El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-01-10

church fill the need Of the community
IS wise indeed. In manufacturing
town in Pennsylvania the people were
compelled to pay exorbitant prices for
all their supplies at a company store.
The uptodate pastor of one of the
churches last year opened a cutrate
supply store in the basement Of his
church, which is still operating for the
benefit OF those who need 1t. The peo-
I'le who have been helpsd by this store
encouraged the minister to brave the
persecution it brought him.
Church Forms Social Center.
church in Rochester. New York,
last year organized itself into a regu-
lar social center. It is now known as
the Brick Church institute. Education
al classes Of ali kinds, clubs, gymnasi-
uns and recreation rooms attract
crowd OF active working people who
derive more benefit from these practi-
cal advantages than from the most in
tellectual sermons which could be
preached
Even greater than the church in
most communities IS the public school.
The practical application of social sci
ence is becoming more attractive to the
progressive public schools teacher who
Is working for something higher than
mere mercenary motives. Through the
children it always is possible to Judge
OF home conditions. When these are
Tot what they should be, the means for
their Improvement frequently can be
devised The utilization Of the public
school building for social progress is
an experiment being successfully tried
In both the city and rural districts.
As Substitute for saloon.
In the cities the corner saloon fire.
cuently gives to the working man the
only available place for recreation out
side his overcrowded tenement home.
The opening Of a warm, well lighted
school room in the evenings, where he
can meet his friends, discuss politics.
read or play games, appeals to social
science students as a practical solu-
ton to the much discussed working
mans club problem
In the rural districts there is less
need Of the mems club room. but the
school social center circulates travelling
libraries. and contributes in various
other ways to the social and intelIectu-
al development Of the community. The
economical advantage of the utilization
Of the public school building for the
advancement of the community is a
demonstration Of the first principles Of
social science; namely, practicability
WOmen's Clubs Help Greatly.
No other organization is entitled to
more credit in the development Of So
Cial science throughout the country
than the General Federation of Wo-
mems clubs, which extends not only
over this country, but the whole civil
lied world as well From its inception
the social science department has been
OF paramount Importance Probably ev-
cry advanced movement OF social re-
form made in the past ten years was
first discussed in the social Science
department of some woman's club.
Child labor, childhood protection, po-
lice matrOns, sanitary housing, pure
food, social betterment are only a few
of the subjects under this head receiv-
ing >the attention Of the federation
The curfew law, considered so excel
lent a child protection measure in sew
eral Of the eastern cities, is generally
Passed through the influence Of wo-
mems clubs The women Of Spokane,
Washington. are now rejoicing in the
passing Of a curfew law as the most
important social science work during
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