A 1951 Plea to Mend Manners

Early disposable picnic and camping utensils were wisely made from wood, not plastic. Wood remains a smart, natural choice over plastic, for the picnicking and camping world’s disposable dining implements, even 70 years after this article was written.

A resolution which many Californians might make, if the comments of the custodians of our state and national parks and of our highway authorities are any guide, is to mend their outdoor manners.

As our seashore, mountain and forest vacation areas fill up with some of the vastly augmented population which has poured into California during the past decade, it becomes more than ever necessary to pick up bottles, cans, paper and other litter and “leave a clean camp” for the next fellow.

At recent meetings where the 1951 vacation season was reviewed, speakers reported that, if anything, worse manners instead of better were on display during the past year. All agreed that unless manners are mended use of the park and recreation areas will become more disagreeable, may have to be curtailed.

Some authorities go so far as to wash their hands of the present generation and say the only hope of improvement is to inculcate good outdoor manners in the rising generation. But whether anything better can be expected from youngsters whose parents set them a horrible example in scattering picnic lunch and camp refuse far and wide, is debatable.

A little consideration and almost negligible effort is all that is required to do your bit in this regard. It is the decent, sporting thing to do and it is essential in a crowded world. Let's all review our conduct and if necessary resolve to mend our outdoor manners in 1952. -Regional News Service, San Francisco, December, 1951

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