Daily globe., 1879-01-26
THE AMERICAN VILLAGE.
uO" 80 &ake Lifa Pleasant and Profit
able.

TIE scc;a! potent;alities Of the average
American village are quite beyond any
uluH's calculation. t would be difficult
to t2,; 2HY village IL the country which
has not me materials and the forces OF
the best civiiization'and culture. If these
t9rcos and these materials were not under
restraint, if they were only free to follow
their natural impulses and courses, there
would be universal progress. The fact,
however, is that almost universally the
agencies concerned in raisinr the social
lite OF . commodity are, for various reas-
oEs, held in check, or altogether reprcss-
ed. Let Us Try to paint typical village.
1t sinai; consist, Say, OF a thousand people.
more Or less. The vilIage has its two or
three little churches, and these have their
past0Gs-p1en of fair education and fault
less morals. ill further, the village
has enc Q" two physicians and LAWYER.
in addition to these, there is the post
master, who is usually a man of activity
anG influence; there is the rich man Of
the village; there are the three OF four
men who are only less rich than he; there
are the young, we'll educated families
OF these Teli-to-do people; there are a
dozen women who arc bright il intellect.
and Who read whatever they can Law their
hands on: there is q fair degree OF world
iy prosperity, and the schools are well
supported. One would say that nothing
IS needed TO make it a model village, full
OF the llvcliest and brightest social life
anG possessing all the means and institu-
tions Of intellectual culture and progress.
10 repeat phase with which we began,
social potentialities Of the village are in
calcu-&ble. All the agencies and mater.
lal3 and appurtonarces for a beautiful
social life and growth seem to exist, vet
the t&ct probably is that the village is
socially dead.
Il We look into the condition of
things we shall find that the little church
es are, through their very Gttleness an
weakness, jealous Of each other; that
their pastors are poor and are kept upon
starving intellectual diet; that the doc
tors ant; the lawyer are absorbed in their
professio1s; that the rich men are bent
upon their money getting and money-sav-
ing, and that all the young people are
bent on frivolous amusements. The viii
lage has no public library, no public hall,
no pUbiic reading groom, no lyceum. no
reading clubs, no literary clubs, and 10
institutions or Instituted means for foster
lng and developing the intellectual and
social life Of the villagers. We have seen
exactly this condition of things in vii
lage many times, and We have seen, un-
der all these possibilities and the hard
facts OF indifference or social inertia asso
c1aten with them, a universal desire for
something better. We have seen church
es ashamed of their jealousies and the
meager support accorded to their minis
ters. we have seen young people dissat-
lstieo with their life, and wishing it could
be changed, and we have seen our dozen
OF bright, reading women ready and long
ing to make any sacrifice for the produc-
tlen OF better social atmosphere. Nav.
We believe that the average American vii.
lage is ready for improvement, ready to
be led. The best social leading IS the
one thing lacking. Sometimes it does
not need even this; only some fitting oc-
caslon that shall bring people together,
and reveal the under-harmonies which
move and the sympathies which bind
them. The probabilities are that there
is not village in America that needs
anything more than good leading to raise
its whole social and intellectual life in
calcuiably.
The village that is most dead and helm
less needs but one harmonizing. unselfish,
elevated will to lead and mold it to the
best lie and the best issues. We cannot
illustrate this power Of leading better
than by citing the results OF the recent
mode of raising church debts. One of
the two or three men who have become
famous for rising church debts goes into
the pulpit in the morning and stands be-
tore 8 bankrupt ptcongregation. He is told
before he enters the building that every
effort has been made to raise the debt.
but IN vain; that, indeed, the people have
not the monev, and could not raise the
required sum if they would. Yet, in two
hours, every dollar is subscribed, and the
whole church sits weeping in mute and
grateful surprise. No advantage what
ever has been taken of them, and thew
have simply, under competent leading.
done what they have all along wanted to
do, and what they have known it was
thelr. duty to do. Any man who has ever
had anything to do with organizing the
social life Of village has, we venture to
say, been surprised, amid what seemed
to be universal stagnation, to find how
general was the desire for reform. EVERY
body has been ready. All were waiting
for just the right man to set them going,
and he only needed to say the word, or
lift and point the finger. It is not nee
essary to break up any legitimate family
ceiling that may eyist in churches. or to