The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-11-24

1 This is the story of how our village
 has fought for clean recreations and | won them.
 will begin with the status of af- fairs last September when F first came l into this community to work as sec retary of a Neighborhood Association and pastor of a small country church of twenty-two members. Community spirit and community recreations had died Practically the only recreations the village afforded were those Sof the saloons, of which we had five.
 Yet there was one organization left among the young men. It was called the FfrIing Athletic Club with a really active membership of about fifteen. It met once a week in an abandoned shoemaker's shop, about eight feet wide and ten feet long.
 Going to young man who had spoken to me about starting a boys club I asked him if he would help me call a mass meeting of the young men of the village for Friday night of that week. It was then Monday. HeSprorn- ised to do so.
 But there was use waiting until Friday night to begin operations. l got myself invited to a meeting of the Firling Athletic Club This seemed the logical place to begin. played cards with them, smoked several pipes with them and swapped yarns with them I told them had a proposition to put before them.
 This was the proposition: First, they were to give up their present organ1- zation That meant a sacrifice fer it had been founded by a man for whom they had a feeling of great loyalty, and associa tions and memories dear to them had gathered round it.
 Athletics was not the only form of recreation that we needed. We needed fOr brothers and Sis ters. for our fathers and mothers. We needed dances and euchres and sup pers We needed motion picture show, a club room and a dozen other forms of play, so that all ages and conditions could enjoy life as well as we who were interested in athletics
 Second, they were to unite with the rest of the fellows of the village in forming an organization which would furnish the entire community, old and young, with clean recreations and plenty of them.
 Third, we would form it in this way: Draft a petition to the Neighborhood Association to take us in as full f1edged members on payment of the regular dues of one dollar a year, and then to commission us recreation department to furnish recreation to the whole community
 Friday night came. We had the mass meeting in a, shed that was used for the apparatus of the volunteer fire department. think shall never for get that night. About 40 boys from 16 to 25 years of age were present They lined up their chairs along the wall of the room and a dozen or more stood III the doorway. had to do all the talk ing. For the life of me I couldn't get any boy to open his head.
 "Al right, fellows I said, think about this one week. Discuss 1t. We will meet again one week from tonight in this room.''
 The proposal to start this organiza- ton for recreation was the talk of the town for the next week. The Firling Athletic Club held two or three meet ings to discuss giving up their own or ganization for the sake of the larger one I had written MT. Firling, the founder of the club. who now lived in New Jersey and asked him to help my proposition if he saw fit.
 MT. F1rling came all the way from his home in New Jersey to help the plan along and I found him here in the crowded little room Thursday mind you, are full-f1edged members of the Neighborhood Association and have a vote on all questions of public