Narblog

The Narblog's Inspiration: The 'Our Town' Newspaper 1914-1949

In October of 1914, the newly formed Narberth Civic Association began publishing a newspaper designed to offer citizens "an experience of co-operative journalism".  Twin mottoes were heralded, "No matter how hemmed in, any wide-awake town may become notably bigger" and "The Citizens Make The Town".  Weekly publishing of 'Our Town' with four Philly Metro-sized pages began in earnest with support from the local merchant community and classified advertising.

In its opening column, George M. Henry writes:

"...Owing to the various business and social interests of our citizens, it is, of course, impossible to set dates for public meetings convenient for all...The idea of conducting a newspaper seemed the best solution of this problem, as it offered a regular means of communication at nominal cost...this would offer not only a means of communication between the members of the Civic Association, but also serve the same purposes for every other organization in town...Each person can thus be put in close touch with all activities and with matters of general interest, and we hope and believe that with the help of all, this paper may be made the means of firmly establishing...the highest type of civic improvement--CO-OPERATION."

Mr. Henry's remarks were followed by Augustus J. Loos.  Mr. Loos concludes his remarks as follows:

Let us cultivate a spirit of helpful optimism.  Mere adverse criticism, without action, is worse than useless...Those who give their time and energies to public work should be made to feel that the citizens stand back of them...Let our motto be  "Narberth for Narberthians," and all work together for the common good.

The  words above serve as inspiration for the Narblog which your editor hopes will function effectively as a community newspaper in our Internet Age.

'Our Town' was published through the town's boom years.  New tracts were developed, the Philadelphia Railroad was an economic force, and the Main Line grew in overall stature.  The paper featured a number of regular sections. 

• Local and nearby governmental activities including ordinances, politics, and other issues.
• 'The Fireside', originally published by Lady Narberth was a social register and gossip column. It detailed the events of the week, births, deaths, illnesses, engagements, vacations, and business developments in the borough.
• Coverage of athletic and social club activities for youth and adults.
• Letters to the Editor from citizens on every topic imaginable.
• Regional, National, and International coverage excerpted from other newspapers.
• Advertisements from local merchants interspersed throughout the paper.
• Classified advertising from citizens and small businesses.
• Factoids, jokes, and other light entertainment to fill out the columns.

In the week before Thanksgiving 1949, the 'Our Town' editor announced the paper's final issue.  Over its 35 year run, the publication had been upsized to 17" x 23" and six pages in length.  Yet:

With its next issue, Our Town, the newspaper of Narberth, will be merged with The Lower Merion Township News. This move, which will bring an end to the independent existence of Our Town, will, we believe, result in a better newspaper both for Narberth and for Lower Merion Township.

When Our Town was established in 1914 by the Narberth Civic Association, the Main Line was still in the "horse and buggy age," in which each community was largely self-contained. Today's widespread use of motor cars has broken down the barriers of space, and has given to each community a closer relationship to the communities which adjoin it.

Many Narberth residents are members of Lower Merion churches and other organizations, just as many Lower Merion residents are affiliated with groups in Narberth. Narberth pupils attend the Lower Merion High School, and in many other ways township and borough functions are coordinated.

In appreciation of the support of large numbers of faithful subscribers and of the advertising patronage of a few loyal business concern in the borough, the publishers continued Our Town as a separate newspaper long after that ceased to be economically feasible.

The opinions voiced about the demise of 'Our Town' and its merger with the Lower Merion Township News seem to have been lost.  There was no more 'Our Town' to record those thoughts for posterity.

Narberth Caucus Meeting this Wednesday

The Narberth Borough Council Caucus meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 4th at 8pm in Borough Hall.

Attendance at the last Caucus meeting was heavy in response to Lower Merion's proposal to replace our existing police department.  It is unknown whether council will present any new information on that topic at the Caucus meeting.

LM School Redistricting - Community Meetings

Lower Merion will be redistricting over the next few years in an attempt to even out enrollment numbers between various schools.  Currently, elementary school age residents of Narberth are split between different schools.

If you care about where your children will attend public school, you should attend one of these community meetings:

Thursday, May 29, 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM -- Lower Merion   Academy Building
      Sunday, June 8, 2 PM - 4 PM  -- Welsh Valley   Middle School (cafeteria)
      Monday, June 9, 7 PM - 9 PM -- Lower Merion   High School (cafeteria)
      Tuesday, June 10, 7 PM – 9 PM -- Harriton High School  (cafeteria)

News Coverage of Council Meeting

The Main Line Times also covered this past week's Borough Council Meeting.  The article is here. 

The Philadelphia Evening Bulletin also covered the meeting.  The articles are here and here.

Spring Music Festival

On the heels of last week's sidewalk sale, the Narberth Business Association hosts an outdoor music festival.

"Spring Music Festival          May 18th from 2-7pm

A daylong block party on Haverford Ave will be fun for all, and benefit a great cause [Philabundance].  It features a full line up of free, live entertainment and a wonderful variety of festival foods sure to please any palate.  Acts include Jasafar, The Sarcastics, Errigal, Funk Harp, and Paper Street.  Food provided by The Greeks, McShea's and Ice Cafe.  The festival is free, but representatives from Philabundance will be on hand to collect donations and canned goods.  Sit back, relax, and take in the sights, sounds, and aromas or get out there and dance to the beat."

The weather is looking like nice for Sunday.  Put in on your calendar and enjoy yourself!

Summary of Tonight's Council Meeting

The May meeting of the Narberth Borough Council met with a standing room only crowd of citizens in attendance.  The pledge of allegiance was followed by discussion of routine business which led into the public comment period. 

Attendance was just shy of 200 people and about 40 people addressed the council.  Local99.TV, the local community access channel, was in attendance videotaping the proceeding.  If you'd like to see the meeting firsthand, I'd recommend tuning to Comcast Channel 99 where it will be available.  The channel is not yet available on Verizon FioS service.  With your financial support, it may be possible for Narberth community events to be available as streaming video on your computer.

Here are some citizen quotes from the evening:

• "We should have a town referendum before implementing this policy."  [followed by a standing ovation]
• "We have expertise in our town to reduce operational expenses.  Come to us 'citizens', not Lower Merion."
• "Don't ever give up our independence."
• "I think Lower Merion has been trying to get Narberth since 1960."
• "Historically, the borough has had a rather fat budget and we have all enjoyed the programs and services provided."
• If the Merriam estate is developed, "We will have need for more police, not less."
• "Don't hire any consultants.  They are a waste of money.  They will tell you what you want to hear and merely shift the blame."
• "I have opposition to prolonging this whole process."

The overwhelming majority of residents in attendance were against disbanding the police department.  Most felt that even investigating the issue should be dropped.   Many felt it was unethical to discuss the concept at the same  time the police contract was being negotiated.  This feeling was echoed by Councilman Wegbreit during his remarks.

Narberth currently has a 1.4/1000 officer to citizen ratio.  The national average is 2.9/1000 and 1.7/1000 is considered optimal by criminologists.

Borough Council has assigned an ad hoc committee to deal with this police issue.  At this point, Narberth has forwarded financial information regarding the police department to Lower Merion for their evaluation.  Additional information may or may not be available by June's meeting.

Attend Tonight's Borough Council Meeting

The Narberth Borough Council meets tonight at 8pm in the common room on the 2nd Floor of Borough Hall.  All citizens are invited to attend.  Come and listen.  Come and speak your mind.

A Busy Weekend for Narberth

The weather cleared to allow the Sidewalk Sale and Zerbini Family Circus to draw the local crowds and provide lots of entertainment. 

The sidewalk sale included proprietors dressed as clowns, a horse drawn cart for rides, performances by DanceExpress at the train station circle, free popcorn & cotton candy, and much more.  Thanks go to the Narberth Business Association and our local businesses for financing a fun event with lots of activities.

The unseasonably cool weather kept the temperature under the big top tent quite mild in comparison with previous years.  Our children enjoyed the pony rides, camel rides, slides, moon bounce, and all the live entertainment.

For many, the evening was topped off with the fund raising Hula Party at Borough Hall.  This Luau was packed with lei-wearing revelers eager to experience the "the only luau for 3,000 miles".

The Narblog would love to hear feedback on your weekend.  Comments are welcome.

The Making of Narberth

From the Narberth Civic Association:

The Narberth Civic Association presents Dennis Montagna’s profusely illustrated lecture…
The Making of Narberth

Wednesday, May 14th at 7:15p.m.
Saint Margaret’s Roman Catholic Church
Antioch Annex
208 North Narberth Avenue
Donation: $5

Using historic photographs and postcards, real estate maps, and period newspapers,
historian Dennis Montagna sleuths out downtown Narberth’s past from its beginnings as a stop on the Pennsylvania Railroad in the 1870s, through its 20th century development into the commercial center of the most densely packed suburb on the Main Line.

Dennis directs the National Park Service’s Monument Research & Preservation Program, based at the Park Service’s Philadelphia regional office. He holds an M.A. in Art and Architectural History from the University of Wisconsin and Ph.D from the University of Delaware. He also serves on the board of the Lower Merion Historical Society.

Co-sponsored by the Borough of Narberth, Saint Margaret Parish, and the Narberth Business Association

Here is a link to the printable PDF flyer.

Divisiveness and Name Calling

Rosemary McDonough writes an excellent column this week about the state of things in Narberth.  She rightly points out that we received an 11% tax increase this year with no explanation at all.  This inexplicable increase was also discussed in a January Narblog post.

Ms. McDonough writes, "We should encourage efforts to save money and demand full transparency."  We don't need to demand transparency.  We already have it.  From the Narberth Borough website:

Q:           Is the budget open to public inspection? Where would I go to see it?
A:           Yes, the budget is available for public inspection. It is kept on file in the Borough Office.

If you're unhappy with the 11% tax increase, why not head down to the Borough Office and take a look at the budget? Compare it with previous years.  All of the information is available.  No Narberth resident lives beyond walking distance to the office.

That said, has your Narblog editor ventured down and done his homework?  Nope. 

Why not?  Because, like all of us, we have busy lives and other commitments.  Though we all feel that 'something should be done', none of us take the initiative. 

This leads right into another of Ms. McDonough's excellent points:

In the last few weeks, I've been disappointed by the vitriol that some members of our community have spewed at Council members. The attacks against Borough Council have often been ad hominem, inflammatory, and suggestive of sinister motives. Let's remember that Borough Council members are our neighbors and friends, and that they work for countless hours without pay while the rest of us are home stretched out on the couch. These [are] tireless volunteers...

The way to mitigate tax increases, keep our police department, or solve any other concern is getting involved: constructively.  This town is not so large that you cannot directly participate in the solution.  As a citizen, you do not need to be asked or be given permission.

None of us have time to 'do it all'.  But, if each of us gets a little more active, our community will be stronger for it.