Daily Kennebec journal., 1919-12-05

- A Paper for People w
chief magnet for attracting factories u
pretty nearly over. Sorry experience
has taught cities that buying Q factory
10 not necessarily getting q factory; .
bonus-seeking plant II too often headed
In the direction away from permanent
success, and a chamber Of commerce
that picks its factories through the use
Of artificial inducements is courting
trouble.
Leaders in the modern chamber Of
commerce field have learned that in
dustriaf development. requires . read
5ustment Of every aspect Of city life.
The supply Of labor. the housing of
workers. the rents Of land, the educa-
tion Of children in the useful arts, the
stimulation Of thrift, the development
OF public recreation, the Americanixa-
tion Of the foreign laborer, efficiency
engineering and a host Of other human
factors vitality affect the permanency
OF industry. And none Of these matters
can be handled adequately without a
community organisation that is broad
gauged and open minded. II all these
affairs are left to individual initiative
they will be given the minimum intel
ligent attention 50 far as the entire
community is concerned.
1t IL becoming increasingly apparent,
with thespassing Of years. that environ
ment sets bounds to Industrial as we'll
as mercantile and professional prosperi-
ty; but 1t Is also certain that mere
physical surroundings are not "envi-
ronment." The propelling force In all
progress is the human element-when
this fact Is recognized the necessity for
community teamwork is 30 apparent
that argumen. is nuisance.
A chamber Of commerce is a chamber
Of citizenship. Its primary function is
to make the public think. When the
public begins to think, the first step
toward business prosperity has been
taken.
There are a group Of men in the COM
mercial-civ:c organization field who still,
preach the doctrine that industrial pros
perity 10 the soil out Of which grows
civic advance. They should know bet
ter, because he'means of proving the
absolute interreiation Of good business
and good civics has been in front of
their eyes for 10 years.
II the public is to begin thinkine z
Alright about its own future, this fund
amental fac. must be kept clearly to
the front: all property values, all brsi-
ness values and all professional values
that exist in any city are made by the
spirit Of its citizens
And the converse is equally true.
Whatever potential values are absent
from given community are missinr z
because the spirit Of that community
mas never prompted effort to procure
| o. develop them:
spi'H' according to Webster, mean.
Visor or intellect. temper, disposition
OF mind. sentiment. desire, perceotion.
an nation. In short, spirit Is the mo-
pulsive element in mankind. and II is
tne unfolding Of spirit in a community
that attracts and develops the kind OF
men that build empires and rule states
/ values of all sorts-business. rea, 90.
tate' professional, mercantile, artistic
arise when a community or group evince
TIE disposition Of mind" and the
'visor of intellect" that is constantly
! reaching into the future for what il
may bring.
In snort, commerce exists solely he
! cause there are human wants to be sat-
fafod, and the word business is m.
name we give to the organized uscb:n-
cry OF satisfying them. Business Is not
IN ng. by itself. divorced from every.
| Day life; 1t is part of life, and every
apretite of the day creates business.
IL Is quite clear that the expansion OF
| business may come in only three ways.
| W BY multiplying the number of
people who buy in a certain market or
(0 By increasing the wants of the
same number of people, or
CD BY combination of tho two fo-o-
going conditions.
You Will perceive the crudity of the
thinking of the commercial prophet Who
cries Tor more payrolls and more peo.
pie as the only road to community
prosperity, when the fact Is that the
expansion Of business in the world for
tne last half-century has come nv NM
| ,ipiving the wants of the normal popu.
iation. The mere increase in popn,a. .
ton would not account for one-tenth
OF the increase of business.
The modern chamber Of conr,.-.. -.
community organization must nrea,c,t. +.
lis long-terp program of work On ~
great truth that Real business r-,.-
ress comes from an intelligent endc, W.
10 steadily raise the plane OF living >.
1t is spiritual advance-an ;ncro,. :.
enterprise. in resourcefulness. in iny.n-
'i'eness, in courage-that brings eco-
hom'c prosperity. The orran,z.t,o.,
"hich begins at the other end ~ IN.
matter and expects to develop reso,-co.
iuiness and vision after the communitv
mas Become very prosperous will req, :.
oitter disappointment for its fo,,o.ars
economic prosperity Is an excellent ara
comfortable thing. but YOU cav.
acnieve 1t by cheap, superficial or child
Ism community thinking.
Nearly every city, large or sn,,,
mas group Of business men WIZ
,nsistently cry for more factories !"
Dut VINO are unwilling to give thongh+
10 the reasons that underlv snch
CROWN. frequently these men oc-
cupy dominant positions in the bus
mess and political circle. IF thax
are 10 remain as community Leader.