CIVIQ BETTERMENT AT ST. LOUIS. 



i8i 



and eighty gladiolus bulbs ; second prize, 

 $1.50 and sixty gladiolus bulbs; third prize, 

 $ and fifty gladiolus bulbs ; fourth prize, 

 50c. and thirty gladiolus bulbs. The prizes 

 amount to $15 in money and 660 gladiolus 

 bulbs of Groff's best mixture. This gener- 

 ous offer of Mr, Whyte, it is considered, will 

 create greater interest amongst the school 



children in the cultivation and study of 

 plants and have an educational effect. 



Aid. Ellis also gave a number of special 

 prizes for sweet peas, to be shown in August. 

 These prizes are for the members of the so- 

 ciety who have never won a prize in sweet 

 peas at any previous show of the society. 



CIViC BETTEEMENT AT ST. LOUIS 



IN speaking of civic betterment it is im- 

 possible to ignore St. Louis for more 

 than a few months at a time. The energy, 

 persistence and fertility of resource dis- 

 played by the young civic league of that city 

 is remarkable. While keeping free from 

 politics, this organization has for its object 

 " to unite the efforts of all citizens who want 

 to make St. Louis a good place in which to 

 live." Its success is shown by its growth. 

 Organized about ten months ago with 100 

 members, it has to-day nearly 2,000 mem- 

 bers. Its accomplishments have already 

 been many. 



The league first used its influence toward 

 having a bill passed removing the exposition 

 building from a public park in order that the 

 new Carnegie library might be placed there. 

 St. Louis has no free public baths. The 

 improvement league built three, in conjunc- 

 tion with playgrounds, and gave 14,665 poor 

 children baths during last summer. The 

 baths proved so popular that the city itself 

 will build five in a very short time. The 

 league has succeeded in having the present 

 bill-board ordinances lived up to, whenever 

 new boards were erected, and to having 

 many old bill-boards rebuilt. A grand 

 boulevard and park system is being planned. 



The president of the Civic Improvement 

 League was made chairman of the commis- 



sion by the mayor in appreciation of he 

 good work of the league. This commission 

 is about ready to report. The league was 

 an active factor in the " keep our city clean " 

 movement last summer, and distributed 

 many thousand bulletins, giving all the city 

 ordinances relating to that subject, for the 

 information of citizens ignorant of their own 

 personal responsibilities in such a movement. 

 A special sanitary committee has followed up 

 the movement, and encouraging results have 

 been reached. Reports are made to the 

 health department whenever garbage is not 

 properly removed. The league sent a 

 special representative to other cities to in- 

 vestigate the employment of women as sani- 

 tary inspectors. The report was so impres- 

 sive that the city authorities are making ar- 

 rangements to employ women sanitary and 

 tenement house inspectors. The matter of 

 keeping waste paper off the streets has been 

 given attention. Sample waste-paper boxes 

 have been put out with the league's name on 

 them. The latest triumph of this hustling 

 betterment organization is the appointment 

 by the health commissioner, at its sugges- 

 tion, of a woman sanitary inspector. Dr. 

 Mary Tucker, the new official, will teach 

 families in the crowded districts the need of 

 clean homes and clean streets. — Home and 

 Flotvers. 



