The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1919-04-17
DEVELOPING THE COMMUNITY .
Story of How one Town Changed its
Ways and All Were Greatly
benefited as Result of it.

No one should take more Interest
! in the building up Of the community
than the merchant. The community
can get along better without any IN
dividual merchant much better than
| the merchant can get along without
| the community.
This is an age when community
building is one Of the spirits of the
times. IT is a popular subject. IT
used to be considered idealistic, but
now it has developed until it can be
approached from practical stand
point, and this fact has had more
than anything else to do with max
ing it popular subject.
Trenton, Missouri, is said to nave
done more to develop the community
spirit than any other town in the
United States, and how this was
brought about makes an interesting
story 1t is too long, however, TO- be
told at length in the space aVallable
on this page of the Reporter. Briefly
1t is as follows:'l
Trenton was an ordinary country
town, running along about as coun-
try towns so. The business men did
not care much for the farmers and
the latter cared less for the business
men. 1t had a Commercial ~lub,
and it was not a very progressive OF
aggT essive organization at that. But
one Gay tney HIu Ill e4SIIioI -
officers, and as anyone else didn't
care for the office they elected Tom
Wi.ten to the office: Now it nap
pened that Tom Witten who is a
hardware merchant IN Trenton. was
real live wire, although he hadn't
had very much of an opportunity to
show just exactly the stuff that he
was made Of.
One day Witten read.in a Kansas
City paper of a man who was work
ing in the towns adjacent to that
city, to overcome just such q feeling
as existed at Trenton. Without con-
sulting any of the other members OF
the club he went to Kansas City and
hunted up this expert. He told him
in brief, the situation.
Glow large is your town. asked
the expert.
Mr. Witten told him the estimated
population, but that failed to be
satisfactory.
ooh, l know what you mean,
said Witch, and then he mentioned
the distance from one ,sioe OF the
What l want to know said the
expert, lis from how far Trenton
draws trade? That and only that
measures the size of Trenton. Yours
is an agricultural community. You
have practically no other resources
upon which to build town. Upon
the success Of the farmers depends
the success Of your town. When
you add one farmer to your list of
customers Trenton has grown that
much; When you lose one the town
has decreased"
Mr. Witten began to see the light.
The expert accompanied him to
Trenton that night The next day
the subject was placed before the
nf no
and the members too, saw the point.
AS a result of the visit the Com
mercial Club was reorganized and
the farmers invited to join, and
many of them did. A new slogan
was adopted. which was placed on
lpennants and carried on most of the
automobiles in Trenton and it's COM
munity. it read: Get acquainted
with your neighbors-you may like
them
The Commercial Club rooms were
Ioverhauled and rearranged and in
stead of a commercial club it be-
came Community Club, but Mr..
Witten was retained as president, an
office which he will probably hold as
long as he cares to-
Rest rooms were provided for the
families of the farmers.
Whenever there is, a convention or
like gathering in Trenton the farm
ers take as active interest in enter
tanning the guests as do the towns
people, The club has a committee
on agriculture. composed mostly of
farmers: the committee on good
roads is equally divided between
farmers and business and profess
siOnal men.
These are only few of the things
done at Trenton, and both city and
surrounding country are showing
great Improvements as result.
For Sale-On account OF moving
wax. my Leon residence property on