Bolstering the Small Town

By IACK DIONNE

One of our great financial authorities has been writing solrre very vitat and interesting facts cf late on one certain subject, the gist orf which is the pertinent fact that our big cities are getting continually bigge,r, and our small towns continually smaller. He lcroks upon this as an unhealthful tendency, and one that should be studied in order that it may be remedied.

We heartily agree with the gentlernan. So does one of our good friends, a big line yard operator with whom we recently discussed this subject. He made the stateTnent that in every one,of his branch lumber yards his milr,ager is being instructed to take upon hirnself the job of interesting the local people ani business men in the threat that hangs over most rural commtrnities and snrrall towns, building r p concerted civic pride, and in wery possible way getting the people of the comm:nity together with the definite object of making that comrnunity grow.

Naturally, there is no man more interested in the up-building, the development, and the population increase in his town and district, than the retail lumberman. And likewise, there is no man in better position-ii he sees his duty and does it-th,an the retail lumberman to perform specific service toward stopping the tendency to rnrke the small towns smaller, t}re big towns bigger.

The non-advertising, non-service-glving dealer will never help to keep people in the small comrnunrity. The lum'berman who keeps a stock of raw building materials, and who tells his trade every now and then in a half in:h ad,-"when in the market foi building materials, s€€ us,"-ls never going to keep the b py or $itl of the small town from drifting toward the city.

Bu,t the nr,qdern building merchant CAN do a LOT. The man who is on the job, interesting the people of his own in more attractive homes, more atractive buildings, interiors that delight the eye and soften the heart;thatmakethelocalfolkssay-"Youshould see the homes in MY 1er,vq"-1fu6t man is going to do a lot to keep the small town from growing smaller.

You can safely judge a town or a city by its homes. And when you find a town today where they are building modern homes, where there are live lumbermen on the job selling new building ideas to the local people, where the people are protrd of the homes that are being erected, you can almost gamble that it is NOT one of the towns that is growing smaller, because it is b,uilding on the surest foundations that make towns grow.

Civic pride, civic co-operation, concerted civic intelligence, are the things that make towns grow. And better hornes and better b rildings will encourage these three things rnightily.

Let every retail lumberman make himself immediately a committee of one to get busy and do the things that will make HIS town grow. And even YOURS is one of the towns that is growing already, still those things that make people proud of their towns will be beneficial and helpful. There is no town so prosperous that it can't stand somre more good boosting.

Do You If Not

rOUR OWN HOME, i..WHY?'

Come little Dollar, Don't you cry, You'll help buy a homeBuy and buy.

Mr. lunber Dealer and Mr. Hardwood User

Meet Great Grandfather 0Atr( Hard. headed. old Southernerl Reminder of Coloniatr Dogs Ancestry dating back to when the Groves auere God's first temPles.

StrengthJharaster Enduranc*-Stability

Always makes the GRADE Suppofter of the l8th Amendment (DRY)

Addreu: Cooper Hardwood Yard