The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1934-01-19
HOW WILL YOU USE THAT EX-
IRA LEISURE

Up to this time in the his tory of
the world the masses of the people
have not had to do very much wor-
rying about how to dispose of their
leisure time, as they had very little
of it. There were the leisure clas-
ses'' in the past, it is true--bat these
classes were not greatly respected.
Now, over night, the situation is
reversed. The human family, TAX
ing stock of itself, finds that it has
been working altogether too hard,
that it has kept improving methods
until it is producing several times as
much of everything as it can con-
sumo, and that the only thirg to do
IS to knock off. 1t was only a few
years ago that organized labor made
such hard fight to get working
hours reduced to 4S hours week.
Now the 40-hour week is being gen
orally applied as the maximum un-
der the recovery program, and the
workers say that it will be necessary
to cut down to 80 hours a week il
the millions of unemployed are to
oe given a share of the work.
But whether it is this year or
some other year, working hours OF
all types of labor are going to be re-
duced, and still further reduced.
This means that people will have
great many more leisure hours, and
.eisure days, on their handS-ano
we may say that the supreme test
will come when they show whether
hey can use this leisure wisely
The leisure classes in the past
nave not used their leisure wisely.
they have used it mainly il. dissi-
patton and vice, of many forms.
rhe examples to the contrary are
Jew and far between.
From now on, instead Of the
leisure classes numbering a neg
igible percentage of humanity they
are going to include everybody.
Hence, it is everybody's problem.
In the future we shall not be able to
point our finger accusingly at some
IDLE aristocrat and denounce him for
making fool of himself. Being
now in the same leisure class our
selves, we also will be subject to
scorn and condemnation if we use
our leisure in such way as to make
It liability instead of an asset.
The Pathfinder has made extern
sive inquiries to find out what diff
ierent people intend to do in the
way of employing their new leisure.
But we haven't unearthed any thing
very constructive. The attitude OF
most people it that they will cross
chat bridge when they get to it.
The idea of having time on their
hands is SO novel to the great ma
jority that it doesn't strike them as
any problem. AS long as six years
ago DR.. George B. Cutten, president
of Colgate university, published
book in which he pointed out that
people were destined to have more
leisure in the future and that the
matter should be taken seriously
sit is evident" he said, that we
must have more useful time-killers. .
He refers to the great crime wave
as showing that the Idle make
use OF their time to prey on
society. Dr. Cutten thinks that it
is necessary for people to train
themselves in order to prepare to
use their leisure in woy so as to
make it prove blessing and not
curse.
Various branches of the govern
ment are taking measures to out
line ways in which different persons
can utilize their extra time, but
these studies are still in very
primitive stage. Nobody short
time ago would have dreamed that
any government would have this
problem to deal with; hence the field
is virtually uncharted-The Path
finder.