The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1920-07-22
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their communities for recreational. gymnastic,
athletic, social and welfare work and often Tor
political, cooperative business, and religious work
Among the specific economic uses of the buildings.
for instance, canning demonstrations, boys
and girls club work, domestic science agrlcul-
tural society meetings fairs, cafes, cateterlaS'
farmers institutes, and cooperative purchasing
and marketing activities Among the educatohal
and recreatiOnaI lectures moving pic
lures, night schools, entertainments. billiards.
pool bowling, table games, reading ROOM ana
library
The Matinecock neighborhood house, Locust
Valley, Long Island New York, is excellent ex-
ample of the way in which community buildings
come into existence and managed.
About eight years ago boy came to the sec
rotary of the Matinecock NeighbOrhOOd associ-
alton and asked him to start boys club, saying
there was no place for the boys to go for good
time except to the saloons or to the neighborng
town with its questionable amusements. The sec
rotary, who had but recently arrived, made
survey of the situation. He found that through
economic changes farming gradually being
given up and the section becoming resi-
Dental The population was shifting. and
neighborhood spirit and community recreation
at a low ebb.
He found also that there was in the village
a private unsupervised young mems athletic club
which met in a blacksmith's shop. Being
of vision, he determined to make this club
nucleus of a general system of supervised recre-
alton for the village with community house
a center.
He persuaded the athletic club to sign petition
for the NeighborhoOd association to take them
in as members payment of the regular dues,
81 per year, and then to commission them as a
recreation department to furnish recreation for
the whole community. The association complied
and appointed an executive committee, composed
of two of its directors and five young men, to
have charge of the arrangements Twenty-Five
boys were appointed committees in order to
give them a share in the constructive work.
Temporary quarters were secured in an old
barn, which was fitted up through general con-
tributions including graphOphOne piano. pool
table stoves, dishes, indoor baseball outfit,
S137 in cash, and subscriptions for many maya
zines Boy scouts and band organ
lied. and other organizations were formed.
AS a result, it soon found that 148 young
men were governing themselves, financing their
own enterprise through various entertainments,
and providing social opportunities and athletics
for their fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters
At the same time they were members of the Neigh
borhood association, with votes all questions
pertaining to it
The barn soon became too small for these va
rious activities This brought to the front ones
tion which had been under consideration for some
time-the erection OF a community building 1t
was finally decided that a building should be
erected which would be the headquarters of the
Neighborhood association, with its membership of
800 men and women representing 235 families
together with its boys recreation department and
also be a general social center.
The completed building, together with the land
represents an outlay of $50 600. The community
nature OF the work in the raising of funds and
tbe method OF construction is indicated by fhe
fact that the land. the labor OF lie members and
contributions from 80 per cent OF the families in
the village were all donated
The building is situated q rise of ground
in grove of trees and comprises one story and
a basement. The auditorium be made TO seat
500 people and was especially designed for mo-
tion-picture exhibitions, for dances and for bas-