Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1915-11-26
COMMUNITY WORK
ALL HAVE A COMMON INTEREST
IN MAKING THEIR HOME
TOWN BETTER
COMMUNITY INSTITUTE" HELPS
Cities That Have Held Such Insti-
tutes Have Benefited Greatly
From Them

''Sit together, listen together, sing
together, eat together and talk to-
gether and you'll work together
You'll be better neighbors. You'll
learn that you have a common in
terest in making your town or city
the very best possible place in which
to live and that making the towns
business your business is pretty
profitable business all the way
around"
Thus did a shrewd Wisconsin, busi-
ness man sum UP the psychology of
the community institute, which has
come to be such a popular feature
Of civic life throughout the state,
and the reason why its lasting in
fluence is seen in practical improve
ments for the common good and in a
public spirit which results in one
Improvement leading to another, an
endless chain of benefits developing
itself from one original link. For the
aim of the we'll conducted community
institute is to make every man,
woman, and child in the community
realize that it is a conference of the
stockholders in the community, as
sembled for the purpose Of admins
tering the communitys affairs so
that the best interests of the stock
holders will be served.
"Our people are still singing the
community songs" writes Mrs. J. A
Strathearn, of South Kaukauna, for
mer president of the Wisconsin Fed
GRAFTON of WOmen's Clubs and gen
eral federation secretary, months af
ter the holding Of the Kaukauna in
stitute land the spirit of cOmmun-
ity loyalty permeates the streets,
homes and schools of our county. |
wish that every county in the state
could have one or more community
institutes during the year because [
believe that by means of these inst
tutes the interests Of our state can
be promoted and a strong sentiment
for state loyalty be engendered."
The big need of the town or the
city as the center of the community
which includes all the surrounding
district for which it is the natural
trading or shipping center is the
fundamental idea on which the pro-
gram of the successful community in
stitute is built. That need may be
the development of better trading re
latiOns between the farmer and tn
stOrekeeper; it may be the e5.ab
lishment Of a new water or sewer
system, the disposal of garbage the
consolidation Of schools, medical in
spectiOn in the schools, a better adj
ministered health department., the
paving of streets, or the building Cf
a bridge over a river dividing the
two districts Of the town, as was
the case at De Pere which has just
held it's second community institute
Whatever the need or the problem
large or small with which the resi-
dents of the community are most
concerned at the time, that need and
it's problem are the center around
which the entire institute reVolves
Expert speakers in that specific line
are secured and practical solutions OF
the problem are discussed so thor
oughly that definite action by the
community generally follows th2
close of the institute.
Bloomington, for instance, gives
the community institute credit fol
the incentive which resulted in its
new water system. For years eff
fort to secure a. system had failed
through conflict of opinion. Thel
came the community institute an(
the get-together spirit. An eXper
engineer from the University EXten
sion Division studied the local sit
Uation and suggested the program
fitted to BloOmington's specia
needs. which resulted in the ney
plant.
In New London the business mel
were stimulated to action to NEE
the mail order problem. Osseo ha
a fine new consolidated school du
tley say to the influence of two in
stitutes and it is likewise giving at
tention to the subject of sewage dis
posal. Amery established public play
grounds, completed plans for a seWe
system. and secured the developmen
of a better business relation betwee