Norwich bulletin., 1918-10-05
EMPTY SALOONS AS COMMUNITY cENTERs

every resident of the neighborhood for information, guidance, assistance. patriotic effort, and recreation. There should be forum for open discussion. A tea room should be established. There should be all sorts of whole some recreational features. Frequent entertainments should be held in which as many members of the com munity should be induced to take part as could be induced to do so. We should have an abundance of good music. Every neighborhood has it's talent. That should be encouraged, developed employed We should have gymnasiums, too, and swimming pools And we should have billiard tables-in short, everything to make the place attractive to the people Our activities should be modelled largely upon those which have made the Y. M. c. A. huts so successful.
 Something must be done to take simply turn the people out into the streets. They must feregather some where The saloon has been called the poor mans club, and, with all it's drawbacks, that is what it is. What we propose is a club to take its place and fill that place better.
 These places should be so con- ducted should be made so thorouhly to exemplify and illustrate real dem ocracy as to make then in truth 'peo- ples houses And the success which women have made with such enter prises-I have in mind the Y. NJ. c. A. and Red Cross work particularly-in- dicate how well women are equipped to undertake the work. The women of each neighborhood should be in <J, 1ya Spa +, work of their centre, and the children, too. The idea should be large scale development of the old New England town meeting.
 ! Here in this district we are faced l with the necessity of immediate &C., ! tion. Columbia University shortly will have thousands of boys in train ing for military service. How are 1 they to be entertained, how are they l to be enabled to take part in comrun- ] ity life? The college facilities along { that line will fill the gap. The same 1 conditions prevail all over the coun- 1 try. But it is here in New York es- pecially in the congested districts, where the community idea will have l opportunity for it's fullest develop l ment.
 Under present conditions the movement becomes essentially a war l movement. President Wilson made | that plain in his letter to the State Coucils of Defense in behalf of the development of the community coun- i cils. He spoke of the creation of
 community councils as an advance of vital importance.
 Tt will, I believe he said result
 when thoroughly carried out in weld
 ing the nation together as no nation
 of great size has ever been weldel be- fore. It will build up from the bot tom an understanding and sympathy and unity of effort and purpose which will no doubt have an immediate and decisive effect upon our great under taking. You will find it, I think, not
 so much a new task as a unifcatior of existing efforts, fusion of energies now too much scattered, and at time; somewhat confused. into one harmon ious and effective power. It is only by extending your organization tc small communities that every citizer of the State can be reached and touch cause. Through this great new or ed with the inspiration of the common
 ganization we will express with added ] emphasis our will to win and oW confidence in the utter righteousness
 of our purpose.
 I
 house had been suggested as an ap
 though not essential centre for thu
 local council, Mrs. Childs went on
 "and the President added: It sym
 bolizes one of the first fruits of sucl
 an organization. namely, the spread
 ing of the realization of the grea
 truth that it is each one of us as al
 individual ciizen upon whom rests tn,
 ultimate responsibility
 Our project" said Mrs. Childs
 "carries the idea beyond the school
 more fruitful field. H will, as tn,
 President says, weld the communit. together as no other agency could; i
 will be intensive war service. It ha
 even been suggested that, in view o its significance as a war work, partic
 ipation in the activities of the com
 munity centre should be made com
 pulsory upon every citicen, but tha l idea has been met with the suggestion
 that, while not impracticable, 1t woul,
 be unwise; that better results woul, ) be gained from voluntary service"