and
so suddenly tranSplanted without their
gates; that they should become inter
ested in him as an individual, as a per-
son, helping him to re-eStablish those
social connections with this community
upon which he was accustomed TO de-
pend at home that he should be nei-
Their patr0nized nor exploited; that he
was . civilian Yesterday as they still
are, and that he Will, let rs hope, re-
turn to lli$ home a civilian"
AS to the manner in which the work
will be organized, Mr.. Manning reports
that in each city, near camp, social
and recreational forces will be brought
together in one conmittee-rcprcsen
tives OF churches, clubs, lodges, schools,
recreation centers. parks moving pic
ture agencies, NCla"ns G@encicS-iTl
fact every force for good III the COM
munity that can be used in working
for the highest welfare Of the enlisted
men. 4 census to be taken will show
the mems church preference, trade or
profession, Of what societies they are
members, what their special interests
in dramatic, athletics, music or other
amusements or recreations may be,
and what other special interests they
have.
AS to the need of providing proper
surroundings for the men in Camp, Sec
rotary of War Baker is quoted as fol-
lows: "Our responsibility in this mat
ter is not open to question. We cannot
allow these young men, most of whom
will have been drafted to service, to be
surrounded by vicious and demoraliz-
ing environment, nor can we leave any
thing undone which will protect them
from unhealthy influences and crude
forms of temptation. Not only have
we an unacceptable responsibility in this
matter to the families and colnmuni-
ties from which these young men are
selected, but from the standpoint of
our duty and our determination, to Gre
ate an efficient army we are bound, as
a military necessity, to do everything
in our power to promote the health
Eand conserve the vitality of the men
lin the training camps"
Work of Two Broad Types.
Mr.. Manning's report explains that
the community work is Of two broad
TYPES, that of large cities and that of
small communities. He says that zone
of the great problems is how to pro-
wide recreation in the city of small
Isle" and points 70 one Western camp
lof 10000 men, located near town of