178 THE FARMER AND THE NEW DAY 



ticable in only a few communities, at least for some time 

 to come, and further in the danger of providing in- 

 adequately for activities if the needs of the building 

 for school use are the first consideration. 



The Community House. There are places here and 

 there, and probably a good many of them in the aggre- 

 gate, which have actually established community or 

 neighborhood houses equipped for all community uses, 

 where people may foregather perhaps chiefly for recre- 

 ation, but also for other purposes. A community 

 house is usually the center of the recreational life of 

 the neighborhood or community, both for old and 

 young. 



The Town Hall. The town hall has not much util- 

 ity outside of New England, but is worth mentioning 

 because in that region it often is by all odds the best 

 natural community center so far as the building is con- 

 cerned. 



ANOTHER VIEW OF THE COMMUNITY CENTER IDEA 



Let us not commit ourselves to the idea that the com- 

 munity will find any one building or institution desir- 

 able for all its purposes. In many cases, undoubtedly 

 the consolidated school, for example, is the best place 

 for a community center. But there is something be- 

 hind the community center notion bigger than any 

 particular building or institution. Instead, we may 

 find that it is not a building we want but a group of 

 buildings, preferably, though not necessarily, grouped 

 in the geographical center of the community, each 

 building embodying some large general interest. Let 

 us illustrate: 



i. The Farmers' Exchange. It would be well if 

 each farming community had headquarters for all its 



