New Britain herald., 1930-12-01
OUTSIDE INTERESTS OCCUPY CHILDREN
40 Per Cent Of Time Spent Out
 Of Home and School

Washington, Dec l - There are 47,S47206 young Amercans under IS years of age. As the next. genera ton, civilization is to be literally in their hands.
 One fourteenth to one-twelfth of their total time is spent in school, A third is spent at home in sleep. Varying amounts beyond that are spent daily in the home. Probably 99 per cent of children are in homes, though "samplings' indicate that one home in four is broken home. And over 40 per cent of the first IS years is spent outside home and school,
 So says the committee on youth outside the home and school of the White House conference on child health and protection, a committee headed by James l.. West. chief ex- ecutve of the Boy Scouts. The con- mittee selected fl organized agen- cies and influences which boys and girls met in that 4Q per cent of their time. IL gives some interesting fig lures in naming them.
 Many Church Contacts
 The churches deal with probably 25 00Q.0o0 persons The girl ageu- cies touch 1,50Q,Q00 girls during their leisure time, The boy agencies enroll 2,l00Qea The ncighborhood agencies attract l,4g0uG0.
 Motion pictures catch the eve of tt5,000. .009 customers a week, of whom one-third arc under 16
 Oothrr commercial amusements lure 2,0Q1,ooo persons daily.
 Radio, with its 13,47S,o00 sets, probably has more than 6Q,Qo0,o00 listeners.
 Playground facilities serve 2,250,- coo children every day
 Most children read, but @o.oo0,0 ,0g0 have no public library facilities.
 Camping is indulged in by prob- ably S,0Q0.gQQ persons, including | 3,QO0000 young ones,
 Other conditions and factors en- countered by youth; Industry, with it's 4,n00.0o0 youth employed full time and 100000 part time Rural life, with 5 per cent of youth liv- ing in rural territory. Institutions. which stand "in loco parents" for about one per cent.
 Four Million Work 1 Of the approximately 46Q00,0 ,000 persons under IS, 28,000,000 are in schools and 100000 have gone to work" There are 23,76o,QQ0 such girls, 14,69G.000 at school and ,400,- 410 employed. Of 270S7.0Go boys, some 14,00ooo4 are in school. lit tie more than 2.69o,o0n work regu- larly and another 100000 part time.
 The church shows tendency 10 relate itself 10 young people mot only in matters Of worship but in various ways, aiding in adjustment 10 the actual everyday experience of younger folk sunday schools have 23,00Q,o00 members, There are 1020Q.0oo church members under l3 years of age,
 The committee says the possible effects Of movies on children is a matter of concern. Unfortunately, it finds, the finer types Of pictures are not as a rule inc most profit able But children's tastes reveal a pleasing sanity,'
 Sixth graders want horoism and spurn cheap mclodrama and torrid triangles. High school youngsters demand q plot with action girls leaning toward romance and boys toward comedy The committee rec ommends moro family programs Of suitable pictures, more careful se- lection of films and better regula- ton Of juvenile attendance, public relations activities between produc- ers and citizens organizations and encouragement of amateur dramatic groups.
 Need More Libraries
 The influence of commercial amusements under business auspices arc in the main unWholesome, the committee declares.
 It recommends adequate cduca. tional radio broadcasting as d youth
 
 cious programs by active expression of public opinion and good taste anc more consideration of younger list, eners.
 And more public libraries, it says are needed for the 20,000, ,O00 chil dren and 34,000,C00 adults who now go without
 Farm isolation. limiting the fam ily in recreational and social con, tacts. develops individualsm bu also works 10 the disadvantage 9 farm boys and girls. Rural youtf is handicapped in school opportuni ties. Available data indicates tha about : per cent of urban childrel , are enrolled in high school and onl. 26 per cent of rural children Ther' arc still about 1Gl GOO one-room an' 10000 two-room rural schools. witt rural school terms averaging si