The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1940-06-20

in the city, on many parts of the
state in it's recreational program.
The summer session that now in
vades the Park is the 4th annual
and one of the states oldest. /.
Detroit Lakes, for example, now
with one Of the recognized "bests"
in the state, is only three years
old. st. Cloud, though it had its
park board activities, is a two year
old program. The program is
concrete recognition that a new
social problem exists, at least a
new consciousness if the problem
itself is older than we know. +.
It's a new type Of conservation
leisure.
1t seeks to teach, and at the
same time the youth are hav-
ing some fun, that it isn't wise
to spend" ones leisure time.
:. It's wise to invest" It. ..
That's why we've called it a
new type of conservation. Con-
servatiOn is the wise use of
materials. The program
recognizes it In a duOfOld pur-
pose. -.
First that young people, with
scarcely no work during the sum-
mer, have long hours to idle away.
Second that these youngsters are
sometime the grownups Of the COM
munity. AS such the things taught
them in their youth are designed
to be carried into the homes and
the backwards Of Sank Centre.
AS for example in craft they're
taught to make the simple nipple
ments necessary to play the games
they're taught In another depart
ment Of the work. -.
The play back of the program is
still largely theory to those who
try to make a new social conscious
ness out of something that is a
simple followup of closely super
vised system today. 1t is sig
nificant point that the state de-
partment of education has thrown
its resources into the setup. That
marks something new. It followed
a period of about five years in
which communities, in many cases
boosted by the WPA projects,
jumped into the swim of these sup
ervised programs. I. It is signifi-
cant in that the programs are
largely summertime efforts. The
department recognizes the respon-
sibility Of the school to the student
today, and the future citizen tomor-
row, does not end after SO weeks
of classroom work. ;. It continues
the year around.
In various parts of the state
this year were conferences In
which the combined thought
and knowledge of the states
groups in the summer work
conferred to give more wide
spread ear to it's program.
Schools as belonging to individ-
ual communities, such as our
own, have since the first
UOIOWn CAAOAUo oh
these programs. Now the state
marshalls forces on a statewide
basis recognizing the summer
playtime programs are to be-
come q permanent part In the
life of many communities.
Sank Centres forward step in
this direction was labeled a year
ago as one Of the finest setups in
the state. Authorities look for &C
feasibility of all parts of the pro-
gram united in as little space as
possible. They look for a uni
fled setup at one spot. The Park
affords that. On one point did such
experts point out deficiency. Lack
of playing fields for kittenball and
team group games and tennis
courts at the site. ..
It so happens that the time is
ripe for such supervision. It dove
tails neatly into revamped sys-
tenn of living we now have. and
it clicks into the slot on certain
revisions in general education.
I doubt that generation ago you
could have gotten two handfuls of
kids out for such a program. The
idea that they must be taught to
play would be absurdly laughed out
of the picture. They knew how
to play. There was never dull
moment. They might be crawling
over the box cars one minute, or
swimming in some dirty hole in a
group where not one could possibly
save a life from an accident.
All the same they had lot of fun
that way; but they played in a
make-believe world. ;. I think the
utterly wasted time that adults
spend today is pretty good reflec-
ton Of that hit and miss playtime
as kids. Maybe this won't be
the answer either. But proponents
of the program feel it might help
In spite of all this theorizing
you can still go to the Park and
have a lot of fun.
While we're on the program,
Gene Harvey announced this
week to make it clear that pic
mic groups are most welcome
not only at the Park but to the
facilities of the program as
well. That's what it's here
for" he said. The leaders
are here to help and the equip
yvnout is for their usn - he DOint-
ed out. It came up when