294 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



638. One of these bills provided for the planting of trees in street 

 lawns by the park board, on petition of a majority of the property 

 owners in a given street ; the other for the cutting of grass in street 

 lawns on similar petition. The committee was successful in rescuing 

 both of these bills from the oblivion into which they had been pushed 

 by more aggressive measures and securing their passage. 



"The league then set about formulating a plan by which the resi- 

 dence portion of the city might be thoroughly policed with a view 

 to improving the appearance of vacant property, neglected street 

 lawns, untidy alleys and the like. A committee known as that on 

 parks, streets and vacant lots, was created, with Mrs. Willis Hall 

 Vittum as its chairman, and a truly remarkable piece of organization 

 was perfected under her active and capable leadership. In the 

 seventh ward, which is practically a solid residence district, cllmost 

 every street had its chairman and, with few exceptions, each block 

 its sub-chairman. The influence of this sort of organization was 

 not only direct, but reflex, and I am told that the woman is not far 

 to seek who, clothed in a little brief authority, has taken her skirts in 

 her hand and sallied forth into her alley righteously intent on pluck- 

 ing a mote out of her neighbor's back premises, only to discover a 

 beam in her own. It is hardly necessary to dwell upon the miracle 

 which has been worked in the appearance of many of our streets 

 during the past summer. Hundreds* of feet of vacant property 

 which had been a perpetual eyesore, covered as it was with ashes, tin 

 cans, rubbish of all sorts, overgrown with noxious weeds, offensive 

 not alone to the eye, but to the nostril as well — have been put in clean 

 and orderly condition through the organized effort of the women. 



"The second ward, better known as Dayton's Bluff, with Mrs. 

 F. W. Bergmeier as chairman, has developed a feature peculiarly its 

 own as far as our city is concerned. The active co-operation of the 

 school children was secured, and a children's auxiliary formed, 

 which christened itself the Junior Civic League. The keen interest 

 displayed by these children in the work of improving the neighbor- 

 hood readily leads to the belief that a children's league of good 

 citizenship might be successfully inaugurated in connection with the 

 public schools of the city at large. The following invitation, in- 

 scribed on a postal card and signed by the ward chairman, gives 

 an idea of the manner in which the little people were led to co- 

 operate with the grown-ups on the bluff last summer : 'As a mem- 

 ber of the Junior Civic League you are requested to assist in putting 

 the large lot in Ravine street, extending from Bates to Maria avenue, 

 in order on Saturday evening, July 15th, from 6 to 9 p. m. Please 

 bring a sickle, hatchet or spade with which to carry on the merry 



