THE VILLAGE 475 



any kind of fountain, statue, or bandstand. Such ornaments or 

 conveniences may often be located advantageously on the street 

 margin or extreme outer angle of the town common, but under 

 no circumstances should they be placed on the Common itself. 

 Mistake is very common in this matter. 



Every effort should be made to secure public buildings of the 

 best character. Every town hall and every library ought to be 

 something which the community can be proud of. A public 

 building which is a public shame is a constant influence to de- 

 grade the spirit of the community. The effort for good, attrac- 

 tive, dignified, and even beautiful public buildings needs to be 

 directed especially to the school-houses. Every school-house 

 ought to set a good example daily to the school children. Un- 

 fortunately, many school-houses are cheap, shabby, and even 

 dirty. 



Country villages and rural communities generally are notably 

 lacking in playgrounds. There is no space reserved where boys 

 may play ball without trespassing on private property. Even 

 the school-houses are insufficiently provided with play room out 

 of doors. There ought to be ample room and encouragement for 

 play in the country. In this way, one incentive which young 

 people find for going to the city would be materially weakened. 



When private lawns are well kept, gardens made attractive, 

 and grounds generally beautified, the public enjoyment is greatly 

 increased. Nothing does more toward making a town attractive 

 than to have the private grounds improved. Such garden im- 

 provements may be promoted by the village improvement society 

 through offering prizes, the arrangement of special school instruc- 

 tion, and by many other means. This is an important line of 

 civic improvement work. 



The most important things in housekeeping are cleanliness 

 and good order; likewise, the most important things in commun- 

 ity life are cleanliness and good order. The streets and public 

 places should be kept clean, the grass mown, weeds cut out, and 

 everything kept in its place. The common should not be allowed 

 to accumulate Sunday papers, nor the cemetery be allowed to 

 grow up to brush. In fact, this regular routine of keeping clean 

 should reasonably occupy a large proportion of the time, efforts 

 and funds at the disposal of any improvement organization. 



