South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-02-17
SEES CURE FOR
ILLS Of SOCIETY
IN Social CENTER
{. }. Ward, In City for Big Mass
Meeting Tonight, Outlines
Possibilities of Movement to
Crystalline Community Spirit

Inc only. real, ultimate cure for
the social and civil evils of a COM
munity lie with the people them
selves; the place 20 take the in
dividual cases, diagnose them and
prescribe the remedy is the pub
lie school buildings: and the ex-
pert physician, alienist or what
you care TO call him is the Social
Center cub.
The above is in epitome what F. j.
Ward of the extension department Of
the University of Wisconsin feels
about the Social Center movement.
Ward. it will be remembered, is the
father of the civic center or social
center idea. He fostered il back IN
1904 in Rochester, n. Y, and has been
devoting his life to the work since.
AT least 1,50U people are expected
tonight 70 hear Ward at the mass
meeting in the high school auditorium
under the auspices of the Civic Club
federation. Plans for the meeting
were completed this morning.
Every Club to be Represented.
Every civic club in the city Will be
represented with a delegation of at
least 200. Several have already an
nounced that they will send more.
Each delegation will be given a sec
tion of seats in the auditorium and
will come with a big banner
The city civic clubs will not monop-
olize the meeting. County Agent BOrd-
ner announced this morning that he
had sent out 500 invitations to the
rural clubs and hopes for a full at
tendance. City and county officials
have been invited and will take a part
in the meeting. The general public
is extended a cordial invitation to at
tend.
At 4 o'clock Wednesday afternoon
Ward was the guest of the teachers of
the city. He addressed them in the
auditorium of the high school on the
civic center movement. Teachers from
all the schools in the city were pres
ent
Tells Significance of Move.
While waiting in the offices Of Di-
rector +. B. Barnes, to be escorted
to the Lexington tea rooms, where he
was the guest of the municipal recrea-
ton committee at a noon luncheon,
Ward talked of the Social Center
movement. The public school both
in the city will ultimately be the rally
ing point of all the people, he said.
The civic clubs are rapidly bringing
this about and sooner or later the city
governments and the state legislatures
must listen to their demands De-
mands there will be. he said. and
when once staSted will be of no small
import In the end it will mean that
instead of the peoples representa-
t1Ves having all the say the people
themselves will have something of
that SAY" If not all of it. 1t Will
mean that in place of the representa-
tives looking down on the people, the
people will look down on the repre-
sentatives. IT will mean "a genuine
case of "the people rule"
What Wilson Thinks.
No man ever summed up the situa-
tion better, said Ward. than Pres't
Wilson in an address at Buffalo. Will
sons words were these:
"A vision of the real meaning
of democracy is presented when
we conceive of citizens going to
school to one another in the COM
mon school houses 70 understand
and answer public questions as
hitherto only Representatives have
gone to school to one another in
the buildings provided for them"
At this point Ward struck the chord
that vibrates the big, if not the big
gest. scheme that the civic club can
undertake in the solving of civic ques-
tions Ii is this: Make the public
school houses of the nation the rally
ing place on election day. Take away
the polling places from the livery
barns. real estate offices and under
taxing rooms ana put them In the
school house and the ward heeler and
political boss will soon see his star on
the wane, says Ward. In answer to
the argument that this political infiu-
ence would not necessarily stop be-
cause the polling booth is in the school
house, Ward said the further step
must be taken TO put the higher and
cleaner-minded men of school author
ity in charge. 1t would perhaps re-
quire local or state legislation. but
that is the sphere OF the civic club. he
said. And when several hundred peo-
pie from a ward make the demand il
will come. he held.
The people do not need more ma
chinery to get their demands, contin-
ued Ward. They have all they need
now, he said, and just need to be ed
ucated in the use of il. The civic club
is the place to teach and learn it, And
they are, he said. He pointed TO the
thousands OF civic clubs already in ex-
istence and the countless more that
are springing up. They are taking up
the municipal problems. discussing
them and finding the remedy. And
when once they find II they either
supply il themselves or go TO those
who can, and get il.
GEYER PLEADS GUILTY.