Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1914-12-24
CHRISTMAS
IN SCHOOLS
A Real Social Center Gathering in
Mineral Point.
VERY ENJOYABLE EXERCISES


Witnessed by Large and Represen-
tative Audience. - A Good Neigh
borhood Spirit; Good Music; and
Good Fun.
Right good indeed were the Christ
mas exercises in the High School as
sembly room last Friday afternoon and
evening. 1t was an entertainment that
afforded joy and gladness to the COM
munity. Such gatherings for real So
cial enjoyment make for good.
The program was arranged by all
the teachers and carried out under the
direction of Miss Temperance Knight.
The more important aspects of the
Christmas message and of the Christ
mas season we're we'll represented. As
was announced, 1.-THE joy spirit pre-
vailed throughout, from the carol of
the tiny tot to the strains of the violin
and flute, and the deeper tones of the
adult voice in song and serenade."
The amusing features of the enter
tainment warmed the hearts of all
present; aud the people of Mineral
Point were present both afternoon and
evening, to the full capacity of the
assembly room. The whole of the ex-
ercises will always be remembered with
pleasure by the young people who took
part, and by their companions.
A small admission fee realized some
thing over seventy dollars to defray
expenses and to provide music for the
school organizations.
1t is community work Of this kind
that Edward j. Ward, adviser in social
centers, has in mind when he says:
The voice of common sense, the "Come
let us reason together" that speaks to
neighbors at evening time from every
public schoolhouse in the land is Amer
ica's Call to the Colors.
More terrible than the monstrous de-
vastation of property; more calamitous
than even the wholesale butchery OF
Europes best young men, is the mental
wounding, the faith shattering that is
perrneating all the mind and soul OF the
world as the outflow of this war.
/ Here is the supreme and present
need of our civic assem- bling and
uniting now in each common school
house center. For the reinsurance OF
our faith in ourselves and each other,
these buildings afford our one great
opportunity. Other structures there
are that stand for the idealism OF parts
of us; but, in every community, the
one edifice which stands as the sub
stantial embodiment of the idealism of
us all-the one abiding tangible proof
of the reality of the goodness of the
common will, is this building. Only
here may German, English, Russian,
French, men from every warning nation
on the globe, gather on absolutely
equal common ground. and, in rational
conference regarding matters about
which we disagree, prove to ourselves
and to the world that this incredibly
horrible practice of human butchery
because of difference of interest and
viewpoint is not an inherent and per-
manent necessity of human nature;
but is the artificial and temporary re-
suit of the artificial partitioning and
subsection of human beings-a sava-
gerv which shall be outgrown with the
rational organization or mankind.
Out of the very soul of America these
neighborhood buildings that belong to
all of us have come. Like raised
letters that even the blind can read,
thew stand out across this one un-
stricken land. declaring our common
sincere will, our united devotion; not
to pride, nor force, nor selfshness, but
to the deep and worthy ideals OF
humanity's true advance. Nothing IS
surer than that we are moving toward
the educational organization OF our
common hfe-political, industrial, So
cial, recreational. This nation that
has had wisdom enough and vision
enough to construct this system OF
community buildings will come to its
full use as the housing for democracy
in government and industry and art.
What is needed for this rational
ideals TRANSACTION into fact? In tne
mobilization of each European nation
for destruction, the first necessity was
the authorization of agents OF that
organization. Precisely 80 the one
thing needed for our mobilization for
construction is the authorization OF
agents of this organization. For that
military uniting in Europe, the OFF,
GERS appointed are commanders, mas
ters over the people; for this civic
uniting in America, the officers need
ed are servants, secretaries under the
people.