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Some Contributions of Rural Drama to the Development of Rural Life, by D. E. Lindstrom

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Entered as second-class matter June 12, 1929, at the Post Office at New York, New York, under Act of March 3, 1879. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized May 1, 1924.

Copyright, 1937, by the National Recreation Association

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C

Clarence M. Clark

LARENCE M. CLARK, as a member of the Board of Directors,

gave generously of himself and of his time day after day in the work of the National Recreation Association. No detail was overlooked. No pains were too great if he could advance the recreation movement. He gave the same care to working on the problems of the Association that he gave to his private business. He avoided all recognition for himself.

He gladly accepted responsibility for the money-raising efforts for the Association in Philadelphia, not hesitating to ask others to contribute because he was giving generously himself. He helped in calling upon other public-spirited citizens to talk about the work. He refused on certain occasions to take on other responsibilities because as he stated, "I am afraid that would interfere with my work for the National Recreation Association which must come first."

He looked after the investment of funds bequeathed to the Association. Not only did he attend Board meetings and committee meetings regularly for more than twenty-one years he also gave time to individual conferences. Of his own initiative he came frequently to the offices of the Association to run over problems and give encouragement to the staff. To the members of the staff who worked with him he was always as a kind father.

The field of sport and its values he knew from active participation. He had been one of the nation's leading tennis players.

Most of all Mr. Clark helped by what he was, carrying always a rare spirit that made association with him a delight. The memory of service with him will always be treasured by his associates. His life gave out no confused note. There was nothing hidden. He so lived that all had more confidence in the common life of humanity.

HOWARD BRAUCHER.

AUGUST 1937

Recreation-a Factor in Helping

Maladjusted Individuals

"O UNDERSTAND what is meant by emotionally maladjusted, it should be clearly stated that emotions are currents which become part of all human functioning. They are similar to electric currents flowing from battery to bulb, or from dynamo to some part of the machine. Emotions are to human life what power and heat and light are to machinery, the source of all forms of current. An individual would, therefore, be emotionally balanced when his currents of power, warmth and heat are working so well that he could meet various situations of life successfully and, if I may use the term, more gracefully. If adjustment is the metabolism of human life, basic to all normal living, maladjustment is the disfunctioning of this process and results in difficulties surrounding work, love or social contacts.

Variability of Individuals and Their

Emotional Problems

If you accept these concepts of emotion and maladjustment you will readily see that the forms of emotional maladjustment are as different and manifold as individuals themselves are varied. Individuals differ not only as to physical type but even as to the type of rhythm they employ in meeting life. When the rhythm is disturbed we say the individual is maladjusted. We mean by this to say that either within the individual himself or in his social and community contacts difficulties exist which militate to make this individual unhappy.

Sources of Maladjustment

The first source of emotional maladjustment, in my opinion, is to be found in the type of the individual himself, in the functioning and structure of his own body-mind. It seems to be true that almost every individual is born with one or more inferior organs. This may be in the circulatory system, in the digestive apparatus or in the reproductive organs, but wherever the function and structure of the individual is faulty there seems to result some fault in adjustment.

The second source of maladjustment I have found to be in the racial background. Here we know again that many people emigrating from one

By I. M. ALTARAZ, Ph.D.

Dr. Altaraz, who is founder and director of the Altaraz School for Personality Development at Great Barrington, Massachusetts, gave this paper at a meeting of the New Jersey State Recreation Executives' Association held in April. Dr. Altaraz has contributed before to RECREATION. The April 1935 issue contained an article by him entitled "Planning for Recreation."

country to another find it difficult to adjust themselves to new conditions. Even within the same country we often see members of old families finding it very trying to accept certain forms of dynamic living. That is why we have witnessed the growth of suburbs or areas of segregation within the city where people establish themselves in neighborhoods because of the same racial or family characteristics.

The third source of maladjustment is to be found in the process of learning, or what may be termed academic education. It is generally accepted that the scholastic curriculum is based on the idea that all human beings from kindergarten to university are able to absorb and respond to the same outlines of study and academic requirements. But experience shows that the learning capacity of every child may be different not only as to the quantity of knowledge he can absorb but as to variety of subject. Certainly the failure of scholastic curricula to meet these differences results in emotional maladjustment.

As the fourth source of maladjustment we list in the home conditions into which the individual is born. Many a child is born into a home environment which is not helpful to the unfolding of his own potentialities. Into a family of college graduates concentrating on academic aspirations

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