ORGANIZING THE COMMUNITY 177 



munity center, the church building a true neighborhood 

 house? Yes; the way is clear, and the plan is worth 

 trying. But after all are the best results to the com- 

 munity likely to accrue from dependence upon a single 

 institution, no matter how strong and active? Is it, 

 moreover, the real function of the church to furnish 

 the complete machinery for all community activities? 

 Is not the task of the church to infuse the spirit and 

 motive into the activities of all individual and collective 

 life rather than to embody the tangible expression of 

 those activities? 



The School as a Community Center. How about 

 the school as a community center? In case of the 

 small district school, the limitations of the building are 

 such that its use for general purposes by adults is not 

 practicable. It is too small, the seats are not made for 

 adults. Of course it may serve after a fashion for 

 community gatherings. But if it is to be a community 

 center, it needs additions that make it virtually a neigh- 

 borhood house. Suppose however we are about to 

 erect a new schoolhouse which is to be the only school 

 building in the community. Suppose this is to be a 

 real country-life school. Why not make the building 

 also a neighborhood house and the real community 

 center? Fine! But the question would arise whether 

 we have built a schoolhouse or a neighborhood house. 

 The suggestion comes at once, why not incorporate the 

 schoolhouse in the neighborhood house? This may 

 often prove wholly practicable and, if practicable, both 

 economical and desirable economical because it 

 saves one building, desirable because it brings the school 

 life and work into natural harmony with the community 

 activities. The weakness of advocating the school as 

 a community center lies in the fact that this is prac- 



