Milford chronicle., 1924-06-13
UNCLE TED'S
BEDTIME STORIES
THE NECESSITY OF OUTDOOR
LIFE-MAKING A STRONG BODY
TO HOLD A STRONG MIND

Will OdChg II W do SAN HNNSN
punishment. Jack had been suffering
with a bad cold, cold that for awhlIe
threatened to go into pneumonia
But now he was getting better and
Ruth and Uncle Ted and Mother
could again breath easy ana COIL
mence to enjoy life once more
"Gee!" said Jack, Anybody WouIu
think you were the ones VINO were
sick to look at your long faces. why
don't you smile a little bit. I'm the
one that ought to feel and look bad
Guess Jacks right" said Uncle
Ted 1--WE have been going around
with mighty long faces. But it looked
so bad for awhile. Thought we might
lose our pal for good"
''Ill tell you how you can make up
for it," said Jack, raising up in bed on
one arm.
"How's that to be dOne?" asked I'm
Gle Ted.
BY telling me a story" was Jacks
reply.
i have story 1 would like to tell
you, Jack. 1t is interesting and at the
same time should give you something
to think about
you may recall, that some time
ago, President Coolidge called con-
ference at Washington on outdoor re-
creation. This meeting was for no
other purpose than to find a way in
which to interest more people in tax
ing outdoor exercise and amusement.
At first thought this may seem like a
funny thing for a President to call a
meeting about. You might almost
think it was entirely unnecessary.
But let me tell you You cannot |
develop your mind past the point of |
development of your body. In other |
words, there must be a sound body |
before you can have a sound mind |
This should be of great interest to
you, Jack, for of late you have been
hanging around the house, not play
ing ball or going on your Saturday
walks. And see what has happened.
Your system became weakened and
when the cold germs got into you
they succeeded in making you sick
If you had been strong of body,
those germs would probably never
have been able to make you sick, let
alone send you to bed
Our greatest men have found that
a certain amount of recreation out of
their success and well being as any
thing else Certainly it is easier to
keep fit than it is to get sick.
"The modern day life is a big
change from the life of yesterday.
Today many people work in doors in
crowded offices, stores or factories
They go back and forth from home to
work in trains, street cars, subways,
a1r oI,s M |
home early and return home late, and
then at night it is a trip to a closed
theatre or dance or a party at some
ones house. Now all of those things
are all right if they are not overdone.
In other words, there are times for
everything, but modern person, the
worker of today, must get certain
amount of rest and exercise in the
open. When President Coolidge open
ed the National Conference on Out
door Recreation in Washington, he
said:
This conference has been called
to encourage Americans to make more
of their opportunities and appropriate
more of the advantages of America.
For long time one of the ideals of
perfection has been that of a sound
mind in a sound body When most of
our original educational institutions
were founded they at first served a
race of pioneers. They were attended
by those whose very existence de-
pended on an active outdoor life in
he open country. The most univer-
sal custom among all the people was
bodily exercise. Those days long ago
passed away for most of the people
If this country
'These were President CoOlidge's
opening words. He then went on to
describe the various ways in which |
people can get this out door exercise.
Ie told of golf, tennis, base ball, foot t
'all and the many games planned for f
hildren in the various Fairgrounds 1
One of the finest things =
eing done in America today is the :
in the cities and towns :
f public Fairgrounds with all kinds =
f apparatus with which to play and !
xercise." l
Il know" said Jack. "Just what we 1
ave at school," v
That's it, Jack But the trouble f
ltely with you has been that you t
ont use that playground enough. 1 v
ant you to grow to be big and strong c
0 that you will be able to do big O
lings in this world. Unless your +,
ody is strong, no matter how great h
our ambition may be, you will be un-
BILE to be a truly great man.
Before you go to sleep l Just want
} read you the last paragraph of
resident COolidges speech on this =,
Ibject, because it is something well II
Orth knowing:
4" 4 want to see all Americans have a
reasonable amount of leisure. Then
want to see them educated TO use a
lch leisure for their own enjoyment Il
nd betterment, and the strengthen "
e of the quality of their citizenship. n
e can go long way in that direc~
on by getting them out of doors and n,
,ally interested in nature. We can -
axe still further progress by engag- =
g them in games and sports. Our y =
,untry is a land of cultured men and D
omen 1t is land of religious wor- -te
lip. It is a land of varied climes and sE
emery, of mountain and plain, of
Ike and river. 1t is the American her Il
age. We must make it land of Wis Of
n, a land of work, of sincere striv- h.
Q for the good, but we must add to IL
| these, in order to round out the fc
II stature of the people, an ample
tort to make it a land of wholesome
io1,,,oont and Oerennia1 pladneSS'