The Dominion TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1914. MAKING USE OF LEISURE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1650, 6 January 1914, Page 4

The Dominion TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1914. MAKING USE OF LEISURE.

In country where "reduction of. working hours" is an effective catchcry in party political warfare, it may be a little dangerous to suggest that the problem of conserving leisure and discovering some method of turning it to useful acoouiit, is a grave one which urgently demands attention sofar as a great part of our population is concerned. None the loss the problem exists. It is essentially one of urban life, and it is accentuated by the tendency to favour life, in towns and cities as against life in the country, which exists markedly here in New Zealand, as in so many other countries. In face, of the prevailing drift of population, it seems idle to deny that urban life has its advantages, but it has disadvantages also, and one of the worst is that as things now stand in this country it leaves a large section of the population stranded with an amount of leisure on hand of which they hardly know how to make any profitable use. The result is an undue resort to amusements, which at best only serve to. kill time and an exaggerated devotion to sport in various forms, this problem of the leisure life of the people well deserves attention,.for its solution would open up possibilities of social improvement now almost undreamt of. The removal of social hardships* the casing of the working strain of life, and the increase of leisure are at best only negative and the future really depends upon the manner iii which the energies thus released are employed. t There appears to 1)6 an unspoken belief that the mass of the people, for whom eclii; cation is abruptly terminated when they leave a primary school in order to work for a living, have no desire for intellectual advancement. This belief is probably quite fallacious, and in any case no hdmi can be done by putting it to the test in some .effective way; ' "■'<,'■

Some. European countries have at-' ready done a great deal in this direc-. tion, and the subject is also engaging attention in America. Speaking'in New York last, month, Mr,. , Ho'.vr, Director of tlio People's, Institute in that city; put furwni'd'a powerful plea for thoughtful consideration nf the problem of leisure ."Thecriticisms which ,lin _ directed-s'lit American neglect of this vitally jiniliorlaiit phase of life, apply great extent to New Zealand, ; -'and tlie practical suggestions.whicli fered also have a mors thnii local'ap'i ])licalioii. "If we bist thought of-.-it;;.'.? In , said in the rnurse of his address, '•we would realise that". peoph , use their leisure ilotermivK'sW nation's civilisation. ■■■■ ForCciyilisation is the product lcisitrc;"as .well aw working hours. -The , -'civilisation of. Greece was a eivilisatioofuf .culture, art, and (ho dniirm, hprauwi.U-jV State consciously coawrnod.j-/,itsell

■■ : , 11 / "' **' I Pcoplc!sflieisiircii;lifc , i _''' -tny L ( j a y iiiakes^publics'pr : civision|j i ; M:Uifc.v" ; ;liwti : eats4hesJScft:| .;; ■vii^-^u>s7:;'; : jj;Vy v ' system. , ai{ ■ their enjoj nen |fyiyj;V!l;rsVi)|ci ; !cii;;<HV/ . tbeothor ind.'.iiaaturnediitsjlcisurcl . orer to corinorcvjalisc'cl'a'kf'neiesh '.It)j has hours s \wp. .* jni,inso/|uj;jiC|C'. ; :'' ;f 'pW ,, fcime'iiß'iNeii York 5 Jarfecly "spentfin' thcM.l :oOOsaloonsj:.,thp ■JiiOq^ance? , .halls, thcjSOO' and. ■:X: It prob'abijjwouid: not;be s difficultf ■■ to' ,, demonstrate 1 ! hatpin;- | No\y,. theipojmlatiortlr'it'tirs^awrtKits'jllci; ,, .! surennicl):asyd^sMliev]ru : geriipopjila-H tioit;."uf jiifWcvfi Jof! i nninsenwnt? t))ai'i ! 're;::wellSenoiigh"i)V the i r ■■wii jrjrtbj^mreljuf'u , r wort hy. SHi'o''of /! sensiblev^i4>Jc^ ,; jl , h , c , ' > ~ p i'.inci-;' pal by ■ MBrt/HowE^is.-'thiit^liielresources , of (he: ! curns .. of .^ai't'.ia'nd-'-'scienw^lioiiltls-.liC' , utilised iti'.'.n iniiversif^eXtension 1 ■movement, which that; numerous., section^;of which is 'excluded : frtfm!;the*..prdinary avenues' of:educational. ?adyaiitembiit;'--of his as well to Wcllington" ! .br*Aucklaiiid:as.to , New 'programme-of higher cdiie(ltipn,"^hearemarks, demanded: by. ■conditiorisf'i'Educauon , stops for most: at .twelve;;fourteen,, or sixteen-years'; of vago..svChiltli'en.iv.;acquirc no cultural; not equipped-'forLtheir-- iij'ocational needs, Thousands : of. men and. women had no.jchance.;of;studying their youth. ; (To-most'of.us perman-'. ent intellectualiJintcrestS'jcoiiie- after the age of twenty, -when'the- opportunity foritheiivis'atisfaction-'is. gone. , .. . . ,>■ But thechiefmptive for such a programme is-.life itKolf.;?:"Foiv.tbat' is ihc end of''organ!s.efl :, society/,;sAncl life can .bc:.Ciii"schod";by.'--B.uch..al.pro-cess;' learning ■■'cah i V.b.b'|f."dem.bcj'atised and the'■ha < ppiness*"an'd.,;efficiencyj.ofthe people increased many-fold. ]>;?}' The promotion'.of ;a.'.university'extension 'movement in,".. : at'all events, some of our leading-centres, , is a pro : ject that should,,■■CDinmehdl-.itself to educationalists;" and toj.the metit of , this 1 country/^;; Ifc'-is 'fcruo here, as it. is'in.-America, that men and.- women 'are'fcheated out,;of. the, best of life. by.reason';of. their in'abil,-. ity to.pursue:atudios.dDnietl them , ii\j youth, and'that theitjives , arc limit ed by "their-labour on ;ithe.; one., hand and by■■ commercialisedfrecreation'- onthe other..- ■■, m'o.vcnicnt, ■ wisely directed, would w : o:ui 'k:host,pf men and women fronvpctty-'ipursuits. and time-killing find no real satisfaction* "and would make their, hours-of. leisure profit;'" l '" , . , :" to themselves and to the'community. . The proposal opcns,;,up. larßcr, possi-' bilities t00...-.NoJshreWder.bloVco'.jld hi struck'at thepiirvcydrsJof-foolish fallacies'which .now.; pass"; muster with, the crowd : as political, principles "and Heaven-inspired,.panaceas: , -: >In fact,' to put the educated democracy ; "is the only'possible "democracy: present lack of , instruction the de- , mocracy is- a. ready .prey any adventurer'with''a' long. : tongue and a desire to cut a figure/in tin? wnrkL An educated dehiocracyiwould be immune from-mobt-'of."tlic''"'petty social disorders such as, demagogues breed; the , structure of would '.bo made .firmer, and'; more 'sec.utt!...,)-,'; ..',.'