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HOME AND FLOWERS 



streets and sidewalks, within the city and 

 county of San Francisco." It is very ex- 

 plicit and comprehensive, and the penalty 

 for its violation is "a fine not exceeding 

 $100.00, or imprisonment not exceeding 

 thirty days, or both," and "every person 

 shall be deemed guilty of a separate offense 

 for each day of such violation." No signs 

 of any sort whatsoever are permitted along 

 the curbs; "no signs may project more than 

 twelve inches over a sidewalk, and trans- 

 parencies which project even this far must 

 be so arranged as to lie flat against the 

 walls during the day." Already the city is 

 taking on a new appearance. A copy of 

 this ordinance ought to be in the hands of 

 every worker for civic betterment. 



"A man can store an awful tempest within 

 himself, but it won't break loose if he ties 

 his tongue down. For goodness' sake, don't 

 worry. Do the best you can and be content." 

 — Phrenological Journal. 



The "Women's Clubs Are Joining the Procession 



A large proportion of the city and town 

 betterment work is being accomplished 

 through the women's clubs of the country. 

 The organized women of Lincoln, Illinois, 

 for example, have a department of town 

 improvement. The ladies who make up this 

 section of the club have taken entire charge 

 of the railroad station park, and have ex- 

 pended $200.00 in grading and sodding and 

 planting trees. They have also looked after 

 the school yards of the town, and their out- 

 line of work for 1903 includes the offering 

 of a series of prizes for the best kept school 

 yards, and an active campaign in favor of 

 clean streets. The Social Ethics department 

 of the Athen^um Club of Kansas City, Kan- 

 sas, is considering improvement topics dur- 

 ing its winter session. Following are a few 

 of the subjects for its monthly meetings: 

 The Outlook for Civic Betterment; Helping 

 Others to Help Themselves; Women in Re- 

 lation to the Movement for Civic Better- 

 ment; What Kansas City Has Done to Pro- 

 mote Civic Betterment; What Kansas City 

 Should Do to Promote Civic Betterment; 

 The Housing of the Poor; Our Schools in 

 Relation to the Civic Betterment Movement. 



The Women's Club of Boise City, Idaho, 

 has also been seriously at work. The ladies 

 recently sent to Salt Lake City for an expert 

 to plat the cemetery and plan the best land- 

 scape effects for the town in general. The 

 result was so satisfactory and the money ex- 

 pended so judiciously that the town council 

 has agreed to furnish all the money neces- 



sary, and has asked the club "to take charge 

 of the cemetery entirely and in perpetuity." 



From all over the country come reports 

 of other organizations of women who are 

 aroused on this question of civic better- 

 ment. The Women's Municipal League, of 

 New York City, reports that, during the 

 year, several parks have been reclaimed, 

 four miles of trees planted, and eight drink- 

 ing fountains erected as a result of this in- 

 fluence and work. The Milwaukee Outdoor 

 Art and Improvement Association is plan- 

 ning for a number of prize offers for next 

 year, looking toward cleaner streets and 

 more artistic gardens. The Woman's Club 

 of Lowell, Massachusetts, is conducting a 

 regular campaign against the Locks and 

 Canal Company of that city, in the interests 

 of a more attractive river front, and many 

 other similar organizations are doing effec- 

 tive work. 



The women's clubs are also heartily co- 

 operating with the American League for 

 Civic Improvement. At federation meetings 

 in Missouri, Nebraska, Michigan, Ohio and 

 Texas during the past fall the League was 

 represented, and it will have speakers at 

 federation meetings in the spring in Oregon, 

 South Carolina, Texas and Arkansas. These 

 state federations of women's clubs consti- 

 tute, in many sections, the most aggressive 

 agencies for civic improvement work. At 

 the Texas meeting the town improvement 

 committee planned an extensive campaign 

 for education along all improvement lines. 

 This work is to be under the immediate su- 

 pervision of Mrs. E. P. Turner, of Dallas, 

 and contemplates securing the cooperation 

 of business organizations, town govern- 

 ments, and even the railroads. 



"She well knew that there is victory in 

 the manner of accepting defeat." — A Singu- 

 lar Metamorphosis. 



Our Trees and Neglected Forests 



President Roosevelt recently declared that 

 "the forest and water problems are, perhaps, 

 the most vital internal questions of the 

 United States." In the far W^est the ques- 

 tion of water supply and water rights is 

 a vital one. Nearly a third of our vast coun- 

 try is still woodland. The recent withdrawal 

 of 6,000,000 acres of land in northern Cal- 

 ifornia for the creation of forest reserves 

 has emphasized a peril. Yet we are so far 

 behind an intelligent public sentiment in 

 France and Germany in the matter of forest 

 preservation that we are rapidly destroying 

 all our forest lands, and at the same time 



