1918.] THE NECESSITY FOR ORGANIZATION. 05 



cialjility, however, does not depend' uixni any mysterious or oc- 

 cult socioloq;ical forces. \\'here\er two or three are <,^athere«l 

 to.^'etlier with one mind or with a coninion interest, there is 

 alwa}'S plenty ol sociability; in t'act. there are the two es- 

 sential factors — physical juxtaposition, projnnciuity (jr geo- 

 metrical nearness on the one hand, an.d a common interest on 

 the other. W ith these two factors present, there is never lack 

 of s».)ciabliity. With, either oi them .absent, sociability is im- 

 possible. 



It is uot so very difficult to get people together within the 

 sound of one another's voices, but this alone, as already sug- 

 gested, will not create sociability. The difhcult thing is to 

 give them a common interest which is strcjng enough and 

 deep enough to make them want to come together and to 

 overcome the natural reticence which most country people 

 feel. When people are vitallv interested in the building u\) 

 of the neighborhood, in. making it a better place in which to 

 live and bring up their families, — a better place to which to 

 entrust their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. — they 

 will have a comnnju interest. If you can create within the 

 neighborhood a genuine desire to do something for it, — to 

 build it up, not simply along moral and educational lines, 

 though these are of the utmxost importance, — but even in in- 

 dustry, prosperity and wealth ; a genuine desire to see better 

 markets or a better outlet for the products of the farms; a 

 genuine desire for better roads, better schoolhouses, — not 

 sim})ly for the selfish interest of the individual but because 

 of the real, emotional interest in the welfare of the neighbor- 

 hood, then yott will have created a common interest. 



W> know what it is to feel an emotional interest in the 

 welfare or the safety of the United States of America. I am 

 afraid that most of us feel a deeper emotional interest in the 

 country as a Vvdiole than we do in that part of the country 

 called the neighi)orhood, for which v.-e can accomplish more 

 than we can for the nation as a whole. Almost any one of 

 us has in his power to do more for his own neighborhood 

 than he can possibly do for the country as a whole, and yet 

 most of us have very little emotional interest in our neighbor- 

 hood, even though we have a great deal in the country as a: 

 whole. 



