Tfie School House QS cc Communl^ Cenier arei WasKington. D.C. March. /9/C. The School House as a Community Center BY MARGARET WOODROW WILSON SERIES II, NO. 9, MARCH, I916 AMERICAN CIVIC ASSOCIATION GENERAL OFFICES UNION TRUST BUILDING, WASHINGTON, D. C. Monograph American Civic Association President J. HORACE McFARLAND, Harrisburg, Pa. First Vice-President JOHN NOLEN, Cambridge, Mass. Treasurer WILLIAM B. HOWLAND, New York City Secretary RICHARD B. VVATROUS, Washington, D. C. Vice-Presidents MISS MARGARET WOODROW WILSON, Washington, D. C. ARNOLD W. BRUNNER, New York City GEORGE B. DEALEY, Dallas, Texas J. C. NICHOLS, Kansas City, Mo. MRS. EDWARD W. BIDDLE, Philadelphia, Pa. J. LOCKIE WILSON, Toronto, Canada CLINTON ROGERS WOODRUFF, Philadelphia, Pa. Executive Board Mrs. Elmer E. Black, New York City Miss Mabel T. Boardman, Washing- ton, D. C. Miss H. M. Dermitt, Pittsburgh, Pa. Charles M. Dow, Jamestown, N. Y. Morton D. Hull, Chicago, 111. Thomas H. Martin, Tacoma, Wash. Henry B. F. Macfarland, Washing- ton, D. C. Miss Louise Klein Miller, Cleve- land, Ohio Enos Mills, Estes Park, Col. Frederick Law Olmsted, Brookline, Mass. Lee J. Ninde, Fort Wayne, Ind. Mrs. Percy V. Pennybacker, Austin, Tex. Dr. Charles G. Plummer, Salt Lake City, Utah Rev. a. H. Scott, Perth, Canada Mrs. John Dickinson Sherman, Chicago, 111. Howard Strong, Minneapolis, Minn. T. C. Thompson, Chattanooga, Tenn. Rev. John Van Schaick, Jr., Washing- ton, D. C. Prof. Frank A. Waugh, Amherst, Mass. Address all general communications to the Main Office of the Association UNION TRUST BUILDING WASHINGTON, D. C. American Civic Association SERIES II, NO. 9 MARCH, I916 THE SCHOOL HOUSE AS A COMMUNITY CENTER BY MARGARET WOODROW WILSON Paper read by Miss Wilson, as presiding officer at the session devoted to the School as a Community Center, at the Eleventh Annual Convention of the American Civic Association, Washington, D. C, December 29, 1915. Upon taking the chair Miss Wilson said: "In the eastern part of our country the general conception of a social center is very vague and one-sided. Everywhere, because of the spread of the recreation movement for children and the use of school property for this purpose, the object of the social-center movement has been very much misunderstood. I find that nine out of ten persons in this part of the country, when the social-center movement is mentioned, will exclaim, 'Oh yes, games and dancing in the school buildings, fine idea!' or else, 'Yes, I understand, night schools.' In the West it is different. There the idea of making public-school buildings centers of com- munity life and self-government has become, on the whole, quite clear and definite, especially in Wisconsin, where Mr. Ward has done such splendid work. Of course I do not mean to show a lack of respect for the recreation movement or for a night 3 THE SCHOOL HOUSE AS school; one has been life-saving and the other is a splendid extension of the regular program of our public schools. I am simply trying to differentiate between several ideas about the wider use of school buildings. "The social-center idea is indeed educational, but in a much wider sense than that in which academicians conceive of education. It includes the idea of growth and education through self- government. Such education must come through 'citizens going to school to one another.* "Then just what is the object of the social- center movement? It is this — to make every school building in the United States the meeting and voting place of the citizens of the school dis- trict, associated in one non-partisan, non-exclu- sive organization. I take for granted that every woman, as well as every man, in this country, will be a citizen in the sense of having the franchise; but women must not wait for the franchise before sitting in these new people's assemblies — they are very much needed there right away. The object of these people's assemblies shall be to deliberate periodically on all questions on which they vote, and to promote in more direct ways the life and happiness of the neighborhood, and of the city or town. "You see the first object of these assemblies will be to become as intelligent as possible about the public questions which are affected by their votes, and more intelligent in the choice of their representatives — those who ultimately decide these questions. The second object of these people's assemblies will perhaps be more interest- 4 A COMMUNITY CENTER ing than the first, because it will involve more action and creative power on the part of the mem- bers of the organizations. Our school buildings ought to be centers of social enterprise and coopera- tion; places where, as in universities that are really free, everything shall be considered from the point of view of its real value — its real value to the com- munity and to the world. All kinds of wonderful ideas will spring from the free soil of these centers. Why could not such neighborhood organizations be the backers and promoters of art and science in every form ? Why could they not be as powerful in their spiritual influence and practical inventive- ness as the parish church was in the days when the church was the promoter of art and science? "It seems to me that a town or city organized in the way and with the purposes that I have out- lined, could show the way for world organization. Let me quote here a significant sentence from a new book by my friend Charles Ferguson, the author of 'The Religion of Democracy' and 'The University Militant.* " 'To a real American woman it should be plain that the way to make peace on a grand scale is first to work out a vital community of interest on a small scale in an American town, and then to extend the living institution and principles of that concord to the state and nation — and to the whole world.' I think that this should be plain to the real men of our country, too. "No partisan or private body ought to be allowed to use a public-school building unless invited to do so by the organization of neighbors whose community home it is. All citizens of this 5 THE SCHOOL HOUSE AS country shall have one place in their community where, not in the spirit of partisanship, but in the free spirit of truth, all things of interest and importance to the community may be discussed. "I am reminded here of another misconception of the social center movement; it is this — that thousands of halls will be thrown open rent free, for the use of any public-spirited organizations that happen to interest boards of education. Don't you see that if this happens the school buildings cannot become free and democratic community homes, but will become the homes of faddists of every description ? Of course the assem- blies of citizens will now back this project, and will use their buildings for the promotion of such pro- jects. They will make some mistakes, but that is a very different thing from the giving over of the school buildings to private or party organizations. One idea spells confusion, the other coordination and construction. We can prevent the first idea from taking hold by insisting on our right to designate the use of our own buildings instead of letting boards of education decide for us who shall use them. "We ought to make our centers as authentic and abiding as the Capitol at Washington. This can be done only if they are provided for in the same dignified way in which all other machinery of government is provided for; that is, by means of public monies through taxation. "Let us make our public-school buildings vital centers of our communities. On all sides now we see sabotage of every description. The purpose of community centers shall be creation instead of 6 A COMMUNITY CENTER destruction. Instead of death we shall have life, and life in more abundance." After the applause had subsided, Miss Wilson further said in opening the meeting: "I have the pleasure of introducing to you now a great-hearted woman, a loyal member of the human family, a dear friend of the world, the Marchioness of Aberdeen." LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 020 773 126 2