The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1910-06-02

Make Suburban Life Attractive
For Young Folks.
READING ROOMS VALUABLE.

They Can Be Easily Provided and
Maintained by Small Tax Levy Or
BY Popular subseription-civie I'm.
provsmsnt and Debating Societies
Should BE Organized.
1t Is the opinion Of the author Of this
article that one Of the first things
needed for the upbuilding Of any town
Is the necessity Of combating the tend
ency Of communities to lose sight of
the cooperative spirit and become d.
vided into factions. The second is the
important use that may be made of
Libraries and reading rooms that may
be established at various social Gen.
tiers Of the towns.
There are communities and towns
whose capacities for social enjoyment
are limited. just as there are indi-
viduals whose capacities for self en-
tertainment are limited. There are
towns dead little towns-where en-
thusiasm has been banished from the
Inhabitants vocabularies. which seem
to have been built. only for people
whose faces are turned toward the be-
ginning of life. while they reluctantly
step backward toward the grave.
Who Ia there that has not been In
some community where a puritanical
ban IL placed upon the Joy Of living.
where the innocent enjoyment Of the
young people has been changed to
gray and somber forms and the beat
Of the community pulse has been low
cred to faltering sixty-two?
A careful watch upon these places
would see them gradually empty them.
selves OF their young men. who are
seeking wider and more responsive
fields than are afforded by the con-
sentative attitude of their elders in
their home towns. In this way the
red blood goes out and the soul Of the
town Is shriveled. it's vitality Slapped.
it's capacity for growth stupted. And
here Is the best indication of the spirit
Of a towu-what the young people say
about It.
II they are suppressed in their nat
ural and normal efforts to give them
selves wholesome pleasure they are
sure 70 dnd little attraction. # they
say the town Is dead 1t is dead. They
know. But II they get enjoyment out
Of living there the visitors are sure to
and i out, and 1t attracts other people
people who desipe to share pleas
ant community life.
Beware Of that town where the
young peopae complain that there us
nothing to do" That town needs a
municipal doctor to prescribe a social
tonic. 1t needs a social magnet to
draw the people together. 1t needs
allopathic doses Of the brotherhood of
man.
We must remember, however, that
when our young fellows 60 OF to the
cities and our daughters are taken by
Discerning" young men away to 9th
er places we have conditions where
the doctrine Let we'll enough alone
will not apply. We have created a
energize the ianguishing communities;
second. We I'LL our cities and cause di-
iemmas. At present In the second
problem we are not interested. 1t is
with the languishing community, the
near source OF the nations red blood.
that we must deal. These communi-
ties must generate power and enlarge
capacities for social enjoyment and
intellectual activities.
Organizations should be organized
In these dead towns. and they should
get together and decide upon some
plan of interesting the whole popula
ton. Public spirited citizens could
take upon themselves the work Of COM
mitteemen and make provision for en-
PERTAINING the people In the spare
room Of the building a school library
might be Installed, and the people
might have access to 1t. A reading
room would be easy to provide and
maintain.
A small tax levy or popular sub
scription could provide for equipment
Of gymnasium and, payment for such
services as would be necessary. Boys
clubs. girls clubs. mems clubs and
women's clubs could be organized to
meet on certain nights or in after
Moons. Domestic science meetings,
sewing circles. civic improvement
clubs. debating societies. amateur
bands and orchestras could be organ
lied.
On certain evenings when the peo-
pie meet for general entertainment
there might be addresses by the may
or. councilmen. county officials, the
health officer. some physician or some
other citizen interested In and an au-
thority on some phase Of municipal
community progress. On these even
ings the people from the rural districts
could be invited and . simple enter
tainment In the way Of refreshments
served
At these gatherings the right Of free