The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1912-11-14
School House Should !.
Be Community Center
CAN SERVE AS LIBRARY OR
PLACE OF ENL lGHTENkENT
FOR ALL. h

foreign. immigrant is not the only
reason why there is need for the SO.
cial center. Indeed in the most typi.
cal American communities there is a
desire ITO broaden ACQUAINTANCE, to
supplant vice with wholesome amuse.
ment, and to develope the resources
which the neighborhood and democ.
racy make possible, by establishing
community centers, common-to-all
gathering places for civic discussion.
for social intercourse, and for whole
some recreational as well as educa-
tional activities 1t is plainly EVIL
dent to the student that the reason
for. the movement is the demand made
by the communities because of the
need felt for 1t.
Uses Of the Social Center.
The social center, while holding it's
meetings. in school houses does not
partake Of the nature Of school. OF
course the effort has its educational
value, just as any attempt made
jointly toward improvement. The
foundation Of the movement lies in
the underlying assumption Of democ-
racy, that the spirit Of good will is
in the average man." TO these meet
ings gather citizens Of all classes and
religious beliefs, who differ widely in
their convictions and yet who have
the interests Of the community at
heart The meetings are therefore
neither partisan nor sectarian, but
they aim to supplement the effort of
the common schools which are made
uate to bring to the mature citizen q
proper understanding Of the needs of
his community and how to solve them.
How the School House May Serve
While the school house may serve
as meeting place, this is an inciden-
tai function If we consider the four
walls as constituting the school build
ing. IT properly fulfilling its mission
to the community, the school house
should serve as library of public
reference where the community mem
bers may resort for information. It
is not necessary to state that such is
not often the case; often there Is no
library at all, and when a few books
are to be found, they have nothing to
do with civic betterment and very
little with the problem of child educa-
ton. "
AS a rule the school building is
built for the purpose only of accom-
modating the pupils. No thought is
given to the broader possibilities
which the school house might meet.
It is to be expected that with proper
agitation we may see a great i'm
provement not only in the size Of the
building itself, but the purposes OF
general educational utility expressed
in its construction by providing for
art exhibits, stereopticon lectures,
community fairs, and general enter
tainments.
Again the school house may be used
as public health center. About forty
per cent Of the children of school age
live in country districts. The effects
of improper home conditions, lack Of
parental care render the country chill
dren especially susceptible to those
ailments which interfere with proper
educational endeavors. We have be-
gun to pay some attention to, the
needs of the city child, but nothing
has been said or done with reference
to the pupil in isolated farming COM
munities. There is no reason for dis
believing that system OF medical
inspection applied to the rural COM
munities, and series of lectures Civ
en- by competent authorities are not
as badly needed in the farming COM
munities as anywhere.
It is to be seen that If the program
briefly outlined is carried out, the
school house will be brought into such
relation with the community, that
its possibilities for service will be
AZ T. \