The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1915-11-12
Teamwork For Community Rec
reation an Essential,
LADIES' AID SOCIETIES.
Women's Associations Need q Common
Standard and q Common Aim-Mod.
srn Industrial Life 10 Shaping the
Lona Dormant Instinct For Group
Work.
py EMiLv Z. ms

The larger cities of the country, wax
ing up to the chaotic condition of their
reforms and charities, have been hav-
ing themselves organized and "sur-
veyed." The suburbs so unsurveyed.
1t is in the suburbs that the charitable
societies are seldom coupled together,
seldom try for teamwork. 1t is ia the
suburbs that the Ladies' Aid society re-
fuses to perform anything but a solo
part in the music of the spheres, max
ing its Independent, i~ndependable con-
tribution to the community. raising
money wildly and spending it wildly.
For no ladies' aid s0ciety-the term is
used g%enerically and not limited to any
church organization-has a common
standard or u common aim with any
other. Trained workers do not have
anything to do with spending the
funds, for trained workers are not en-
ployed. There is no attempt to plan
ahead toward improving next years
town. All the money that is not spent
for the sectarian use of II or another
congregation is devoted to giving food.
medicine or clothing to the very poor
or to nursing the sick. Essentially this
is the old fashioned woman's way of
"doing good"
Women have been Il very long time
learning the principle of cooperation.
the multiplied power there is in COM
munity Of effort. Some of them in this
country are learning it now. The Ia
Dor unions and the suffrage movement
are grinding it into them day by day.
Certainly modern industrial life is shap-
ing the long dormant instinct for group
work. Some groups already have Il
sense Of identity, of power, of purpose.
Recently a group of women in Wilkes
barre. Pa. published one. issue Of a dali
~ paper of that city as a women's edi-
ton. Women's work in community life
was especially to be sought after. But
the more one Travelled. talked. saw, the
more one realized that constructive
civic work in the suburbs could not be
written about-because it wasn't there.
There was nowhere to be found any
plan. No society eveI>knew except by
VlQICc SVSSIp NttVIO HISOLASSA NNAS' "Au
was giving financial help to some local
case Of need.
The suburbs of Wilkesbarre are typ
ical. l think. of the industrial boroughs
of any of the northern states where
foreign labor has come in in variety to
do the community's rough work. These
towns are incredibly : rich in church
buildings. each edifice proper to Il sect
Of it's own or to IL part Of a sect holding
its worship IN a foreign tongue. There
are too many divisions: Each builds a
church too big for it ON a mortgage
bigger than the congregation .aad then
makes the paying of Of the mortgage
its chief contribution to community
life. There is an irrational amount Of
money put into these factionaf church
buildings in the little towns. and once
built they are usually dedicated away
from any secular or week day s OF
even the working religionists who built
them.
In the Wilkesbarre district the subur-
ban towns need no one thing so ter
ribly. so dangerously. Is amusements.
Recreation young people will have.
even If they so short Of food and fire
and sleep to buy it. Especially is there
a demand for five cent and ten cent
amusements. for evenings. something
as democratic as the moving picture
shows. but with more air and more
chance for visiting. talk and laughter.
Amateur theatricals. singing socie-
ties. band concerts. midsummer water
side sports with races. outdoor fairs
and markets. even by moonlight-any
of these the joint efforts Of all the wo-
mems aid societies of a suburb could
push to lively success. Why should not
q civic club. for instance. W the best
''nicklet" in Il little town. show the best
pictures to lie had. set IL standard OF
ventilation and cleanliness and make
money on the business?
The most immediate need Of aIl in
the district which | use by way Of Illus
tration is for good. cheap dancing
places. not for next year, not for some
where, but definitely here and now IN
the suburbs. Every little settlement
has at least n undesirable dance hall.
ii not actually bad. one, Yet de-
nouncing the bad dance. hall achieves
precisely nothing but IT. waste of valu-
able 'hot air." There. must be compe-
tition-colnpetition upward. +.
III what is true Of the Wilkesbarre
district is true of all the industrial
towns of the north today w0men's So
cieties the country yer have an unpar-
alleled opportunity for constructive
work-the amusements of all the little
towns waiting to be energized. con-
trolled, made over. multiplied tenf0ld!
With teamwork in poor relief. team
work in the nursing of the sick. enough
at any rate to prevent the waste Of ef-
fort and meddlesome overlapping from
which we suffer now. women ought to
have a margin Of energy left.
To use. 1t in intelligent organizing Of
public amusements would he a peace
time service to the state comparable
only to the Red Cross service III time Of.
war.