Newark post., 1913-07-23

lZaIlOllS as Ille i M. y. "A. nave
come into prominence. They have
failed to meet the requirements,
however, since they are sectarian
and exclude, in too many instan-
ces, those in most urgent need Of
help. The Boy Scout movement
Of recent popularity fails to hold
the youth at sixteen or seventeen
when the dress-up, play soldier, big
Injun period is past. 1t has been
argued that these problems may be
best solved by parents making the
home attractive, but such a meth
cd ignores the natural instinct Of
boys and girls Of this age to crave
the greater variety of going out
from home for their amusement.
February Is, 1907, marks an
epoch in the social development Of
America. On that date represen-
tatives Of eleven Of the leading or
ganizations Of Rochester, repre-
senting $4,000 people or a half Of
the adult population Of the city,
met in the Chamber Of Commerce
and formulated the request that the
Common Council put an item of
| $4,000 in the tax levy for social cen
ter development and that the board
Of education administer the fund.
From this beginning Rochester has
become one of the most interest
ing cities in the United States. The
nejghborhood meetings, Of which
there were seventy-tw0, during the
first year included only discussion
of political and economic problems.
The idea has rapidly broadened
until it has become il reality the
center Of entertainment as well as
instruction. The activities cover
many fields. Public lectures to
Iadults is feature which has
grown popular in many localities.
These bring the specialists in every
field to engage in the work Of teach
ing, for the lecturers represent all
phases of intellectual life held to-
gether by common purpose.
SOne of the ambitions of Horace
Mann was to see a public library in
every public school. 1t is agreed
the library is the peoples college
and continuation school,, The
question is how to get the people
to come to the library. A fine cen
tral library appeals to the citizens
pride; it adds tone and elegance to
his home town. But the real ques-
ton is how to minister to the man
who needs the books. The Roch-
ester workers have asked, Does the
central library make it easy for the
people to use the books? The aim
is to win people to read books to
their profit, and access to the books
must not be made difficult. The
making of each school branch IL
brary provides an ideal means Of
communication with the home.
Thousands Of little messengers ira
vel every day between the two
places. Proper finding lists are es-
tablished and a splendid agency is
at hand.
None Of the most valuable items in
! the "getting together" movement
! is the development Of community
music at the school centers. DR..
Samuel Crothers said Of the singing
! in one Of the centers in Rochester,
where for half an hour every one
sang: You have found a substi-
tute for war. You know that we
peace fellows have all the argu-
ments but one; and that one has
been unanswerable. The military
fellows say that it takes a war TO
make people really feel together
to know a common interest, to 0lU0
a common country. And how do
they prove it? They tell us that
from 81 to '65 we were a singing
nation, and that's true. Those
were the days when we learned
Marching Through Georgia,
'Tenting Tonight, Mine Eyes
Have seen the Glory Tramp,
Tramp, Tramp when Johnny
Comes Marching home We learn
ed them then and we sang them |
then. Since then we've just been
warming over the words. | heard |
that note which | never expected |
to hear again, here tonight. You
sang in that spirit. What does it
mean? 1t means that down under
meath you have been gripped by
that same throbbing common real
ity, not hate this time, nor love, nor
fear. You OoUn a common country.
You've spoiled the only argument
for war;