68 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
children acquire a taste for the beau- 
tiful when their early years are spent 
in such surroundings? As long as 
men only are on the school boards, 
we cannot expect anything better per- 
haps; but why not have women too 
on the boards? One-half the students 
are female, yet the management is al- 
together masculine! Is it a wonder 
that the school houses are forbidding 
and the school grounds deserts? Not 
waiting for the introduction of the 
feminine element into the school 
boards, however, the city beautiful 
club can have its committee at work 
beautifying the school houses and 
grounds. I could tell the story of 
many an effort along this line in Ala- 
bama. productive of most gratifying 
results. 
The object of the club is not only to 
do things, but also to create a senti- 
ment in favor of doing things. Senti- 
ment is the motor. Once set it ago- 
ing and wonders will be accomplished. 
A town administration seldom does 
more than it is required to do; it is 
an easy-going affair, and contented 
with little accomplishments. If, how- 
ever, a public sentiment is aroused and 
the foremost people determine that a 
change shall take place in the condi- 
tions under which they live, there is 
no administration that will hold out 
long against the movement. The club 
should be in good relations with the 
administration, appearing not as a 
critic but as an assistant; taking ad- 
vice as well as giving it, and measur- 
ing its request by the ability of the 
administration to respond to them. 
The club should be composed of both 
men and women — the women to sug- 
gest alterations and the men to make 
the suggestions heard; but all working 
to the same end, not only to beautify 
the town but to promote good will, 
harmony and civic pride. It would 
be a poor reward of labor to have the 
town beautiful and the people’s hearts 
all in discord. This business can be 
judiciously managed; and it should be. 
Beginning modestly, the club will 
not be at much expense. The annual 
dues will be small — say, twenty-five 
cents or a half a dollar; and most of 
the work done will be voluntary. 
When there shall come a time that 
some important piece of work mu'st 
be done, involving the outlay of some 
money, a fund can be raised by sub- 
scription, or by a public entertain- 
ment. We can feel sure that if what 
is done is well done, there will be no 
trouble found in getting all the money 
that is needed. No people yet have 
refused to pay a dollar for a thing 
worth a dollar. What they object to 
is paying out this money and getting 
nothing back. Let the club be useful 
and it will receive ample support. 
Missionary work of this sort need 
not be continued indefinitely. When 
a town once has started in the right 
direction it keeps on, and improves 
upon the old model. The people will 
nevermore be content with the old 
order of things. We will ever be 
alive to the new. Also, no matter how 
much or how little be done by the 
club, it will have its effect for good. 
RHODE ISLAND IMPROVEMENT SOCIETIES MEET 
The League of Improvement Socie- 
ties of Rhode Island held its second 
annual meeting in the lecture room of 
the Public Library, April 1.3, at Prov- 
idence, R. 1. 
At the afternoon session a short ad- 
dress on “The Planting of Trees’’ was 
delivered by Alfred Stone, who told 
of the many false ideas as to planting. 
He offered several valuable sugges- 
tions as to beautifying the streets of 
the city. 
“Children’s Gardens" was the sub- 
ject of the address by Mrs. Mary E. 
T. Root, who made a plea for less 
restriction for the young people. 
W. L. Coop spoke upon "Children’s 
Playgrounds,” declaring that there 
was too much supervision of the 
school playgrounds, and not enough in 
the park systems. 
Charles L. Bird described the work 
in the Junior League, and of the prizes 
offered and given for the best work in 
that department. 
The evening session, which was 
called to order at shortly after 8 
o’clock by President E. A. Noyes, was 
marked by two interesting addresses. 
The first speaker was William B. 
de las Casas, chairman of the Metro- 
politan Park Commission of Massa- 
chusetts. He delivered an instructive 
illustrated lecture on the metropolitan 
park system of Boston and its bearing 
on the needs and possibilities of the 
Providence park system. He said that 
about $15,000,000 had been placed in 
the hands of the commission outside 
of appropriations for maintenance of 
the board. 
Walter E. Ranger, State Commis- 
sioner of Public Schools, was the 
other speaker of the evening. He told 
of his experience when in a small vil- 
lage in northeastern Vermont, where 
a typical sleepy country village was 
aroused by a stimulating of personal 
pride in a few of the citizens to beau- 
tify the village common; to set out 
shade trees; to keep houses well 
painted; to repair public buildings and 
to beautify the place in many ways. 
An interesting feature of the meet- 
ing was a series of five minute papers 
and addresses by representatives of 
most of the 19 organizations in the 
League. Those heard from were as 
follows: The Audubon Society of 
Rhode Island, Auburndale Improve- 
ment Association, Blackstone Im- 
provment Society, Kent Improve- 
ment Association, Kingston Improve- 
ment Society, Norwood Men’s Social- 
Club, Pawtuxet Old Home and Im- 
provement Association, Providence 
Eranklin Society, Public Park Asso- 
ciation, Rhode Island Eield Natural- 
ists’ Club, Rhode Island Sorosis, 
South Woodlawn Improvement So- 
ciety and the Wickford Village Im- 
provement Society. 
The officers elected for the year 
were as follows: 
President E. A. Noyes, Kent Im- 
provement Association; vice president, 
secretary and treasurer, L. D. Bur- 
lingame, Pawtuxet Old Home and Im- 
provement Association; vice presi- 
dents: Audubon Society, Albert H. 
Mead; Auburndale Improvement As- 
sociation, T. W. O’Reilly; Blackstone 
Improvement Society, David W. 
Hoyt; Kent Improvement Association, 
H. J. Gardner; Kingston Improve- 
ment Society, Rev. C. Redfield; Nor- 
wood Men’s Social Club, S. A. Bud- 
long; Pawtuxet Old Home and Im- 
provement Association, George W. 
Smith; Providence Eranklin Society, 
Henry S. Reynolds; Public Park As- 
sociation, Alfred Stone; Rhode Island 
Eield Naturalists’ Club, Prof. A. E. 
Stone: Rhode Island Sorosis, T. W. 
Cady; South Woodlawn Improvement 
Society, E. J. Thornley; Wickford 
Village Improvement Society, Dr. 
Harold Metcalf. The associations and 
societies that had no delegates at the 
meeting will choose their vice presi- 
dents at a later date, each society be- 
longing to the league having one of its 
members a vice president of the main 
organization. Those elected to the ex- 
ecutive committee are the president 
and secretary (ex-officio) ; W. L. 
Coop, South Woodlawn Improvement 
Society; W. E. Longfellow, Paw- 
tuxet Old Home and Improvement 
Association; C. Abbott Davis, Auburn- 
dale Improvement Association. 
