Cleveland High School - Beacon Yearbook (St Louis, MO)

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gsq The Arts in Leisure By Virginia Ilflarziskct ened week. This practically cuts in half the number of work- ing hours for many people who were accustomed to the forty- N eight hour week. How is this extra leisure time to be spent? People of the cultured class usually have enough intelligence to provide for their own leisure hours. Wealthy people, too, may be depended upon to spend leisure hours happily. But for the average person of limited means we must find ways of spending leisure without the constant expenditure of money. Many methods of entertainment are more or less expensive, the theatre, traveling, even driving onels own car, all cost money. I TEADY PROGRESS has given Labor shortened days and a short- We have many luxuries which we do not consider as such. Isn't the butcher shop a luxury? If we didn't have such stores, could we prepare our meat for a meal without raising, killing, and curing it? From this point of view we have much leisure time which we should not otherwise have. Bakeries and ready-made-clothes shops create further leisure. But such leisure costs money. With our present knowledge of art in its in- dustrial phases, the making of clothes and the beautifying of the home can be made to serve the double purpose of providing interesting recrea- tion and of lessening the expense of living. Art offers an unlimited field of activity in which one may employ his spare time. It consists not only of the so-called Fine Arts, paint- ing, architecture and sculpture, but also of the practical or industrial arts, as well as of civil plans and projects without number. Have you ever stopped to realize that not one thing which you have ever used has been fashioned without art having had its influence upon it? The question, where information may be found concerning art in its industrial phases without going to school, now arises. The public li- braries furnish many books containing illustrated problems as well as home and group projects. Current magazines catering to the home also have art and craft divisions. Accurate instructions pertaining to the color of the material, method of making, and cost are given. There are many different fields in which art may be put into prac- tice. Making the home beautiful is one field close to the hearts of many people. As our leisure hours increase, we naturally extend our range of the beautiful into our cities. Thus the circle widens and deepens until art becomes no longer a luxury but an essential. Gardening, often con- sidered as merely digging ground and planting seeds, is quite a bit more Page Twenty-one

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Noi retorted Pat and Mike simultaneously, and, rising in offended dignity, they made for the door. But Mike, curious, stopped at the thres- hold. Tell nie, said he, how did you kill the Wizard ? I got the Princess to bake him a cake, answered Harold Isadore. Well, said Pat, What I Want to know is, how did you find the Wizard so quickly ? Harold Isadore laughed tolerantly, as befits a man who uses his brain to think With. I looked him up in the Telephone Book, said Harold Isadore. f ,I 'il , inf R i ff' l' ., X rv, gf X 1- f lay 0 L . i if i -f , f ,ug n 5 - f '.,1 1 fl i gage 'a' iii Page Tzzfenty

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than that. When a landscape gardener lays out a garden, he must con- sider the uniformity of the height of the flowers which he intends to plant. He must consider the color harmony of the flowers, too. Thus you can see that gardening provides a fascinating experiment. Home carpenter- ing is another interesting phase of art work. It includes the making of shelves, bookracks, and many other little odds and ends that are used around the home. This includes the consideration of enamels and tools. Then there are many handicraft problems, such as stenciling, color em- broidery, batik, raffla, reed, and leather Work. Culture does not belong exclusively to the wealthy class. Therefore, with the increasing hours of leisure, let us all raise our mental standard and gradually bring beauty and culture into our hearts and homes. V f wQtfif ul rl i K Page Twenty-two