Evening star., 1941-10-02
D. {. Play Plan
Asset 10 City,
No|en Asserts
Warns Recreation
Congress Against
Sighting Sports
BY HENRY A. MUSTIN.
Star Staff CORRESPONDENT.

ny "a 'h \
Star Staff Correspondent.
BALTIMORE, Oct. 2.-Cities
which fail ito modernize" them
selves through a long-range recrea-
ton program face the prospect OF
becoming ghost towns" with the
depression that will follow the de-
fense effort. John Nolen, jr. di-
rector of planning for the National
Capital Park and Planning Com
mission, told a discussion group OF
the National Recreation Congress
here today
"Cities, in the final analysis, are
made for the people" Mr. Nolen de-
clared, "and if they are not made
to suit the people they will be de-
serted by large proportion of the
population and become virtual ghost
towns with the return to normalcy.' -
Speaking to a group discussing
Long Range Planning for Recrea-
ton" Mr.. Nolen offered as an ex-
ample the experience of the Wash
ington Planning Commission. which,
he related had found it could not
plan recreation system without
taking into consideration the city
plan as a whole"
Plans Wisdom Shown Here.
He said wisdom of a long-range
recreational plan has been proved in
Washington by the so per cent pop
ulation increase during the past 10
years and the consequent rise in the
cost of property The Planning
Commission, he explained, began to
acquire land for recreation purposes
as early as 1929, when property in
the central area of the city could
be sought for as little as 5000 an
acre. Today the same acre would
cost about $l50000, he said.
You are prosperous now because
OF the defense program Mr.. Nolen
asserted. but you don't know what
is ahead. In late years you may
find that people, industry and cap
ital are a little more choosy about
the city they want to settle in. The
antiquated cities wont be able to
compete with the modernized ones. -
Harry S. Wender. vice president
OF the District of Columbia Fedora
tion of Citizens Associations, who
served as chairman of another dis
cussion group on Telling Your
Town About the Recreation Pro-
gram" declared no city can have a
successful system of organized play
unless there is a central controlling
body.
Describing the efforts in Washing
ton to secure passage of a bill to
unity recreation under a single ad-
ministrative board, Mr.. Wender said
that at present people in the Capital
get dizzy trying to find out just
who has charge of this or that
recreation program
Complains of "Rigamarole."
"If all communities in America
had to contend with the rigamarole
we in Washington have to wade
through, the CountryS recreation
would be in very bad shape" Mr..
Wender declared.
The Importance Of approaching
nature study in a recreation pro-
gram for service men with he
man" attitude was stressed by Don
aid E. McHenry. park naturalist Of
the Office of National Capital Parks.
Mr.. McHenry told a discussion
group it had been his experience
that too many people, particularly
soldiers, consider nature studies
sissy stuff"
One way of presenting nature
activities to service men, Mr.. Nc
Henry suggested, is TO put exhibits
'in the way of the boys in camps
without forcing them on them"
The labels on any such exhibits,
he emphasized, must have interest
ing as well as scientific data if they
are to stir the interest of men with
no particular background in nature
studies.
Eliot Speaks Tonight.
Charles w. Eliot, ID director of
the National Resources Planning
Board, will deliver the principal
address to the congress tonight on
Recreation and Municipal Plan
ming"
At last nights session Henry
Noble McCracken. president of Vas
sar College, urged delegates to
the congress to stand courage
ously forth" in this time or war and
hatred ito declare that the spirit of
play is just as important as that of
labor; that without it the world will
go mad"
Recreation must be "a part of the
first thought, not the afterthought of
our people" the noted educator de-
clared. 1T is time for us to affirm
the original bold affirmation of the
American Revolution that the pur-
suit Of happiness is lone with the
inalienable rights of man"
While the idea that since chill
dren have to learn, they might as
well have good time while they are
learning" is not new, DR.. Mac
Crscken said, until recently the pur-
pose behind this idea was that the
children were made happy only in
order that they might better learn
They did not learn how to be
happy" he added. LAS a result,
music, art and acting, which in the
Middle Ages had been the essential
instruments of education, were lost
from the modern classroom. The
atrical companies were recruited
from the ranks of vagabonds Ar
fists were hired servants and musi-
clans were scarcely above the level
Of beggars."
DR.. MacCracken said the result of
this, in turn, was spirit in modern
education which gave rise to the
"dilettanti ladies and gentle
men who could not be prevented
from the enjoyment of music and
art" but whose indulgence in them
was apologized for"
Early morning recreation periods
for night shift workers in defense
industries were recommended to the
Congress by Alfred P. Cappio, recre-