ed building to be erected is to cost fifty thousand dollars,
even the larger land cost is but ten per cent of the total; and the
value of the building to the community after erection on the more
valuable lot far more than justifies the extra expenditure.

Sometimes architects are inclined to sacrifice utility to beauty. They
are inclined to make the recreation room too short because a proper
length would not harmonize with other lines in the building. The good
architect accepts the beautification of a useful building as a
challenge and does not sacrifice utility because a useful structure
does not embody some feature of Gothic or Old English parish church
architecture. This tendency should be carefully guarded against.

Details as to the slope of ground best adapted to church building,
heating, plumbing, and other features can best be learned by
consultation with a trained architect. Care should be taken to see
that the recreation room is sufficiently large to carry on the simpler
games, such as basketball, when the community so desires. The limits
recommended are fourteen feet high by forty feet wide by sixty feet
long. Many communities, however, are getting along with rooms
considerably shorter and narrower than this. The ceiling should be
supported by steel beams instead of posts. In most sections of the
country it is recommended that recreation rooms be erected on the same
level as the church instead of in the basement, as has been the
practice.

In many sections of the country there is a distinct objection to
having the community service features and the house of worship under
the same roof. It is thought that the light-heartedness of play time
tends to lessen the sacredness of the house of worship and to lessen
respect for religious service. While this attitude is largely a matter
of custom, and while people who have caught the vision of God can
worship him any place, it is believed that wherever possible
consideration should be given to this sentiment and the community
service features of the church should be housed in a separate building
located adjacent to the church or attached to it by some smaller club
room. The two should not be located in widely separate parts of the
village, as the connection between the two may be lost and the service
of the church to the community in this way not recognized. Both house
of worship and community or parish house should be located near the
center of the village.

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