Show Daily baily D ily Health Service ce ceBy By DR MORRIS l FISHBEIN Economists tell us that no other country In the world spends as much money for far recreation as do the people people peo peo- of the United States More than or one fourth of the national income Is spent In this way way- The important items include about spent on motoring for pleasure visiting and entertaining at restaurants 2000 on vacations and travel 1 on motion pictures 1 1 on light fiction and tabloids tabloids tab tab- bids on radio and on theaters and lectures It is interesting that this compilation tion for which Stuart Chase is responsible responsible re re- re fails fails' to Include the amount of money spent on sport However there are figures which show that people buy admissions a year to baseball games ames admissions admissions ad ad- missions to football games a year and admissions a year to golf galt tennis boating and similar sports o a 0 a o 0 You can easily sec that most of this recreation Is not planned particularly in relationship to health either cither mental men men- tal tat or physical There are nrc occasional restful programs on the radio but most radio entertainment is I ing rather t than an rest producing and recreational i t There are occasional motion pictures pic plc tures turcs which have recreational and restful values but the majority of them deal with crimes crim s murder sex conflicts and arid similar matters which are hardly restful I have spoken repeatedly In these columns about the fatiguing rather than han restful character of most motor trips made in vacation periods It would seem from all of this material material mate mat rial that the American people need be taught the importance of restful and recreational activities in relationship rela rela- to health e e- e a 0 aFar Far too man man- many satisfy themselves with witnessing sports rather than participating in sports The new movement toward shorter hours of work in industry means that the employment em em- of leisure time is going to tobe tobe toe be e a greater and greater problem for those hose interested in social activities It is necessary to teach the American Amerlean Amer Amer- lean ican can people the r recreational activities ties ics of the arts In Ui the current Century Century Cen- Cen tury ury of Progress the v value lue of good music has been emphasized more than nan ever before in American his his- tory ory Dramatic performances in which amateurs participate are also beginning begin ning to gain adherents Nature study and camping also are being developed developed developed devel devel- on a wider scale than ever before be be- fore The health values of such recreatIons lions Jons can hardly be overestimated In addition to developing new points of view these activities are calling for a new type of profession that profession that of recreational leader |