Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1919-10-10
Mr.. Yenney Takes as his
Subject the Proposed
Liberty Building

ing. J. am III uedlty O"P0lbJ WV
the project, provided the building i
properly located, constructed and con.
Quoted. AS l understand, the build.
ing Is to be erected to The memory OF
our soldier boys, who took Tart in the
great world conflict. I understand
that the Wildwood Athletic club hes
taken the matter in hand, and have OF
are about to ask the cooperation OF the
different organizations and the general
public included.
No doubt there will BE- several qnes-
tons that will require an answer before
the public will respond. The first im-
portaDt thing is to start right, NTH a
good chance for a good finish.
First-Where are the finances COM
ing from?
Second-What kind of a building do
you propose to erect-and by whom
and how to be controlled; and last tut
not least, where is the building TO be
located?
After all this has been settled, what
guarantee will the public have that
the project will be carried out along
those lines?
When l speak of the public, / mean
myself and the citizens with whom |
have conversed. We are one and all a
part of the public and | sincerely hope
there is neither man, woman or child
with soul so small that they will not
take part, or at least take some interest
in the erection of the building.
Every city in the land of any size
should have a recreation center, and If
properly supported and conducted, we
would have little use for the house OF
correction or reform school; and l
might include our court and jail. 1t is
much easier to educate out of wrong
than it is to convert out of wrong. Let
me educate and train our boys and |
believe ~bolshevism, anarchism. the red
flag and any other ism will take care
OF itself; in other words we will not have
it because we will have no material.
Old Gladstone, the grand old man of
England, once said: "Let me give a
people their religion aud | care not
who makes their laws" In other
words they will be a law unto them
selves. And another old philosopher
said: "You may as we'll try to build a
city without territory, as to expect to
maintain a nation without God" All
summed up in two words, fright trait
ing" that is what we want to do for
our boys.
Now back to the location of the build
ing, that is one of the most important
features. That building wants to b.
just as near to our high school as pos
siblp. Why? Because we want it for
the use of our boys Low and forever.
Ii will not be long before our soldier
boys will be old men, and other boys
must take their places; the boy, the
man, the citizen of the future. AT
least one evening Of each week the
gymnaeium should be set aside for the
exclusive use OF our boys; and M eve
ming for the girls. 1t is just as i'm
portant for the future well-being of Ii
nation that we take care of the physi
cal development Of our girls ss that of
our boys. Then why rot have the
building near to the public high school
and make 1t q social and educational
te tier for the young and old Of the
community, not for any selfish reasons
no; for the benefit of a few, but for
all; as the public means all. And if
We ask the public to contribute to the
erection and support of the building
they should have some guarantee in
return. We know that organizations
go to pieces. We have not far to look
for example.
a provision should be made 10 the
deed that if for any reason the Athletic
association should neglect or improper
ly conduct said building. or should the
organization dissolve, said building aud
property to revert to the city for the
free use OF the boys, las long as grass
grows and water flows" The build
ing should have a public reading room
open to every boy that may visit our
Island city; aud there should be a wing
OF theOuilding called Memorial Hail."
dedicated to our soldier boys and con-
tain the Wal relics, records, manu
scripts, ard description Of the boys
with their war records.
And let me suggest that If the Ath-
letlc association does not succeed, why
n t appoint a memorial comni tee
backed by all the citizens OF Wildwood
which means the City of Wildwood.
ogned and controlled by the city, with
trustees elected or appointed on the
same order of our school board. BuI
By all means let US have the proper
location ord tho rioht kind NJ a huiId