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Show v7 Buildincj j Community Center Idea Is Old as Schoolhouse The development of the community center, both as a city and as a rural Institution, Is comparatively recent twenty or thirty years, perhaps, counting count-ing from the modest beginnings made by pioneers in the movement; but the essential idea is old, almost as old as the western country schoolhouse. In fact the community center, whatever its name or form. Is essentially the early prairie schoolhouse. Often it was the old sod schoolhouse. Devoted to lessons from the school books by day, for five days of the week, on Sunday it became the "meeting "meet-ing house" for church services and Sunday school ; and on Wednesday or Thursday night it housed the prayer meeting. On Friday night there was the "spelling school," or maybe the "lyceum" or "the debating society." Saturday night it was the meeting hall of the Grange or the Farmers' alliance. More than likely something else was going on gome of the other nights. This was an excellent thing for the community. It gave opportunity for the satisfaction of the gregarious instinct, in-stinct, the social craving. But it was likely to be a hardship upon the poor teacher, and trial to her soul. Thus the Institution flourished, even if unnamed. The schoolhouse was the natural center, and Is yet, of community com-munity Interest and around it revolved the community's social activities. The result was a very real community feeling feel-ing and spirit The growth of towns and cities ; the multiplication of churches, lodges theaters, the-aters, the Increased facility in traveling travel-ing eventuated in the gradual desuetude desue-tude of the country schoolhouse as a center of Interest other than that for which It was primarily instituted the education of the children of the community. com-munity. In the cities there Is no longer a real community life any more than there Is In the country. Without such a community interest there can be little lit-tle concerted action looking toward the conservation of community and larger civic concerns. To re-establish community solidarity and bring opportunities oppor-tunities not otherwise available Into the community, especially poor neighborhoods, neigh-borhoods, "social settlements" were invented in-vented and developed. The next step was to revive the idea of using the school building to house community activities. Syracuse, N. Y., was one of the first cities to try to work it out. Milwaukee did a good dealr New York gave lecture courses and conducted a few other activities mere or less under the educational administration. |