Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1915-12-17
The Rockville Idea.

Too many people are inclined to look
with suspicion on suggestions touching
community cooperation. They apparently
think anyone interested in an effort in this
line is actuated by selfish motives; the
desire to benefit one class of citizens to
the possible detriment of another. AS
matter Of fact, the very reverse is often true !;
the critic is himself most deserving of
criticism. The fellow who hangs back. who
suspects others of wrongful purposes, who
is unwilling to join in any community en-
terprse. is seldom progressive citizen in
the broad sense. His vision is narrowed,
he secs good only in that which immedi-
ately benefits himself. In reality he is
actuated by the motives which he imputes
to others. Community progress in its best
sense can come only when all citizens are
willing to lay aside petty jealousies and
unite their energies for the common good.
DR.. Lee Galloway has said: Teamwork
applies as effectively in the factory as on the
football field. Each man plays his indi-
vidual part, but at the critical moment the
combined effort of all is necessary for the
result to be of value" All of which is
equally true of community progress. Co.
operation among all the community work
ing forces alone can win success. Friction
and retarded efficiency make futile the
noao;hiIitiao vyhfoh yoidht otbaru,;sa ha
balky team accomplishes nothing because
the horses do not pull together. No more
can a community. whose members are
working at cross purposes, hope to succeed
in any worth while undertaking for the
common good
Why, pray, should consumers be looked
upon as a distinct class, arbitrary in their
demands, and detached from and arrayed
against other classes of straw man con-
structonY The minister and the profess
sional man are just as much consumer as
are the farmer and the laborine man So
called. Conversely, they are just as much
producers as are the men who till the soil
or shape the raw materials into manufac-
tured products. Their work is of just as
much value to the community. Who can
draw the dividing line between consumers
and producers and place them in two sep
arate and distinct classes2 Is the farmer
any less a producer because he is also
consumer or the merchant any less
consumer because he likewise is a pro-
Queer? Whatever a mans business, be he
farmer, laborer, manufacturer or distributor,
he is consumer as well. No man can
say This is consumer, and that is
non-consumer." We are not to be CLASH
fled separately. but together-we are all
consumers, depending on the bounty of
Mother Nature and the activities of our
felow-men for our daily needs.
Rockville merchants are well known
throughout this community. The people
understand they are here year after year !;
that their prosperity is wholly dependent
upon the rendering of satisfactory service
TO their patrons. 1t is not enough for them
to promise full value and prompt service /;
they must actually give both. And the
right-minded business man takes special
pride in so doing. For that is the only
basis on which any merchant can hope to
secure and retain patronage and make
his business grow. Local merchants ask
for. and are entitled to, community patron
age. because they can give better service
than can be obtained elsewhere. and av-
eraee values at least equal to those offered
by any other source of supply.