336 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
and Village _ Improvement Committee, the object of which is to study into 
the needs of towns and villages, to arouse and encourage general interest 
in the work of improvement and to suggest simple and practical methods 
for beginning work. ‘The cities are planning constantly to make their sur- 
roundings more beautiful, thereby involving the expenditure of vast sums of 
money. They are awakening to the fact that generous park systems are es- 
sential to give them prestige with the great traveling public, to say nothing 
of administering to the pleasure and comfort of the residents. 
The smaller towns and villages need to be aroused to action, to realize 
the needs and possibilities of their own surroundings. It is a mistaken idea 
that we are responsible for our own yards only. If we, through education 
and other advantages, are fitted to keep home grounds in perfect order, 
it is only part of our duty to do so; the balance of our duty requires us to 
help others to reach the same standard. Of course, a slovenly kept yard 
cannot be entered and put to order, but the streets which are the common 
property of all, the grounds around all public buildings themselves, can be 
operated upon by arousing public sentiment,and very soon the owners of all 
unkempt and unpleasant looking places will fall into line and keep step in 
the march of improvement, if only through self interest in the value of 
property. 
To quote from Miss Danforth’s paper: “The work of an improvement, 
association is both suggestive and executive, both preventive and reme- 
dial; but it is more suggestive than executive, and more preventive than 
remedial. It must work through individuals, through city councils and 
through the legislature. An improvement league should be formed in every 
town, village or country neighborhood. Plans for work should be decided 
upon, and the best methods for carrying them out should be thoroughly 
discussed.” 
Aside irom improvement league or committees of the State Federa- 
tion of Women’s Clubs, there is still another organization doing similar 
work. It is the Women’s Auxiliary of the Minnesota Horticultural Society. 
Its objects are to advance public interest in improvement of home, school and 
village grounds, in the observance of Arbor Day, in park and in cemetery 
work and in flower culture for the house; to study the relation of household 
economics to flower culture, to aid the horticultural society in the fur- 
therance of its work, and to affiliate with the Minnesota Federation of 
Women’s Clubs, especially in the department of country and village im- 
provement. 
In these days of women’s clubs, it must be explained that this is a club 
for both men and women, and the officers are usually men. 
Cannot the mental vision picture the outcome of such an order of things. 
Surely we have a glorious future to look forward to.. Mrs. A. E. Paul, 
street cleaning inspector for the first ward of Chicago, has organized the 
school children into efficient auxiliaries in the work of keeping the streets 
clean. The children will be taught the value of sanitation and will be 
asked to closely observe the condition of alleys and streets in their neigh- 
borhoods and make daily reports in the school session. Mrs. Paul says she 
is determined to devote herself to some means of organization among the 
children of Chicago in the line of good citizenship, so that boys shall be 
taught to be honest officials, and not to think that every man in a public 
position is a thief. 
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