Some of you may not be aware that I play the french horn. I have since fourth grade, and since graduating from college a bazillion years ago it’s been off and on whenever I can find a group to play with. (I don’t do so well solo.) I’m currently playing with my local Takoma Park Community Band, and I just put together a Web site for our group. (Disclaimer: I’m hoping that posting here will get Google to find the link and index the page for us.)
Not to completely make this about Google’s index, I thought I would share an excerpt from a chapter titled “Wise Use of Leisure.” It is from the 1936 book titled Everyday Living for Girls, by Adelaide Laura Van Duzer (“Formerly supervisor of home economics, Cleveland Public Schools”) and a handful of other Cleveland authors.
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Leisure means your right to choose.Leisure time is generally considered free time, when you do the things you enjoy, when you choose what you want to do. Nobody or no outside force causes you to do or act. It is the time when you are not doing dishes, making beds, doing homework, dressing, or washing out silk stockings. Practicing a musical instrument might or might not be a leisure activity, according to whether you chose to do it for recreation, or were studying it vocationally. Leisure time might be spent in arranging flowers, or even in getting the living-room ready for a party. When you really enjoy doing something and choose to do it yourself, it is a leisure activity. . . .
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Later in the chapter, the authors discuss the importance of community facilities when seeking out leisure activities:
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Some girls do not take advantage of community facilities because they do not know about them. Find out what yours are. For instance, if you are musical and wish to join an amateur orchestra or string quartet, or would like to do ensemble singing, look around; find out if there is a group you may join or help form. In own town the young people established their own little theater. Opportunity for different types of self-expression was given. One group became responsible for the costumes, and splendid artistic effects were achieved at little cost.
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All this talk about leisure seems fitting after the nice, long holiday weekend, that’s for sure.