The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1919-07-31

see the evidences of industry an,
progress SO we'll exemplifed, as il
~Brookings. They could not, admir-
our streets, but they could realiz,
what it would mean when all of thi
digging and cement work was owe,
and we were blessed with paved
streets and had the pleasure and ad
vantages that comes with them.
Mr.. Mcmahon, in discussing thu
spirit that goes to makes towns into
cities and a city into a metropolis
said, 1--WE must discard the idea tha'
this community is bounded by the
municipal confines of the city. In
stead, we must include a radius a
least twenty-five miles in every direc
ton. There is at least a latent com
munity of interest in which ii is the
business of every citizen, Whethe.
business man or farmer, TO promote
Neither city or country can grow OF
prosper at the expense of one an
other-that there is no such a thing
as exclusive prosperity or happiness
If the farmer does not prosper the re-
taller must fail, and if the retailer
fails. the rural public are denied the
facilities of the modern civic center
which in reliability the town fur
nishes-better educational and relig.
ious institutions, more wholesome re,
creation, more modern facilities and
conveniences. These are the needs,
not only of the farmers families, but
of the inhabitants of the city. By
joining of forces and by pooling of
interests of town and country, the
community becomes a more profitable
and pleasant place to live.
Towns which are good for mail or
der houses are the towns which lack
community pride and civic spirit.
They are the towns which have a
sharp dividing line between town and
country. Catalogue houses capitalize
these strained relations between bust
ness men and farmers. II is such
communities that receive the carloads
of catalogues. There is dormant in
every inhabitant of this larger on
ception Of communities, the desire to
make that community more profitable
and more habitable. 1t remains TO
organize this dormant spirit into a
community organization through
which every citizen-business man
farmer-lawyer and doctor-Protest-
ant or Catholic-young or old-rich OF
poor-can make some contribution to
the public welfare through the active
use of his citizenship. Community
spirit has been greatly promoted
through III experience in bringing au-
tocracy to its knees. A community
which does not capitalize on this war
experience does not mobilize its citi-
zenship for the prosecution of bust
ness projects, will fail to secure its
vicinity a great reproduction of the
war"
One of the most forceful things that
the members of this visiting party
did during their %sojourn with us, was
the placing in the windows of every
pioSoluo rs ollCItioh "
the fact that home trade was the vital
basis of the city's life. Their slo-
had a meaning which is felt the
more you study them. For instance,
one of them said, IF | trade out of
town, and you trade out of town, and
everybody else trades out of town,
what in the world is going to become
of our town and county" How we'll
this applies to all of us, each of us
alone knows. But we do know that
when it is applied to our own indi-
vidual business, that it means bust
ness life or death. Another M of
them said, your local merchant pays
taxes, builds good roads, supports pub
lie schools, bears his share of the com,
burdens" This surely is an
other truth that non of us can toe
deeply take to heart and strive to
make its meaning influence our daily
and planning. One thing is
sure and that is, the visit of this live
bunch of real business men and boost
ers for business is going to have an
influence on the lives of our mer-
chants and on the lives of our people.
Contact with men like these men must
mean good, for they radiated good
fellowship, good will and good ems
in every moment of their all too brief
visit among us. Brookings was better
for their coming and we hope that
they in their visit to us gained some
little inspiration for the continuation
of their optimistic, progressive and
happy business life. AS ships that
pass in the night, their visit was
a touch of human interest,
but its benefit may be felt for many
a day if we only remember their good
fellowship and hearty good will.
Wv. S. S.