PARK AND CEMETERY. 
234 
AMERICAN CIVIC ASSOCIATION IN CONVENTION 
The third annual meeting of the 
American Civic Association was held 
in conjunction with the thirteenth an- 
nual meeting of the National Munici- 
pal League and the fifteenth national 
conference for Good City Government 
at Providence, R. L, November 19, 20, 
21 and 22. The joint and separate 
meetings and round table conferences 
were held in the buildings of the Brown 
University, the Narragansett Hotel be- 
ing the hotel headquarters. The local 
hosts spared neither time nor money 
in their efforts to entertain the visitors. 
The list of hosts included the governor 
of Rhode Island, mayor of Providence, 
Brown University, Public Park Asso- 
ciation, Board of Trade, Providence 
Public Library, Economic Club of 
Providence, Art Club of Providence, 
Rhode Island League for Rural Prog- 
ress, Rhode Island Business Men’s As- 
sociation, Federation of Rhode Island 
Churches, Municipal League of Provi- 
dence, Rhode Island League of Im- 
provement Societies. 
The National Municipal League’ aims 
to promote the thorough investigation 
and discussion of the conditions and 
details of civic administration, and of 
the methods for selecting and appoint- 
ing officials in American cities, and of 
laws and ordinances relating to such 
subjects. 
The object and work of the Ameri- 
can Civic Association is well known to 
our readers. 
It is to the credit of the officers of 
the associations and the managers of 
the convention that the meetings and 
conferences were kept well within the 
limits of the aim and scope of the so- 
cieties. 
Tuesday, November 19. 
The opening meeting of the conven- 
tion was held in Manning Hall, Brown 
University, at 3 p. m. The meeting was 
called to order by Charles Richardson, 
of Philadelphia, vice-president of the 
National Municipal League. James H. 
Higgins, governor of Rhode Island, 
was introduced and made a brief ad- 
dress. Patrick H. McCarthy, mayor of 
Providence, added to the welcome by 
the governor. He spoke of some of the 
{Joint meeting with National Municipal 
League and National Conference for 
Good City Government at Providence, 
R. /., November 19-22, 1907.) 
local needs in the way of municipal re- 
form and civic improvements. Presi- 
dent Faunce, of Brown University, ex- 
tended a welcome on behalf of that in- 
stitution. Oliver McClintock, of Pitts- 
burg, vice-president of the National 
Municipal League, responded on behalf 
of the league, and J. Horace McFar- 
land spoke for the American Civic As- 
sociation and the Canadian Union of 
Municipalities was represented by the 
Hon. W. D. Lighthall, of Montreal. 
At the conclusion of the joint meet- 
ing the members of the American Civic 
Association withdrew to Sayles’ Hall, 
where a round table conference on 
“Definite Work for Small Communi- 
ties” was conducted, Frederick A. Whit- 
ing of Framingham, Mass., presiding. 
He opened the conference by a short 
talk on “Highways and Byways.” In 
a plea for the protection of streets and 
roadsides against the modern methods 
of advertising, he said : 
“We cannot accept this commission as 
caretakers of the earth’s charm without 
living up to the words of Shaler. This 
means a personal consecration. But what 
can the individual do ? I took a road or 
section about six miles in length, where 
fiends had chosen perches on the trees, 
accessible only by means of a ladder. 
They had made their frames strong and 
had driven their placards on with long 
spikes; but my son and I took a ladder 
and an axe; that was all. A spirit of wrath 
and determination did the rest. There is 
the ‘Tragic Yeast Man,’ who paints the 
town red — or — blue — for that’s- his color; 
but I follow him like death’s angel. I 
think all definite work of communities, 
large or small, must after all be founded on 
the rock of individual effort.” 
Mr. Whiting spoke of the billboard and 
the poster as a nuisance. 
“Suppose,” said he, "you were strolling 
down a beautiful lane with your thoughts 
on : 
“ ‘To him who in the love of nature 
Holds communication with her visible 
forms, 
She speaks a various language’ — 
“when, on looking up, you were admon- 
ished to ‘Chew Chopped Plug,’ or ‘Take 
Painted Pills.' 
“True, 
“ ‘For his gayer hours, 
She hath a smile’ — 
“in ‘Try Tragic Yeast,’ and one is con- 
tinually asked, ‘Have You Used Peach 
Soa,p ?’ ” 
Continuing, Mr. Whiting referred to work 
done toward abolishing such posters. It 
was no mean or trivial thing, he arguedr 
to become a defender of nature’s beauties. 
Mr. Whiting called upon Miss Mira 
Lloyd Dock, of Fayetteville, Pa., a 
member of the Pennsylvania Forestry 
Commission. 
Miss Dock said that the supineness of 
some persons with respect to public im- 
provement, their utter indifference toward 
the beautifying of homes and towns and 
cities was to her the sad and tragic part 
of the question. This kind’ of work was a 
part of woman’s best endeavors, she be- 
lieved. Civic work in a remarkable way 
brought the people, not out of their homes, 
but into them, as she showed by apt illus- 
trations drawn from towns in the Keystone 
State. 
At the earnest request of Miss Dock, 
Mr. Whiting briefly spoke of the use of 
the Town Hall in Framingham as a 
civic centre about which revolved the 
improvement work on the part of the 
village improvement association. 
Mr. Edward T. Hartman, of Boston, 
spoke of the necessity of communities 
getting together. 
He said that there could not be any 
getting together of communities until a 
community had arrived at the age and con- 
dition of self-consciousness. He drew an 
example from a little town in Massachu- 
setts, which he did not name, in which a 
“decent” Fourth of July celebration was 
held. 
“Why?” he asked. “Because the town 
had got together. It had become organ- 
ized.” 
The method employed was borrowed from 
the politicians. A broad spirit is essential 
to the work, the speaker showed, such a 
spirit as would make the parish priest and 
Congregational minister pull together. It 
was a case of every religious influence work- 
ing in harmony for the good of the com- 
munity. 
“Until they do this our communities are 
going to be as Boston is today, led around 
as blind as a bat by one man,” declared 
Mr. Hartman. “The community as I speak 
of it is absolutely invincible, and when it 
stands up as one man we shall see the 
political boss take to his heels.” 
“The Village as the Larger Home” 
was the subject taken by L. D. Burlin- 
game, secretary of the Rhode Island 
League of Improvement Societies. He 
said in part: 
“Shade from the glare of the sun is de- 
sirable in the home. In the village it is 
equally important that the streets should 
be shaded. Here is a definite work laid 
out for almost every improvement society. 
It is work which should be done intelli- 
gently and thoroughly. In beautifying our 
home the effect is spoiied unless we get rid 
of what is ugly and out of keeping with 
the surroundings. In the village we have 
to deal with the billboard nuisance and 
