CHAPTER XIX 

 EDUCATIONAL PUBLICITY 



The American people have invested in municipal and county park and 

 recreation systems several billions of dollars. Every year notable increases 

 are made to this already stupendous investment. In operation and main- 

 tenance several tens of millions of dollars are expended yearly. This capital 

 outlay and this yearly allocation of public funds for operation and main- 

 tenance has been and is being made by the people in the hope of preserving 

 certain fundamentals of life, and especially in the hope of securing life 

 more abundant for themselves, their children and their children's children. 

 It is, therefore, a weighty and grave responsibility that is laid upon park 

 governing authorities and chief executives not only in acquiring, planning, 

 developing and maintaining these properties which represent so large an 

 investment of the people's money but especially in operation, to the end 

 that the maximum number of people secure the life-giving values for which 

 the investments were made. 



It is a curious fact in the history of parks in this country that park 

 governing authorities and executives, except when conducting campaigns 

 for money with which to acquire properties or to develop them, have made 

 little use of carefully organized educational publicity in the operation of 

 the properties and facilities entrusted to their care. The prevailing attitude 

 has seemed to be after the properties have been acquired and developed, 

 "Well, here are the properties and the facilities, the people may come and 

 use them if they wish." As a matter of fact their real work has just begun. 

 Their supreme function is not to acquire property or to develop it, but to 

 see that the people use the property and facilities. Acquisition and develop- 

 ment of property are merely preliminary and necessary steps in the process 

 of service. Their fundamental service begins when the properties are ready 

 to use. In the discharge of this most important of all functions it is the 

 duty of park and recreation governing authorities and chief executives to 

 make the most efficient use possible of the art and science of educational 

 publicity just as any business enterprise would do if administering so great 

 an investment. 



One of the reasons, no doubt, why more park and recreation depart- 

 ments have not a thoroughly organized division of publicity is in the diffi- 

 culty in showing the results of publicity, except in terms, perhaps, of 

 increased attendance. In business enterprises the value of any given line 

 of publicity can be measured more or less definitely not only by the volume 



982 



