The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-05-31
War Time Community Centers

Every schoolhouse a community
capitol, and every community de-
mocracy."
With this as his motto, Dr. Henry
E. Jackson, of the Bureau of Educa-
ton, of the Department OF the Inter
ior, has prepared a special wartime
bulletin on THE Community Center;
what it is, and how to organize it"
The bulletin was prepared for use in
connection with the joint campaign
conducted by the Council of National
Defense and the Bureau of Educa-
ton, to organize local communities
for National Service. 1t will be dis
tributed free
In his bulletin DR.. Jackson says:
"Our three most urgent national
needs are to mobilize intelligence,
food, and money But it is not pos
sible to mobilize them until we first
mobilize the people. The Nations
present need has made apparent the
necessity of organizing local COM
munities The Council of National
Defense discovered it through it's ex-
perience in the war. The Bureau of
Education had begun the task before
we entered the war. These two Or
CARNATIONS have now united their
forces for the accomplishment of
their common purpose to promote
community organization throughout
the Nation. The slogan of the one
is: Every school district d communi
ty council for national service. The
slogan of the other is: Every school
house a community capitol and every
community little democracy. Pres
ident Wilson has clearly indicated the
profound significance of this move
ment in the letter he wrote to COM
mend it.
THE creation of a democratic and
intelligent social order is essentially
the same task, whether our approach
to it be local, national, or interna-
tional. To establish free trade in
friendship in all three communities
is the goal of the community center
movement.
THE post office, corner store, and
saloon are passing as social centers,
but they must be replaced with
something better if they are not to
be replaced with something worse.
For only he can destroy who can re-
place. The public school therefore
stands before an open door of oppor-
tunity to become a neighborhood
club, where the people can meet on
terms which preserve their self-re-
spect.
THE schoolhouse used as a neigh
borhood club renders an invaluable
public service. 1t seeks to create the
neighborly spirit essential for con-
certed action. The means employed
or.in n
mas, chorus singing-which require
the subordination of self to cooper
ative effort, dinner parties, where the
people break bread in celebration of
their communion with each other as
neighbors. These activities not only
render service to the individual by
promoting his happiness and de-
creasing his loneliness, they discover
in the community unsupported abili-
ties and unused resources. To set
them to work not only develops the
individual, but enriches the commu-
nifty life.
1T thus becomes apparent that
the neighborhood club furnishes the
key to the possible solution of a va
riety of problems-the Americaniza-
ton problem, for example The OBJ
ject of the community center move
ent is to achieve freemen's citizen
ship, both for native and foreign
born like. But citizenship means
membership II is obvious that the
teaching of English to aliens is not
sufficient to make them members of
America. To acquire the language
as a means of communication with
with their fellows is, of course, a
necessary preliminary. But it is
only a means to an end. If they are
ever to feel that they belong with us,