Under Thirty Page
THE USE OF LEISURE VI
By P. R. 0. STUART
[The writer is an Oxford undergraduate, age 21J AFUTURE historian, after looking at the advertisement and " home " pages of our newspapers, will write that the nineteen-thirties were preoccupied with the problem of leisure. Every age has its own problems and is, perhaps, justified in thinking them to be peculiarly different and difficult because the answers to them are not to be found in the history books. Yet, despite our anxiety to make the most of every moment, it does not seem likely that our diffi- culty in finding the best use for leisure is one that has not been felt before. The problem is fresh only because there is a greater choice before the pleasure-seeker.
Whereas the Victorian spent his Sunday evening in reading an improving book, writing a delightful letter full of under- lined adjectives, or 'going to bed early, the Georgian can choose between driving out in the country, going to the cinema, turning on or turning off the wireless, putting on the gramophone, disturbing his friends on the telephone, or playing contract bridge. In fact he will probably be so afraid of making a wrong choice, or so lazy, that he will do nothing for some time and then go to bed. The " answers to cor- respondence " columns in the daily papers show that people do not find it enough to be given the means to enjoy' them- selves, they want to be told what to do. Surely this is serious. For if there is any merit in a democratic political system it is that it allows the individual freedom to choose his own way of life. But if he will not use his freedom, either there is no justification for democracy, or we have not the right sort of people to profit by a democratic system.
The trouble seems to lie in a confusion between means and ends. The present age is richer than ever in means for economising human effort, but many people have still to learn from the philosophers that some mental exercise is necessary for anything more than momentary amusement. The tragedy of the present day is that the man who has a car has often nowhere to drive in it. Consequently he finds himself each week-end in a stream of cars heading towards the seaside, not because he is particularly inclined to go there, but because it has become a habit. The archaeologist, or the man with an interest in architecture, either has no car, or no time to see the places he has read about. Similarly, the cinema has become so cheap and universal that townspeople of every social class regard it as the normal place in which to spend the evening. If motor cars, wireless sets, and picture palaces were less easily accessible, it might be recognised that they can only give full value if the user approaches them with something in his mind. Even if he merely takes the trouble to decide what he wants to do he will have gone some way to preventing pleasure from becoming a habit.
It is obviously no solution to say that youth should be educated more. For here the university graduate is in no better case, apparently, than the product of the elementary school. But something might be done to change education so that after leaving school there is something to do in the time which was given up to homework. It may be interpo- lated that the problem of time to spare is one which faces all young people—the subaltern on joining his regiment, the university man in business, and the schoolboy who cannot afford to go to the pictures every night.
Firstly, time might be found in a school curriculum to give an hour or two a week to teaching how to read a newspaper intelligently. How many of those who read the accounts of murder trials could give any meaning to the phrase " Com- mitted for trial " ? Would those who cheerfully condemn the League of Nations care to describe its aims and its organisa- tion ? Who has any idea of the normal day's work of a Cabinet Minister ? There is something ludicrous in asking school- children to pass judgement on the war policy of the younger Pitt when they know so little of the working of the present-day world with which they are in direct contact. It is surely not asking too much of boys who can master the intricacies of divisional football organisation to tackle also the organisation of their local governing bodies. With some knowledge of this kind behind them, readers of newspapers would, at least, be in a better position to judge for themselves the significance of reported events. At present most people seem to read newspapers as they take pills—twice a day after the morning and evening meals, opinions to follow the prescription contained below the headlines. Perhaps it is significant that in America popular papers are called tabloids.
It is true that the B.B.C. has already done something to educate the nation in civics. But the Englishman dislikes the idea of being taught, though not so much of learning, in his spare time, and so long as he can escape by means of a switch he will do so, with the result that the lesson does not reach those who would benefit most. For this reason it does not seem likely that instruction of this kind will produce any great result unless it is given in the schools. This is the only justification for putting another burden on the school- masters of this country.
Another scheme to encourage individual initiative was tried in my own school and might be put into practice more widely. A couple of hours a week were set aside for private study of a subject chosen by the. boy himself. The work had to be at least mildly academic, but it was stipulated that it should not be ordinary class work. It was done under the supervision of a master who occupied much the same position as a University tutor. Usually master and boy held a conference at the beginning of term at which the boy could plan his own programme. The results were shown up at the end of term. In this way a boy did have some practice in working on his own and in making up his mind what he would like to do—quite a number of boys had come to take work at school so much for granted that it had never occurred to them what they would do if given a choice.
I am aware that neither of these ideas is original, yet it seems to me that both might be extended in application. But if this is done it is essential that schoolmasters and mistresses should take the scheme seriously and not regard it as just another fad of the " head's." It will mean extra work for school teachers, and the results cannot be tabulated in examination statistics. Yet, if children can be made to think for themselves, which is, after all, the aim of education, we shall be half the way to solving the problems of the future.
But these suggestions are no more than palliatives which cannot solve the whole of the problem. The essential thing, as I have tried to indicate, is that people must learn to enjoy themselves, And that they must do it alone, for others can guide them, but cannot decide for them.
There are signs that the future outlook is more hopeful. An Oxford tutor has told me that, in his opinion, the under- graduate today is less inclined to wait to be told how to amuse himself than he was ten years ago. The popular press seems to be giving less space to descriptions of a small section of London society amusing itself and more room to the life of the " little man "—which may show the latter that his activities are more important to the nation.
[This is the last of six articles on" The Use of Leisure." The next question for discussion is " What Should We Fight For ?" The first article on that subject will appear next week.]
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