Cosmopolitan April 1935 Page 8

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"Hey, Red! We're going to Camp!" 

What camp means to boys and girls and parents

TWENTY-FIVE or thirty years ago summer vacation meant to boys and girls a chance for letting down discipline and regular activities, a temporary stop in school work; or perhaps chores on a farm, milking cows, taking care of chickens, cutting wood, driving horses. And of course it meant, too, being out-of-doors all day, wearing old clothes, playing baseball, hiking through the woods, climbing trees, perhaps discovering an owl's nest, building huts and fires, roasting potatoes and cooking bacon, fishing and swimming and berry picking, maybe putting on a circus in the barn, and, now and then, sleeping out on a hay-stack or under a home-made tent in the back-yard. 

Today thousands of boys and girls just as brimful of physical energy and animal spirits are living in homes where such normal out-of-door activity is impossible. And this is the reason for the development and growth of the organized summer camp. 

A real camp is a part of world especially created for growing children; a delightful spot either in the woods on a lake shore, in the hills or mountains, on the seashore, or on a wooded island, where every boy and girl can count on all the fun and adventure that can be crowded into fifty- six summer days. 

Vacation in a real camp gives boys and girls a chance to live and grow and play in an atmosphere which combines the necessities and comforts of civilization with a simple and informal life. The only rules are those which guarantee the safety and happiness of every camper. 

There is some work to do in camp, each camper helping to put his sleeping cabin in order, seeing that his own laundry bag is ready to be picked up, that his bathing suit is put out to dry, and getting ready for personal inspection once or perhaps twice each day. Otherwise the program of activities is flexible. 

Some dash off first to the baseball field, or the tennis courts. Competent instructors are there to meet them. Another group prefers to hike to nearby mountains for a picnic lunch; one or more trained counsellors accompany those who have the camp doctor's permission to hike that distance. A nature study trip into the woods with cameras is planned for a number of young explorers. A group moves off to the rifle range where they will learn more than the scientific art of shooting straight. 

Riding, canoeing and sailing, swimming, carpentry, basketry, jewelry-making, weaving-sometimes painting and sketching-make a balanced program of strenuous and restful activities, always under the direction of skillful instructors. 

Summer camps listed on the following page offer your boy and girl an unequalled environment for a truly educational experience. The directors will be glad to send you illustrated booklets and more detailed information. In writing the camps it will be helpful to give in your first letter the information listed in the coupon on page 12 of this issue.

Cosmopolitan Camp Department 

57th Street at 8th Avenue, New York City 

May G. Linehan, Director