Evening star., 1920-03-15
MODEL COMMUNITY
noEER TOkTIEND
CONVENTION here
Dhw Ph1ips Of Cincinnati
~ Oe poieqate at New
y wizard Saturday.

n 2o0g tho 61ndredD OF state dele
Iksto0 % the national community con.
~ensleo which has been called by
kFraAlli0 Z. Lane to assemble at the
kSsev willard Hotel Saturday IL ex-
lpeoE1a to Be wilbur Phillips OF Gin
kcinnsaa. . pioneer in tho field Of com
ennunity service and daddy OF the
tsnodel cougmunfty which has been in
.pperation and fiourishing in the heart
'Uf Cincinnati % for % three s years. .,.
:healthy, happy community was the
dream Of Mr.. PhillipS young life.
FINDING no such community ready
snads, with true American enterprise.
gan "a - ~ - fmasinins mag al % What nti the Ai ideal
community should be like and evolved
what seemed to him to be sound
fundamental principles OF community
Constructioh. He read the accepted
sion and adopted those principles
(which seemed applicable to American
pife. As his dream took form and
tshape he wrote it all out in a book
tnannscr,pt Of about AZ pages. Equip,
ped with this sheaf of. theoretical
working plans. he sought and con-
6erred with the practical humani-
tarians Of the country. This is great
Sstun" they told him. But why put
Il between the covers of a book?
y
Cincinnati Took to Plan.
ss Wilbur Phillips presented his
plan to the populace at large. Wash
Sngton, an well as Baltimore and
philadelphia, were inerested, but not
1sufdcieAtly SO. Cincinnati. on the other
hand. nasde q strong bid for a try"
sn her environs and offered partial
.,hnanctsl backing by way of induce
Nnent Aided and abetted by Elsie c.
Phillips. his wife and CO. worker. Mr..
PhiAips went to Cincinnati with his
sireanl still under his arm, but with
reality shimmering in the offing.
Sentiment was sounded through the
m edium of the public schools. Each
&ectien of the city was invited to reg
1ster its desire in the matter, and as
tho votes or requests came in,
Epot map was made. In the locality
where the spots became almost a blot,
or where the demand was "thickest."
The community was mapped out 1t
took in parts of three political wards.
3n the section known as the Mohawk
Bri1hton district. 1t covered about
12.oeo inhabitants. not of the poorest
class. but of workers. many of them
skilled and educated: in short. it was
2 representative middle western
small working town. larger area
was deemed to be unwieldy and not
suitable for experiment. The COM
1nunity 'ouse was placed in the CEN
The Mohawk Brighton section was
Then divided into units of four or
six blocks each. Professionalism
tors. nurses, teachers, social and well
fare workers, etc.-in those units
were next organized for service. Each
group chose it's service director by
popular election. Very soon Mr.. Phil
lipo knew what each group had tot
offer In the way of professional skill
and service. Then the families in
those groups were organized, and each
unit selected its spokesman. or leader.
in democratio election, to express the
wishes Of the families. their approval
or diSapproval OF plans outlined.
Then. having the need expressed and
the supply at hand, betterment was
made comparatively easy.
Health Program First.
Mr. Phillips first undertook to put
over a health program. The COM
ing house for all sorts of distress. The
tubarculars were discovered aA0
. treatment was provided for them.
The babies and children were a very
special department.
In the three years past the COM
munity children have received 40 per
cent medical attention and 100 per
cont nursing attendance Infant NOR
tality is unbelievably low. During
the epidemic of influenza last VIZ
eases were reported promptly. because
the people had been trained to re-
Doft illness at once. The ever-ready
doctors and nurses were right on 1he
lob, and the community made record
in self This year they
were not even touched by Influenza
"Does this sort of service make the
benenciaries DEPENDENT" "Emphali-
caIly. nor Mr.. Phillips replied. cit
makes men abler to help themselves,
and eager to help others in turn.
Every one works. The beggar ana
derelict are unknown. There is es-
fablished reciprocity of cheerful
service and good will. That is my idea
Of Americanism Of the true and most
vital order