e locomotive; he becomes the leader of the
circus band; he is a great hunter of terrible beasts; an Indian, a
cowboy, and a robber. In fact, he tries his hand at all those careers
which interest him, and we call it play, or may even call it nonsense.
In fact, some think play is but nonsense.

Play is the expression, the exercising of the imagination. Should the
child be denied the privilege of play, should its visions never find
expression, should its mental adventures fail to find adequate physical
experience, a great musician, a great engineer, a great statesman, or a
master of some great art may be sacrificed.

Play is not only essential to the child, but, as Joseph Lee says, play
_is_ the child. The natural environment of the child is a play
environment; if we are to lead the child or educate the child we have
first to enter into his environment and into fellowship with him
therein, and adapt our methods to that environment. The processes of
education which have taken to themselves those things which are natural
to children will meet deserved success. The schoolroom, the Sunday
school room, or home in which a play atmosphere is experienced, small
though this experience may be, is operating on a sound basis. Play is
nature's method of education. As a kitten in chasing the leaves in the
road is playing, it is also learning to catch the bird or the mouse
essential for the maintenance of life. So the child, by nature, learns
to live by play.

Activity is life. Directed activity means directed life. The body is
but the means of activity and is developed only in accord with the
activity demands of the individual. Character is but the trend of the
activities of an individual. So the activities are more the individual
than is the flesh and bone which we see.

If we recognize that in play the child is under the tutorship of
nature, we should seek to encourage rather than discourage the process.
By directing the play we are training for life--yes, more, we are
creating life.

As play creates in the child, it re-creates in the adult. Activity is
essential to growth. Having attained physical growth, the adult does
not demand as much physical activity as does the child and as years
increase the tendency toward physical activity decreases. There is real
danger in this becoming too meager to maintain efficiency, and we
recognize more and more the necessity for vacation periods when some of
the old spirit of play or of joyful