THE COMMUNITY CENTER MOVEMENT
the statesman are move conspicuous but not more important than the labors of the community organizer, for no patriotic work can rival in value that of the group of people who steadily build toward a common consciousness, a common purpose, and a common devotion. Thousands of organizations, based on altruistic principles and founded and grounded in a desire to serve humanity, sprang up and died before they developed definitely in the consciousness of the people the realization that it is necessary to get at the first unit, to reach people in their original habitat, to deal with fundamentals, before we can hope to have a national mind, to think nationally, and to feel nationally. Dr. Graham Taylor has said:
"I don't know what is coming with sufficient centrifugal force to drive us together, but I believe we never can be driven together except in these neighborhood units; the city is made up of its neighborhoods, and can be no stronger than its neighborhood power. Whatever comes the state and the nation will be stronger
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