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Recreation
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City of Roswell
P.O. Drawer 1838
Roswell, NM 88202-1838
(505) 624-6700
Fax: 624-6889 |
THE LEISURE INCIDENT
"A Better
Understanding of
the Puritan Concept of Leisure
from Noitaercer of Erusiel"
June 12, 2001
Mr. Kim Elliott, CPRP
Recreation Director
City of Roswell, NM
The Erusians have been visiting earth for centuries, however Noitaercer, one
of the original aliens who crashed outside of Roswell and being only 297 earth
years old, did not have the opportunity to visit earth when the Puritans were
just setting up camp in the New World. His father, Stifeneb and mother, Esicrexe,
both of Erusiel, did have the pleasure of visiting New England several times
during the 16th and 17th Centuries.
By the way, they did not have anything to do with the Salem witch trials.
That was caused by visitors from Natas who are the sworn enemies of the Erusians!
Noitaercer brought his parents by the office for a visit not too long ago,
who shared with us about the Puritan concept of leisure. It seems like we have
had a misconception about what the Puritans believed about leisure time and
activities. This misconception came to us mainly through one person, Mr. Max
Weber who wrote "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism" in
1930.
Mr. Weber seems to have misinterpreted the documentation he researched! As a
result, others based their writing and belief about work and leisure upon what
Mr. Weber wrote. Eventually, most of the current economists and historians began
to believe what they were writing, even though what they were saying was based
on a misinterpretation of the data. As we begin to revisit the Puritan thought,
we can see very clearly areas that should be reexamined.
Noitaecer pointed out that his parents, Stifeneb and Esicrexe both had
relayed to him as a child the importance that the Puritans placed on the
positive use of leisure time. If anyone knew about the Puritans, they would
know! Stifeneb and Esicrexe were researchers assigned to early life in the
Americas. They smiled as they talked about how Mr. Weber had misinterpreted the
data.
Using Weber's research, everyone "knows" that the Puritans wore drab
clothing, disliked sports, were sexually inhibited, never laughed and were the
original workaholics! However, this is not what the Erusians discovered! The
early Puritans were not opposed to recreation! They endorsed it whole heartedly
with the exception of certain leisure time activities based upon moral grounds!
In the book by Hans-Peter Wagner entitled, Puritan Attitudes Towards
Recreation in Early Seventeenth Century America (1982), he shows that the
early Puritans enjoyed such varied sports as hunting, fishing, bowling, reading,
music, swimming, skating and archery. A Parliamentary Act of 1647, when the
Puritans controlled the English Parliament, decreed that every 2nd
Tuesday of the month was to be a holiday when all shops, warehouses, and places
of business were to be closed from eight in the morning until eight in the
evening for the recreation of the workers (as quoted by Leland Ryken from
Christianity and Leisure of Percy Scholes, The Puritans and Music in
England and New England).
Noitaercer's parents saw how beneficial and important the positive use of
leisure time was to the Puritans. They wanted to make sure that we understood
the same today!
Skrap dna Noitaercer - Eht Stifeneb Era Sseldne!
Remember! Parks and Recreation
do create endless benefits!
