CIVIC IMPROVEMENT. _ 71 



ing goods, such as buggies, boilers, machinery, coal and the like. Clean 

 out all nuisances which disgrace the city. 



9th. Encourage the people who have paved sidewalks, to sweep them 

 at least once a day. 



A recent lecturer suggested, among others "applicable to farmers," 

 objections to improvement as follows: 



1st. Conservatism. Many farmers keep the roadside cut for no tan- 

 gible reason, except that they and their neighbors and ancestors did so. 

 One idea is to make a clean sweep of everything. The other is to let 

 everything grow. A modern idea is to make things attractive. 



2d. Untidiness. The farmer now in some communities who does not 

 keep his roadside clean is looked upon as shiftless and his farm of little 

 value. 



3d. Tramps. Some say roadside shrubbery encourages tramps. That 

 might be said of buildings, but a neat roadside with shrubs never en- 

 courages tramps. If it does, they will be tidy tramps. 



4th. Shade. Some object to shade and surely that is the farmer who 

 can see nothing in pleasure and in beauty, but seeks the last stalk of corn 

 regardless of the comfort to himself, family and others. 



By the trimming of trees high from the ground we would have beauti- 

 ful roadsides and the cornfield would be little shaded. And still there are 

 others that object because of the seeds that are scattered, the insects 

 that are bred, and some prefer to have the grass for an additional 

 hay crop. Some say the dust gathers too much on the shrubs. Some say 

 it causes dampness and some say drifting of snow. 



You will observe in the older states where the embellishments of life 

 are now being considered, these are not objections. 



The Atlanta News of Georgia very well says: 



"Wherever the homes of the people have come to mean more to them 

 than mere lodgments from cold or rain, wind or snow, places for m.aking 

 the almighty dollar, then there has sprung up, very gradually, perhaps, 

 but none the less surely, a desire to improve them and to make the lives 

 of all happy." 



The Greek dwelling must indeed have presented a spectacle which 

 could not have failed to charm. The court yards with Phrygian Onxites, 

 the tall Ionic columns of Parian marble near which recline clad in the 

 graceful robes of that land of beauty, young and beautiful girls flower 

 crowned and singing to the music of the Apollos' cithera, helped to make 

 Greece a power throughout the world in its day. All that the Greeks 

 looked on or touched was made beautiful. Ruskin says "a room without 

 pictures is like a house without flowers." So with a home, city or village. 



We seek for beauty in the ruins of ancient cities. It is a far cry down 

 the ages to our time through the dark ages — you might say to a time 

 when intelligent interest is being taken in the decoration and beautifica- 



