The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-08-06
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DfluI0 Qhb IN tAtLAO40 III 'eAAo SA0o1sS
number Of Eyerybody's Magazine
witch nnaises3a most. interesting con-
tribution 10 the discussion Of reme-
dies for tho much discussed nigh
cost Of loving.
In this article after saying that
new school house with facilities for
community center work has been
built at Park View, suburb Of Wash
sngton, %. O., the article goes on as
follows.
OF course you know all about the
school house as community center
probably the schoolhouse in your dis
trict Is Just such a meeting place for
the citizens Of your community. II It
isn't, it ought to be. But this Park
View community had something that
no other community in America had.
It had Edward ]. Ward.
The whole scheme of the school
/. house community center is based on
the idea that the schoolhouse belongs
to the people and not to the Board
OF Education. One day last fall 1t
occurred to Ed Ward that there was
another institution besides the school,
house that existed everywhere and
that also belongs TO the people-the
most, office. There was branch
post office at Park View, in drug
store The druggist didn't want 1t;
he ran II merely as an accommoda-
ton TO his customers, and II maue
him more trouble than 1t was worth.
All the schoolhouse they had COM
munity secretary, elected by the PEG
ple Of Park View. 1t was perfectly
simple arrangement to move the
branch post office to the schoolhouse
and have John G. McGrath, the com.
munfty secretary. appointed postal
agent: 1t was great convenience to
the people at Park View, too, to have
the post office right in their com
munity center.
There is man in the post office
department named James l. Blakes-
lee. He was an expert traffic man
before he was appointed Fourth AS
sistant Postmaster General. Mr..
Biakeslee began year or more ago
experimenting with motor-trucks for
carrying mail between cities and the
country districts where the railroads
don't 60. 1t surprised some people TO
find that mail matter of all KINDS
could be carried Just about as quickly
and even more cheaply over many
routes by motor truck than by rail-
road. One postal motor truck route
between Washington and Philadel-
mia. for instance, costs eight hum
bred dollars a month to operate and
earns sixteen thousand dollars
month"; Congress last year appropriat-
ed three hundred thousand dollars
for more motor trucks for the post
office department, and also authoriz-
cd the War Department to turn over
to the post office department all the
army motor trucks it did not need
when the war was overland the war
Department had nearly a hundred
thousand such trucks on hand.
Motor Trucks on the Job.
Ward and Blakeslee got together
and found that they spoke the same
laneuage-the language Of democracy
which is, of course, nothing but the
language OF common service. Blakes-
lee had put some of his first motor
trucks on rural routes to make it
easter for farmers to ship their eggs
and poultry and vegetables and fruit
which they were sending by parcel
post to city people. But 1t didn't work
"A we'll as it should. People can't
buy direct from farmers unless they
know the farmer; and when you
count the trouble and cost OF writ
Ing letters, and the postage on small
parcels like dozen eggs, there isn't
much real saving, anyway. So Blakes-
lee told Ward. Ward, who always
thinks in terms OF community action,
said.
'rwhy can't we use your postal
motor trucks as the connecting link
TO hook up the farming community
and the city community, and make 1t
profitable for both?"
eYou've got the answer, II you can
make It work." said Blakeslee. And
Ed Ward set out on post office mo-
tor truck to find the farming COM
nunlty that ought to be looked up
TO the Park View community in Wash
ington.
He found it in Mount Joy Town
ship, Adams county, Pennsylvania.
right ON the edge of the Gettysburg
battlefield.
That was last fall The farming
people of Mount Joy Township were
Just Us eager to establish relations
with Park View as Park View was
TO be connected with them. With the
hchoolhouse as the community center.
they organized the Mount Joy Com
munity Association. They elected A.
Nevin Sponsellor, the school teacher
as community secretary, and by viz
tue oftihs election he became postal
agent.
Community, Shopping.
AS soon as the machinery was set
up It began to.work perfectly. There
WASN'T anylreason why It should not.
Thers was nothngtnew for people to
st used TO. Everybody knew
tho schoolhonse, everybody knew the
post-oftice. TheEonly new thing was
Eho ideB Of dealing as a community
with another community instead of as
indiGiduRlB with other individuals.
And just ssaoonIas they found out
thnt thissmeant ,dollaNa IN their pock-
BITS, thefpeopies Of Mount Joy and the
pooplo Of Parlr View wondered why
Eh0y. hndnot thought Of 1t before: That
IL tho real object of, cooperation-to
put dollars into peoples pockets.
Youssee, theapostage ON a crate of
BggB BY motor truck from Mount Joy
70 VRaahingtou is only stxty-fiye