The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1922-04-07

How much do you use your school
house? Just during school hours, the
five days of the week, or maybe once
a month besides for social? Then
figure out what percentage of the
time that perfectly good school house
is empty, and how much 1t cost, and
what percentage Of the money so in
vested is giving no return.
That is what one man did, and he
got busy and talked the thing over
with his neighbors, and they started
using the school house for elections,
and entertainments, and night classes
and farmers association meetings,
and mothers conferences, and parent
teachers associations, and-goodness
don't know what all.
Somebody heard about his idea,
and got him to explain it to their
neighborhood He went on from little
schools and towns to bigger ones. He
became adviser in civic and social
center development for the extension
division at the University of Wiscon-
sin (where became acquainted with
HIM and by and by the president at
Washington sent for him to take
charge of the same sort of work with
the whole of the United States as his
field of operations.
The United States is pretty big
place, and you may never come in
contact with his dynamic personality.
But you can read his book, The So
cial Center" "a in which he says
many interesting and practical things.
Among them he includes this Song
of Neighborhood" by Edna Ketcham,
college girl (who worked her way.
She caught the spirit of what he was
trying to do, and put it into words
that sing easily to the tune of AUD
Lang Syne" and therefore may readily
be adopted as the Official neighbour
hood song for any new social center
that is formed:
Come close and let us wake the joy
Our fathers used to know,
When to the little old school house
Together they would go;
rhen neighbours heart to neighbor
warmed
In thought for common good;
Well strike that fine old chord again
song of neighborhood
The fathers Glove the wilderness
And made clearing here,
Then at its heart, this friendly roof
They joined their hands to rear;
And here they met and talked and
planned
A larger common veal
Their future we are living now.
We, here, their purpose feel.
Out in the world we all have learned
Hardness OF toll and care;
It's tried our souls and shorn our
youth
OF dreams and visions fair.
In worry for self we may have lost
-~- The larger hope and claim;
here
Well find it's power again.
Its spirit must not go,
For what it to our fathers meant
Our present time must know.
Heavy the work that waits our hands;
Our single strength but small,
Omitted here for common tasks,
Each finds the might of ALL"
#@* $50
Speaking of the neighborly accord
between Canada and the United
States, in Edward Eagles Hope of
the Future. the Hon. Arthur Mrl -
an. prime minister of Canada, says:
Only mutual ignorance and suspicion
can prevent these relations from be-
coming permanent in the family of
sary for us to make constant efforts
to sustain and advance the spirit of
good will. We must iron out each
small difficulty as it arises.
above all we must endeavor to
understand each other. Every traveller
can help. 1t is a process which can
never be completed. No one can pro-
phesy when or where a subject of dis
agreement may arise; but whatever
it may be, a clear understanding of
the question is bound to reveal the
fact that our interests and purposes
are not fundamentally divergent"
And Mr. Eagles avowed purpose in
his book is to bring his fellow Amer
leans to see and understand the rest
of the English speaking cousins across
the water and across the line as he
came to in his travels and study and
intimate associations with them. 1t is
book that | would like to see in ev-
cry school library in the land.
Who. by the way can tell me the
publisher of a novel entitled THE
Richest Man in Kansas? A mission
airy. deep in the African wilds wrote
me they We're anxious to read it, and
/ have not been able to find it. Maybe
you have a copy that you have read
that You are willing to send her? a.
a stop zap / sent Will N Hardin s
novel The Triumph, a Civil Wa,
story VITA strong character drawing
and VIVID. interesting pictures of life
in the south in reconstruction days
s* "a
Could You guess who mean
v onder. Il should tell you | an
thinking of ne of the most famous
old men in he country, who has lived
On farm "ince 1874 devoting his tma
II frui, c,,ltrre and literature? Some
hyly is 'Ire to suggest "Pur1ank
Vran2. though it is nearly right, for
ho,d. and his big experimental pl'is
In California might readily be c1iied
a farm
Nas III nj ing of another nathral-
list chur Ct his. IL years Ode" tnan