The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-17
A Robinson CruSoe Civic League
By MARY HAMBERLAIN (Exclusive Service the Survey Press Burcau)

Robinson Crusoe was the first scien t:fic manager of an island and evel since the days of Crusoe imagination abilities of a tract of land who'll, surrounded by water"
 A modern Robinson Crusoe is tn, Civic League of Staten Island, tho smallest borough in population Of New York city. But while the pioneer 1T island experiment was wholly con oerned in subduing jungle and savage for his own physical comfort, the Civic league is busy developing a civic ana social programme for some 95,oO0 peo- pie.
 New YOrk's Hodge Podge Borough
 Take St. George ferry at the tip oi Manhattan late some afternoon. Watch Battery Park, the Woolworth tower the slender bow of Brooklyn bridge and the beetling ferry houses melt Into a foggy wedge Of tall thin buildings Watch the huddled land across the harbor stretch out and up into ware houses, trees and dwellings. Then fol low the ferry passengers out at St Georges depot, the focus of Slater Island where scurrying little Etean trains, so much like those of the Lon don timer circle" whisk commuters to water front villages and electric cars buzz off to the hilly interior.
 Out of the tangled streets laid over COW paths, out of little provincial towns with local prejudice and set hab its, out of cheap resorts" sprung uI along the beaches New York city hal determined the borough of Richmond And it is this hodge podge of old Dutcf gentry and garish South Beach mid way that the Civic league is trying te weld together for team play and com mon purpose.
 What the Civic league has been do ing since 1t expanded from 3o0 char ter members in 1913 to flourishine organization, with 15 local brancne' and more than l7oo mempers; may o. U. gathered from looking over the issues of the staten Island Civic league pul' letin.
 Team Play With Public Officials
 An advisory committee, composed O two members from each ward, meets regularly to consult with the pofOugi president upon all proposed pubic I'm movements and the general welfare o the borough.
 Persistent agitation has been kept ui against the smoke nuisance from jersey factories just across the channel, vol unteer corps of fire wardens has been or ganixed to prevent woodland fires, tre' planting service and an active tre' preservation movement have bcei started. A week before every local boart meeting notices are sent to all propert, owners within the area of assessment O any public improvement calling their at tention to the first hearing upon 1t. Th' league also analyses all legislative bill affecting Richmond directly or indirectl! and registers approval or opposition viti representatives in the legislature. The social service work of the civil league Is as varied as that of . settle ment. Since only one branch of tn charity organization society covers tn whole 57 square miles of island the leagu has established social service exchang and has engaged a supervisor. ThrQugl | this exchange the charity organization society, the department of public chari ties, the Hebrew charities and other re lief bodies on the island may co-operat and facilitate efficient charity work Tn exchange itself undertakes a ccrtail amount of case work not handled by asso ' citations, assists in any general relic movement and Is at present securing worl
 for unemployed in tho borough. B>