I08 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



condition so that the royal prince might look upon them without 

 disgust. So this matter of civic improvement was a matter of 

 pride which easily touched the movers in this world's fair pro- 

 ject. It was a very easy matter for them, with this pride about 

 the looks of their city, to be made to see things as they were and 

 to undertake their betterment. The city they thought should be 

 made not only attractive but it should be made a model city so 

 that visitors from this country and other countries could take 

 pattern from the things that had been accomplished in St. Louis. 

 So they took up this matter of civic improvement. 



The first thing that was done, when the matter had been' 

 talked over among a certain few who had the interests of the 

 city at heart, was the purchase of Charles Robinson's book, 

 "Civic Awakening, or the City Beautiful." and six copies were 

 purchased by a woman belonging to one of the clubs. She had 

 read the book herself and she knew the inspiration that came 

 from it. She took the six copies and put them into the hands of 

 men who had a large influence and men that she thought would' 

 be interested in the work. They were so much awakened by it 

 that they passed them on to others until those six books had a 

 very large circulation. Then the next movement was a lecture 

 by the professor who is at the head of the American League for 

 civic improvement in Chicago. He was brought from Chicago- 

 and a lecture illustrated by stereopticon was given. After that 

 they had an architect from Philadelphia who gave them a talk 

 and in that way they worked up the public feeling until there- 

 was an uiterest sufficient to start upon the work. Then they sent 

 out circulars. Then they organized their Civic Improvement 

 League, and from that time on there never has been the slightest 

 trouble in getting funds to carry on whatever work they needed. 

 It can no longer be said of St. Louis that she is down at the 

 heel and out at the elbows, as it has been repeatedly said, and 

 also that she was very much averse to reform. Then they inter- 

 ested the newspapers, and that of course was one of the greatest 

 forces that they have had in their project for carrying on 

 this work. It would have been impossible, they all say, except 

 for the interest that the newspaper men have shown in the work, 

 it would have been impossible for them to have done what they 

 have accomplished. The women in St. Louis, after this public 

 awakening became so general, were so wrought up over the work 



