The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1920-03-25

have that, Ardmore viii begin TO
move, and move fast.
III We are going TO have 10000
people here in 1925, as some enthu-
lasts predict, we have got to get to-
sether and get ready. We shall not
see our hopes consummated unless
we get busy aud stay busy"
What is a Chamber Of Commerce?
The last speaker was j. G. Foster
director Of the campaign. His talk
was an outline Of the underlying phil
osophy of the modern Chamber If
Commerce. lie said in part:
1--WE have designated this meeting
a community conference. Webster
defines the word community as a
society of people having common
rights, privileges ana interests, civil
or political; or, living under the same
laws and regulations SO YOU see
the term community is a broad and
comprehensive one ana may be said
to embrace all who live i'm Carter
county or who are engaged i'm busi-
ness here, for they are bound by COM
mon ties Of interest.
IF we are to succeed i'm this un
dertaking of building a community
organization the efficiency Of which
has been tested and proved. as
know we will. it will be necessary to
stimulate and TO arouse the civic con
sciOusness Of your people and SO we
may say that this is the first meet
ing Of what must naturally be a sort
Of civic revival.
"As a basic fact let me say that
the purpose Of this movement Is To
better organize this community and
10 train it in the habit Of teamthink.
ing and in the practice Of team
working. We are undertaking 20 mo-
billie the best thought, the best
influences and the energies of a large
number of representative men and
women, and TO unite those forces in
support OF our institutions of govern
ment and behind definite and COM
prehensive program Of community
bettermcnts.
as such an organization good
or necessary thing?
surely it is, for back Of the pro
lect is the urge of great national
need as well as Of local opportunity"
Suggesting that some might question
the first part Of that statement, Mr..
Foster showed how it is stil true
that The strength of the nation is in
well organized communities" though
the war is closed OF the local needs,
he said:
Organization is Cooperation
1--WE must thoroughly organize our
communities. Now what constitutes
an organized community?
at is not sufficient that YOU have
the machinery Of this city and county
government which the law provides
for. In that respect we are prone to
confuse citizenship with government.
As matter Of fact they are two
distinctly different hut constituent
parts Of each unit of a modern de-
mocracy. Government is merely the
corporate creature and servant Of the
citizen will. Therefore government
can go no further than the citizen
will demands.
"If there be lack of efficiency In q
democracy, it is because of the lack
of organized citizenship. We may
say, therefC"e, that the hest organ
lied communities are those in which
the largest number of citizens have
voluntarily associated themselves for
counsel and for unselfsh public ser
vice. Certain it is that those cities
which have achieved the most are
the ones whose citizens have master
cd in the highest degree the art OF
cooperation.
Considering now the local organiza
ton in its relation to community
needs, what sort of a community or
ganization should you have?
at should be, in very fact,
Chamber Of Citizenship, by what
ever name it may be known; the
name most frequently employed for
associations Of this character is
Chamber of Commerce. name
which will persist until some inspired
individual shall invest better and
more expressive name.
"Tbe modern, efficient Chamber OF
Commerce is an organization COM
posed of men and women Of all class
cs, of all crecds, of all parties and
of all businesses, whose single pun
pose is to make their city a better
place in which to live and labor. 1t
should be representative Of all com
munity elements and its guiding code
should be the principles Of democ-
racy and service.
Community Spirit Defined
ut is such an organization that we
In 4 rItnnra
You will agree with me, 1 am sure
that the aim Of every good citizen
should be to make his city Of the
typo that people hate to leave, Of
the kind about which everyone has
something good TO say the sort OF
city whose every citizen is its cnam-
pion. Cities Of that kind receives
quantity and quality Of advertising
the value OF which cannot be meas
ured in dollars ana cents. Those cit
les attract a citizenship Of the hight
est type and they hold it. They
achieve prosperity as u matter OF
course.
ITO effect Of a real community as
sociation, a new spirit must be devel-
oped. spirit that will overcome petty
iealousics and narrow selflshness,
and move all to work unitedly for the
greatest good of the greatest number
Community spirit is what IS re-
Quired. That is ;he propulsive force
behind all civic and commercial pro-
gress. l would have you bear in
mind that a ciWc-commerclal organi-
aation, while given a certain form