Why do we have play, or reoreation, leadership? Parents, sisters,
brothers, and companions are still teaching children to play either by offering
an example for them to imitate or by actually instructing thea, But valuable
as it is, this natural, informal, and often unconscious seaching is not anaes
cient. In supplementing the Renghing of parents and companiens, the play :
leader gives a deeper significance to the child's play life by bringing it to
a wider experience and trained understanding. This would have been true even
in a more Letwavely age, as modern education with its great emphasis on the
“ Amportance of child life has revealed. Today it is especially truco, for the
conditions which made playgrounds and recreation centers a necessity have also
made the play leader indispensable. :

(Adults are taking a more active part in mmicipal reereation programs than
ever before, and many of the new facilities are primarily for adult use. Large
numbers of school buildings have been opened for caummity recreation use for
the first time. The value of recreation in systeining morale and in affording
joyous, niieiben healthful use of leisure time has been more widely
Gamons trated end is more generally beh gba than ever before. Universities
om colleges have become deeply interested in veurention ‘and have considered
the desirability of egtebl ishing courses to prepare individuals for recreation
leadership. War has emphasized the need for osrrying out recreation programs.
Experience over nearly forty years has shown clearly that recreation is a

fundamental human need equally in peacetime as in wartiinee