The Concordia sentinel. (Vidalia, Concordia Parish, La.) 1882-current, 1920-07-17

their communities for recreational, gymnastic,
athletic social and welfare work, and often TOT
political, cooperative business! and rellgOus WIN
Among the specific economic uses of the builuihsS,
for instance are canning demonstrators cos
and girls club work, domestic science agrlcul-
tural society meetings, fairs, cafes cateteriaS'
farmers institutes, and cooperative purchashs
and marketing activities. Among the educatlohal
and recreational uses are lectures, moving pic
lures, night schools entertainments, olIllaruS,
pool, bowling table games, reading room ana
library
The Matinecock neighbOrhOod house, Locust
Valley Long Island, New York. is an excellent ex-
ample of the way in which community buildings
come into existence and are managed.
About eight years ago a boy came to the sec
retary of the MatinecOck NeighbOrhOod assOci-
alton and asked him to start boys club, saying
there was no place for the boys TO go for a good
time except to the saloons or to the neighborng
town with its questionable amusements. The sec
retary who had but recently arrived, made a
survey of the situation He found that through
economic changes, farming was gradually being
given I'D and the section was becoming resi-
Dental one The population shifting, and
neghborhood spirit and community recreation
was at a low ebb.
He found also that there in the village
a private unsupervised young mems athletic club
which met in a blacksmith's shop. Being a man
of vision, he determined to make this club a
nucleus of general system of supervised recre-
alton for the village with community house as
a center.
He persuaded the athletic club to sign a petition
for the Neighborhood association to take them
in as members on payment of the regular dues,
81 per year. and then to commission them as
recreation department to furnish recreation for
the whole community The association complied
and appointed an executive committee, composed
have charge of the arrangements. Twenty-nine
bows were appointed on committees in order to
give them q share in the constructive work.
Temporary quarters were secured in old
barn which was fitted up through general con-
tributions including graphophOne, piano, pool
table stoves, dishes, an indoor baseball outfit,
S137 in cash, and subscriptions for many maya
zines Boy scouts and band were soon organ
lied. and other organizations were formed
AS result, it was soon found that 14S 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 on all questions
pertaining to it.
The barn soon became too small for these
rious activities. This brought to the front ques
tion which had been under consideration for some
time-the erection of community building. 1t
was finally decided that building should be
erected which would be the headquarters of the
NeighborhOod association, with its membership of
300 men and women, representing 235 families,
together with its boys recreation department, and
also be general social center.
The completed building, together with the land,
represents an outlay of $4,000. The community
nature of the work In the raising of funds and
the method of construction is indicated by the
fact that the land, the labor of ITO members, and
Of no m
the village were all donated.
The building is situated on a 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
tionpicture exhibitions, for Dances and for bas-