The evening leader. (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) 191?-19??, 1918-05-23
WARTIME COMMUNITY CENTERs

WARTIME COMM UNITY CENTERS.
Every Schoolhouse Community
Capitol and Every Community
Democracy"
With this as his motto, DR.. Henry
E. Jackson, of the bureau of education,
of the department of the interior, has
prepared special wartime bulletin
) on "The Community Center: What it
is, and how to Organize it." The bull
letin was prepared for use in connec-
ton with the joint campaign conduct
ed by the council of national defense
and the bureau of education, to organ
ize local communities for national SER
vice. 1t will be distributed free.
In his bulletin DIR. Jackson says:
"Our three most urgent national
needs are to mobilize intelligence,
food, and money. But it is not posi-
BILE to mobilize them until we first
mobilize the people. The nations pres
ent need has made apparent the ne
cessity of organizing local commune
ties. The council of national defense
discovered it through its experience in
the war. The bureau of education had
begun the task before we Sentered the
war. These two organizations have
now united their forces for the accom-
plishment of their common purpose to
promote community organization
throughout the nation. The slogan Of
the one Is, Ever, gEhooI district u
community council for national serv-
ice The slogan of the other is: sEv-
cry schoolhonse community capitol
and every community little democra-
cy.' President Wilson has clearly in
Dictated the profound significance of
this movement in the letter he wrote
to commend It.
"The creation of a democratic and
Intelligent social order is essentially
the same task, whether our approach
to it be local, national, or internation-
al. To establish free trade in friend
ship in all three communities is the
goal of the community center move
ment. sea
"The postoffice, corner store, and sa-
loon 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 replace. The pub
lie school therefore stands before an
open door of opportunity to becomes
neighborhood club, where the people
can meet on terms which preserve
their self-respect.
! The schoolhouse used as a neigh.
borhood club renders an invaluable
public service. 1t seeks to create the
neighborly spirit essential for concert
ed action. The means employed are
various-games, folk dances, dramas,
chorus singing-which require the
subordination of self to cooperative
effort, dinner parties, where the peo-
pie break bread in celebration of their
communion with each other as neigh
bors. These activities not only render
service to the individual by promot-
ing his happiness and decreasing his
loneliness, they discover in the COM
munlty unsupported abilities and UNI
used resources. To set them to work
not only develops the individual but
enrlches the community life.
1T thus becomes apparent that the
neighborhood club furnishes the key
to the possible solution of variety Of
problems-the Americanization prob
lem, for example. The object Of the
community-center movement is to
achieve freemen's citizenship, both for
native and foreign-born alike. But
citizenship means membership. It 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 communica-
ton with their fellows is, Of course. q
necessary preliminaryo.f But It is only
a means to an end. If they are ever
TO feel that they belqpgbwith us, the
rlgnt hand Of fellowshjpI must be ex-
tended to them. The neighborhood
spirit alone can create IN them the
spirit Of America. Il.