Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-09-21
HEAlTHFUl PLAY
A|DSBOyS AND GIRLS
Benefits Pointed Out by Charles
T. Ernst Before the
Rotary Club.

How good healthful play. carefully
oupervtssd. aids the boy and girl. was
pointed out by Charles F. Ernst. d.
rector Of the Community Service. in
On address before the members OF tho
Rotary Club at their weekly luncheon
n the Hotel du Pont today. Mr.. Ernsts
contention 10 that through this rec
rsation some OF the social evils may
b avoided In later life through the
things learned In competition on the
Fairgrounds.
The department OF social work
Which has been receiving a great deal
Of attention In the last few years"
Mr.. Ernst said, is that which deals
with the importance Of community rec
reation. The countless studies that
have been made on the causes for the
failures Of humanity as recorded in
the books Of the relief organizations,
the health societies. and the institu-
tons for dslinauents and detectives.
revealed the fact that one cause OF the
breakdown VAST that at one time or
another an influential unit in the FAM
fly did not understand the value Of
~ oper wholesome recreation. The
great majority OF relief cases today are
due to the fact that In the past gem
erations bread winners sought their
recreation in ways which not onlv
united them for the hard test Of
daily labor. but wiped out the income
which otherwise might have been put
aside to save the wife and children
from dependency. undernourished bod
lee. and III health.
THE records Of insane asylums seem
TO indicate that the number OF women
who have been affected by the unbrok-
en- monotony OF farm drudgery have
been reduced because OF the graphic
phone, the weekly magazine. the tele-
phone and the automobile. which are
gil sources OF recreation.
The evidence 10 even clearer In the
case Of correctional institutions for
boys and girls. Judge Prickett OF the
Juvenile Court has recently testified
Judge Lindsay OF Denver said a dec
aoe ago: Fairgrounds are better pre-
ventives Of delinquency than are the
courts Almost without exception the
causes for the arrest Of Juveniles bear
directly on the fact that children were
left 10 seek their own play. Tho en-
vironment OF their local neighborhood
offered nothing In the way OF whole
some recreation and the use OF the
leisure time was directed into activi-
ties which interfered with the rights
Of others and sooner or later they
we're picked up by the police.
snnA %
member in connection with play
whether II is that OF children or OF
adults. Is that when human being,
play. their controls are absolutely re.
leased and their minds are most sus.
ceptible 20 influence. Let a group O,
boys start playing in an unorgan!xet
way and you viii see that before the,
are through playing they will hav,
followed the will Of the leader in tn,
group and that leader Will be the on
who 10 capable Of suggesting the mos
daring and unique form OF adventure
Then when the boys get into trouhl
because OF their mischievousness~ tn
father thinks II Is his duty to punisl
the boy and make him out to be
depraved individual and the mothe
keeps saying: Why did you do Il!
TO which the boy can only reply:
cont know. we were only foolng.' an,
in saying this the boy is telling tn
absolute truth. Many a boy has bee
charged with theft who took some OBJ
iect with no other reason than III
hope that IL might get a rise out O
the owner and possibly he would Civ
the fellows a chase Other bows hav
been called incorrigihle. mal,ciou.
disorderly. simply because the lead
erhip In their play WAS not the kin
that IL should have been.
why not begin with this presen
genera;ion and give them every chanc
TO satisfy in a normal way the mos
natural instinct for play7 II is III
one sure preventive of many OF on
social Ills. Why wait till the child
crippled either IN body. or In mind. c
in Character before we begin 70 be In
tsrested"