Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1917-03-29
EFFICIENCY VISION
now REALIZED
Newfoundland, Pa, Converts
Hotel Into Community House.
BARN TURNED INTO HALL

q Railroad Station, Has Caught the
Idea of N~eishborhood Efficiency and
Is In the Way of Making Its Ideals
Come True.
Buried in the heart Of the Pocono
mountains, thirteen miles from the
nearest railroad station and connected
with the outside world only by an I'm
certain stage route, is a rural commu-
nifty, Newfoundland, which has caught
the vision Of ~neighborhood efficiency
and which in a fine way is realizing
that vision day after day, writes Ed
mund de S. Drummer, secretary Of the
Moravian Country Church Commission,
in the Survey.
Newfoundland is in that section Of
the Poconos near where Wayne, Pike
and Monroe counties (Pennsylvania),
meet. Originally the land was settled
by hardy and Industrious Germans, and
the descendants of these people are still
the predominant element in the popu-
lation. Religiously it was a community
ministered to by the Moravians and in
later years by the Methodists also. The
soil is mediocre, and no superficial OBJ
server would pick this locality for a
rural demonstration field.
However, such it has become. just
about q year ago the community, act
ing as a social unit, bought u its
country hotel and converted the hos
telry into a community house and the
barn into a community hall and gym
nasium.
The beginnings Of this work can be
traced to the patient campaign of the
w. G. T. u, which even in q locality
such as described found that rural peo-
pie are willing to lend their support to
the temperance movement. But there
have been other sources of inspiration
and leadership. For some years New
foundland has been blessed with strong
pastors whose spiritual leadership con-
cerneJ itself with the hallowing of all
of life. There has also been of more
recent years a strong school favored
with exceptionally good teachers. In
some instances the pastor has also been
the principal or at least one of the
hlull lbNolIS. hlo u llSAL looSllSl
home, school and church in a most adj
v%antageous way.
Finally, for The last twenty years
there has been q steady increase i'll
the number Of city people who have
spent their summers i'll this region and
who have mingled with the residents
both in their play and worship. This
has been Of mutual advantage.
About eighteen months ago the only
resident pastor succeeded in bringing
into the community Professor ana Mrs.
Varney, who staged Il welfare week
which proved a big factor in starting
the movement to establish the welfare
social service was linked up with fun
damental spiritual motives.
Thus it was that in the minds of pas
tor and people there formed II grad
ually came to fruition the conception
of a community house in which would
focus all the activities Of the region
and which would prove a center fur
nishing recreation through the long
winter, binding the people together and
holding some Of the younger folks to
their home. 1t was decided to form a
community welfare association. Any
person owe fourteen years Of age with
an interest in the community and a
dollar with which to pay the annual
dues was allowed to join.
One Of the first steps was to have
the association incorporated, and soon
afterward the hotel was purchased for
$500 and fitted up as described at Il
further cash cost of about 1900. Over
half the money was raised in a short
time, and it was a big sum for these
people. Contributions were not large
measured by the standards of city or
CARNATIONS, but measured by the re-
sources of the people they We're most
generous and proved how deeply inter
ested and thoroughly in earnest the
community was. The remainder of
the sum was raised by selling shares
of stock, and a small mortgage was
also placed on the property.
The community house contains rooms
for all the various church and com
munity organizations, for reading, play
ing games, etc. There is also q free
library. Adequate supervision is Sc
cured by having the high school prin,
cipal and his wife live in the second
story, which has the added advantage
of furnishing a comfortable home for
them.
The old barn, now rebuilt and turned
into a community hall, contains a large
dining room and kitchen on the top
floor, while the main floor is given over
to a gymnasium-auditorium, with a
raised stage at II end, together with
dressing rooms and all accessories nee
essary for its double purpose.