Show C VV Community Center Idea Ideas s Is Old as Schoolhouse The development of the community cen center er both as ns a city and as a rural Institution is comparatively recent recent- twenty or thirty years ears perhaps c counting count ling ing from the modest beg beginnings made by pioneers In the movement mo but the essential Idea Is old almost as os old as tho western country schoolhouse In fact the community center whatever Its name or form Is essentially tho the early prairie schoolhouse Often It was wa the old sod schoolhouse Devoted to lessons from the school schoolbooks schoolbooks schoolbooks books by day for five fie days das of the week on Sunday it became th the tho meetIng meetIng meet In Ing house for cl church services and andS S Sunday school and on Ve Wednesday or or nl night ht It housed the prayer meeting On Friday night there was was the spelling school or maybe the lyceum or the Ule debating society Saturday night It was the meeting hallof haltof hallof hall halt of the Grange or the Farmers' Farmers alliance More than likely something else was going on some of the other nights This was an nn excellent thing for the community It gave opportunity for forthe forthe the satisfaction of the gregarious instinct in In- tho the social cr craving cra Ing But Dot it was likely to be a hardship upon the poor teacher and trial to her soul saul Thus the Institution flourished even even ven If It unnamed The scho schoolhouse was the natural center and Is yet of com corn community Interest and around It revolved the community's social activities The result was a very real community feelIng feel- feel feeling Ing Lug and spirit The growth of towns and cities the multiplication of churches lodges theaters theaters the the- aters the Increased facility in travelIng traveling travel travel- ing eventuated In the thern gradual desue desuetude tude of of the th country country schoolhouse as a's a center of Interest other than that for W which l h It was primarily Instituted the Instituted the ed education ca 1 of tho the children dren of or the community com coin In the cities there Is no longer a areal areal areal real community life Ufe any more than there Is In the ilic country Without such sucha a community Interest there can be little Uttie lit Ut- tle tie concerted action looking toward the conservation of community and larger civic concerns T To re-establish re community solidarity and bring opportunities opportunities not not otherwise available Into Info the community especially poor neighborhoods neigh neigh- b b rho ds d's s social s settlements w w were reinvented reInvented reIn In Invented vented and developed The Th next step was was to revive the Idea of ot using the school building to house N. N Y community activities Syracuse I Iwas was one of the first cities to try to work It out Milwaukee did a good deal New Nev York ga gave l lecture courses and conducted afew a few other activities more nore or less under the edu educational ad ad- ministration |