The Civic Improvement Movement in Ontario' 



Prof. H. L.'.Hutt, Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph 



IT IS very evident to those who travel, 

 or even to those who merely read the 

 papers, that a strong movement has 

 set in on this continent for civic and 

 rural improvement. Just what it may 

 result in, it is impossible to say at pre- 

 sent; but it is safe to predict that the 

 movement is going to have a marked ef- 

 fect on the appearance and character of 

 our country generally. 



ITS^ORIGIN 



The civic improvement movement has 

 been the outcome of a growing apprecia- 

 tion of art and a desire for real beauty, 

 which has resulted from the prosperity of 

 the times and the tendency to travel. 

 Its origin might be traced to Europe, 

 where many of the towns and cities have 

 become centres of attraction for Ameri- 

 can tourists. From the old land we 

 have learned much and have still much 

 to learn. European travellers always 

 speak with delight of the architectural 

 and landscape beauties of Paris, Brus- 

 sels, Vienna and Edinburgh. 



Just when and where the civic improve- 

 ment movement first made its appearance 

 here cannot be stated definitely, but like 

 many other movements, some good, and 

 others not so good, its effects were first 

 seen in the country to the south of us. 

 The town of Stockbridge, Mass., claims 

 the honor of having, nearly fifty years 

 ago, the first organization having for its 

 bject the preservation of natural beau- 

 ties and the general improvement of the 

 village surroundings. In later years 

 many organizations having similar aims 

 have been formed in various parts of the 

 country, but the one which has been the 

 most active in giving a national impetus 

 to the civic improvement movement has 

 been the American Civic Association. 

 This association was formed in 1904, by 

 the union of two associations which had 

 for years been working along somewhat 

 the same lines, viz., "The American 

 Park and Outdoor Art Association," and 

 "The American League for Civic Im- 

 provement." The new organization was 

 said at the time to represent 480 local 

 improvement organizations. 



Mr. J. Horace McFarland, whom 

 many of us had the pleasure of hearing 

 at some of our local society meetings 

 last spring, has been president of the new 

 association since its formation, and he 

 has by judicious use of the press kept the 

 work of the association prominently 

 before the people of the whole continent. 

 There are at present twenty-two mem- 

 bers of the American Civic As<;ociation in 



" One of tiie many excellent papers read at the 

 convention of the Ontario Horticultural Ansociation 

 held at Toronto in November 



a; 



Canada. These are scattered here and 

 there from Halifax to Calgary. In this 

 connection, I may say I think it would 

 pay all of our Canadian horticultural so- 

 cieties to get in as close touch as possible 

 with this progressive national asso- 

 ciation, and make the work, at least, if 

 not the organization, international in 

 character. Our Superintendent, Mr. J. 

 Lockie Wilson, and I expect to attend 

 the annual meeting of the American Civic 

 Association to be held in Pittsburg, Pa., 



The aim of the civic improvement move- 

 ment put in a nutshell, is for "A better 

 and more beautiful America." The scope 

 of this improvement may be inferred from 

 an enumeration of the departments of 

 work undertaken by the American Civic 

 Association. These are fifteen in number, 

 with a vice-president at the head of each 

 department, and include : arts and crafts, 

 women's outdoor art league, children's 

 gardens, school extension, city making, 

 factory betterment, libraries, outdoor 



The Bill-board i> a Public Nuisance and an Obstruction to Civic Improvement 



The unsiifhtly ilieplay illuulrated is to he found in St. Catharines directly opposite the lesidence o 

 Mr. VV. B. Burgoyne, honorary director of the Ontario Horticultural Association. 



next week, and we hope to get many 

 pointers that may help us in furthering 

 the work in this country. 



The organization of our Ontario Horti- 

 cultural Association thr^e years ago was 

 in itself a result of the influence of the 

 American association formed a year or 

 two previous. For it was felt that we 

 should have a Canadian organization 

 with similar unselfish aims. 



Attending this convention, we have 

 delegates from a large number of the 

 sixty-six local horticultural societies 

 already formed in this province, — all 

 interested in promoting local civic and 

 rural improvement. It should be the 

 duty, therefore, of this association to 

 take the lead in assisting, directing and 

 promoting such movements in all parts of 

 the country. We have a big field for 

 operations, and a splendid work to do. 



281 



art, parks and reservations, public nuis- 

 ances, public recreation, railroad improv- 

 ments, rural improvements, social 

 settlement, and the press. 



One of the strong features of the work 

 of the American Civic Association has 

 been its use of the press in educating 

 public sentiment and spreading abroad 

 information regarding what has been 

 accomplished in different places and what 

 may be done in others. 



In Ontario we need not at present 

 undertake so many kinds of work, but it 

 would be well for us to begin at once to 

 concentrate our efforts on a few lines 

 which need most attention at present. 

 To this end, I would suggest that our 

 association appoint committees or depart- 

 ments this year to deal with such 

 problems as : i , The improvement of 

 home surroundings; 2, the improvement 



