Under Thirty Page
THE USE OF LEISURE
By D. D. LINDSAY [The writer, aged 27, is a Master at a Public School] WE hear so much today about the use of leisure. We assume that the not too far distant future will be, thanks to the advent of machinery and labour-saving devices, what we call" an age of leisure." I think that this is probably correct. I have no doubt that an age of leisure, or, at any rate, of comparative leisure, is a possibility ; but I have greater doubts whether we are going to allow it to arrive.
But assuming that an age of leisure can be brought about by our own efforts, do we all want it ? Mr. Bernard Shaw once described a perpetual holiday as a good working definition of hell. Few of us want to be wholly idle : most of us could do with more leisure. Yet having got our leisure, do we really know what to do with it ? For if it is certain that we have to be instructed in our work, it is equally certain that we need to be trained to occupy our spare time. A man used to regular hours, carefully supervised and instructed, if given even a small increase of leisure will find himself kicking his heels and in many ways resembling the unem- ployed man at the street corners. How many men retire at 6o only to find that they are bored to extinction ? It is often observable that such men, healthy and strong on retirement, quickly break up and age within a few years.
Thus education for leisure is a problem that our schools and universities must tackle. Most educationists today would agree that their task is to turn out a " complete" man. Leisure is a part of a normal man's existence, and we must be taught how to use it. What are the schools doing to solve this problem ?
It is probably true to say that the so-called " advanced " schools have done more along the line of training for leisure than have schools which are conducted upon traditional lines. The amount of leisure given to their pupils, often as much as the pupil likes to demand, does allow time for the pursuit of individual interests. There is a greater chance for the development of special hobbies, and this side of education is far more fully considered there than elsewhere. It is sometimes doubtful whether the products of such schools are better trained to meet life as it really is than their more hide-bound contemporaries, but the problem of education for leisure does seem to have been tackled.
The " traditional " schools, however, are in the majority, and it is to them that we must turn. The schools of the nineteenth century were dominated by the idea that Satan will always find work for idle hands. Boys (and girls in so far as they were allowed to be educated) were regarded as naturally evil beings, who if given an inch would take considerably more than an ell. Hence the elaborate system of filling a boy's day so full that every minute of his day was accounted for. If he wasn't in school, or playing games, or in chapel, then there was clearly a need for a " call-over."
Today we have progressed far from this attitude. But it is true to say that school rules are still drawn up, the main object of which is to prevent the bad boy from making a nuisance of himself. Such rules apply to the whole school : the result being a considerable diminution of leisure time all round. Ninety and nine good sheep must be kept strictly within the pen so that the one black sheep may be prevented from straying.
How are we to deal with this problem ? Like Rousseau compelling his citizens to be free, I would compel boys at school to have leisure. By " leisure " I do not mean merely time out of school which is filled by compulsory activities, but time in which each boy is free to amuse himself to his own liking. That this would be abused I have not the slightest doubt. I have equally no doubt that it would be a godsend to the intelligent boy who, under the present system, often gets sacrificed to the possibilities for evil in his friends. Putting it on another ground, it would be valuable training even for the black sheep. After all, what virtue is there in being good if it is impossible to be evil ? Readers of the Ninth Book of Paradise Lost will remember that Eve pointed this out succinctly to Adam. Reading must play a large part in occupying leisure time.
There are, however, a number of boys and girls who never will delight in books. Regular training in school along less academic lines seems indicated. The school workshop and engineering department must be used not only as a hobby but as a definite part of the normal curriculum. There is a danger that the segregation of the less intellectual boys into a class apart, fitted only for manual labour like convicts, may be unfortunate.
In Elizabethan times music was part of the normal gentle- man's accomplishments and formed one of the subjects of the Quadrivium. For a short time under the inspiration of men like Mulcaster of St. Paul's, music was included in the school curriculum. Today it is an "extra." This is true of all the Arts. If leisure is to be properly used, the Arts must play an enormously important part. Compara- tively few people can draw well, but a large percentage can be trained to appreciate painting and to take a delight in the visual arts. With the advent of broadcasting there is an ever-increasing chance to profit from the intelligent listening to music. Creative literary work is a source of enjoyment to many. But all this will not happen if the Arts take a very backward place and are relegated to "outside activities." Few boys are naturally expert at appreciating music and painting. They need to be trained and to be led gently, not to be given the option of gaining acquaintance with the Arts at a time of day when there are several pleasanter counter-attractions. The Arts must be included as part of the normal curriculum for every boy. With the Arts I would include the intelligent appreciation of Theatre and Cinema. School plays have improved out of all knowledge since the War, and this is a most encouraging sign. School film societies are on the increase but lag far behind.
Finally, I would suggest that the last period on Saturday morning, a period notoriously difficult and trying, should be devoted to special training in leisure pursuits. Each boy, within reason, should be allowed to do what he pleases in that school hour, provided he remained in the form room. He could read (not being confined to the works of Charles Dickens or Sir Walter Scott), play chess, try his hand at a good crossword puzzle, &c. The only stipulation would be that in the opinion of the master in charge he was making good use of his leisure. Would all this be possible ? Is not the curriculum already overcrowded ? I believe that, given co-operation between parents and the school, it would be perfectly possible. It would entail some drastic work with the Time Table, which need not necessarily be a disad- vantage. When we think of the years spent learning French and our pitiful efforts on reaching the Customs, a good case can be made out for a more intensive study in fewer school periods. Above- all, the really good boy would develop out of all knowledge and would have a perfect chance to show what he was worth. Even the average boy could not fail to benefit in some degree, and the charge levelled against schools that they turn out boys to a single pattern could be rebutted by this training not only for use of leisure but also of individuality.
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