The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-12-22
Just How to Use
the New Leisure?
Readjustment of Economic
Conditions Calls for
Some Thought.

protested politely when his host, pi-
loting him uptown In New York.
yanked him off subway local train.
showed him across a crowded station
platform and fairly hurled him into
an express train, crowded far oe-
yond comfort. "Why shift trains
when both were going the same way,
and was the frantic rush necessary %
The New Yorker had ready answer
for this poor benighted foreigner
"Why, we save six minutes" That
seemed final to the honest disciple
of the great American doctrine Of
speed. But he was fioored when mis-
visitor asked: "What are you going
to do with them"
He didn't know. Nor do his mil
lions of fellows who strain at the
turn of every traffic light and par
themselves on the back when they
get microscopic jump in the mad
rush to gain split second advan-
tage on unimportant journeyings.
What are they going to do with the
time saved?
Today NRA is proceeding at a
dizzy pace on a readjustment of
economic and social patterns. The
new design may not finally meet all
the specifications laid down by its
architects. But it is certain to give
not seconds and minutes, but manv
hours of free time to vast multi
tude whose working habits are be-
ing changed.
We think of the NRA effort, and
quite properly, as united effort to
make employment. to bring the in
voluntarily idle back to their old
| jobs and to create thousands of new
ones.
But for every additional job it ere
ates on the new standard of 35 Or
40-hour work week, it is helping to
build up vast new reservoir of leis-
ure. What are they going to dc,
those who, if they have a job, have
been toiling the traditional eight
hours day, when the new deal
hands them eight to thirteen hours
of additional leisure every week?
To the millions who for the last
year or two haven't been able to get
any hours Of work week, this may
seem a futile question. A surfeit OF
leisure is exactly what they've been
suffering. Moreover, many of those
who kept their industrial employment
have been working on such reduced
time that the eight or nine-hour day
is somewhat dim recollection.
Nevertheless NRA brings a whole.
sale shortening of hours in the mer.
camille and the so-called service in.
dustries. 1t Immediately extends the
five-day week to workers who had
never expected to attain it.
| The resourceful can perhaps solve
this problem for themselves. But
unfortunately the truly resourceful
are in the minority. Clearly the field
is opened for a vast extension of edu.
cation for leisure. There Is nothing
new in that idea. More than two
thousand years ago Aristotle was
telling his followers that the CHIEF
end Of education is the right use OF
leisure. That was before the day OF
| vocational educationI Moreover, be
/ had the few in mind. He was no.
concerned about the helots who
sweated from sun to sun to support
the dollhouse flower of Greek culture
Today's problem is the direction oil
] the new leisure Of the emancipated
helots of industry. Not all of them
have very keen intellectual appetites
For those who have, there are many
resources. The libraries, museums
such admirable enterprises in adul!
education as are provided in this
community by Cleveland and Fem
colleges, the extension courses of the
! public schools-all have a useful
place in the picture. Yet all these
institutions are cramped by the de-
preston at time when the need for
their services exceeds all previous
estimate.
Organized public recreation finds a
new and enlarged mandate. Here
again the depletion of public budgets
pinches. The public schools, well
equipped to lead in this new educa-
ton. also run up against hard wall
of poverty and economy which de-
mands the elimination of all ''frills.