THESE DAYS 27.11.1915 By George E. Sokolsky Nationalizing Joy. I have been reading a bill in Congress entitled H. R. 5 which is anotner tricky device of our own look after recreation, but it also wants to manage totalitarians to take over the lives of the American "character and citizenship," character representing people from the cradle to the grave. These gentle the morals of man which are the responsibility of social workers must sit around, day and night, won- parents and the church; citizenship, which is the dering whether there is not another ounce of power responsibility of our locally managed school sys- items. Then they go further: "and making com- or a few more jobs for the elite that can be squeezed out of Congress. munities more attractive and desirable as places in which to live and conduct business" obviously This H. R. 5 has to do with recreation and, of is the responsibility and function of municipal and course, it is camouflaged artfully as a war measure town administrations elected by the people. and as an aid to veterans, but when one reads the True the bill says that this office is only to give bill carefully, it has to do with the whole American advice, not to operate recreation. But you may people, of all ages and conditions and is to affect recall that many of the great administrative agencies conditions permanently. So we can skip all the started as advisory, pushed into participation, and references to war and veterans in H. R. 5 and see ended by controlling-sometimes by "request," which precisely what the welfare boys and girls are up to. is the new trick word for justifying extra-leg H. R. 5 is a bill "To make available specialized functions. services and facilities to States, areas, counties and Now, let us face the facts: One of the fundamen- communities in developing recreation programs for tal freedoms of the American people is freedom of the people of the United States in the transition recreation. We never think about our freedoms un period from war to peace and beyond, designed to less some one interferes with them. In the older aid in the speedy rehabilitation and absorption of days, boys and girls played around the schoolhouse war veterans and their families into normal and in the sand lot, in the old swimming hole or on the satisfying community life; to provide a variety of ice pond. In the cities, before the automobile, chil wholesome leisure-time activities available to all dren played on the streets, even as you and I. Then youth to the end of aiding in the building of better came the settlements, boys' clubs, Boy Scouts, girl health, physical well-being, character and citizen- guides, organized play in schools and parks, with ship, stimulating intellectual and desirable avoca- considerable but voluntary direction and voluntar tional pursuits, and reducing and preventing acci- obedience, which is even more important. And dents, delinquency and crime, and making communi- things go in this country, a National Recreation ties more attractive and desirable as places in which sociation came into existence which has and is doing to live and conduct business." all the really needed work proposed by this bill I suggest you note the weasel words "and beyond," Also, the Government. of the United States already which tell the story rather than all that precedes functions in this field of advice through the National Park Service, the Children's Bureau and other them. Also notice the phrase, "and their families agencies. into normal and satisfying community life." Pre- eisely what is a "normal and satisfying community As to adults, their recreation is none of anybody life How is that to be determined by a bureau business in a free country, This H. R. 5 wants to in Washington for such disparate places as New control all the recreation 'for the people of the United States" and that means adults as well as York and Salt Lake City, Charleston, S. C., and children. Boston, Mass? I could go on pointing to many tricks in this bill Let us note further: This Office of Community but what's the use? The whole idea is just another Service, that the bill provides for, is to control over American lives.