Arizona republican., 1921-05-12
By Frederic J. Haskin

WASHINGTON, May 11--Organ- ized playtirne for city and village Is rapidly becoming a nation wide fact The Community Service which con- centrated on soldiers and sailors for the past few years, has now revised it's program to fit the civilian, and is busy showing the business nan and his wife how to play
 Perhaps you think we know well enough how to play. We spend more on amusements than any other coun- try in the world. We are champions of the world at being entertained But amusement is a second hand sort of sport When it comes to amusing ourselves by taking part in, games, dramatics and impromptu concerts, We have not distinguished ourselves.
 This is unfortunate because the value of doing sometimes, instead of watching all the time. is obvious. After sitting on the edge of a seat at a ball game you limp out with a back stiff from cramping. After playing ball an hour or two yourself, you are stiff from using muscles that need the exercise.
 That people are acquiring the fixed habit of wanting to enjoy all their amusements vicariously is attributed to two facts. One is that wonder full organization of commercial amusements has been evolved, and the other is that people have not been encouraged to get together to make sport for themselves. Now they are being encouraged and by legislatures. town councils and local organizations that work for city betterment.
 Community play is being promoted by local governments because it has been demonstrated to be a practical business proposition. City officials accept as an aviom the statement that the leisure hours of the city must be either an asset of liability. The people of this country have about a billion hours a day to spend outside of work and sleep. In th1s leisure time most of the crime. vice and de- linquency occur, according to James E. Rogers of the Community Service headquarters, who has carefully studied the leisure time problem.
 Value of Children
 MT. Rogers tells us that if child is rated by the children's bureau as an investment of from s1,500 to s2.000, a young boy represents easily s6.000. If he fails to become a good citizen, the city that sent him to school and provided him with other benefits not only loses that invest ment, but it has to pay for the re- suits of his failure
 Thus if a boy spends his spare time with a rough gang on the streets and gets juvenile court record for com mitting various depredations. he goes to a reform school and the people pay for his maintenance there. If he steals to get money to take his girl to amusements. as a boy in Denver did, he goes to jail. and the com munity pays for that. If he is hurt in a fight in the street the commu- nifty pays for the ambulance and his hospital bill. The leisure time of g city is an expensive proposition.
 Because hospitals. jails. and police organizations. paid for by taxation are to considerable extent employed as q result of misused leisure time city officials are becoming convinced Of the dollars and cents value of pre-. VentiVe measures. It has also beer shown them that adVsntag ge ous use O leisure time is of definite benefit [, community, Recreation that really