315 
•PARK AND CEMETERY. 
A petition signed by 10,000 school 
children of Trenton, N. J., asking for 
the appointment of a shade tree com- 
mission, has been presented to the com- 
mon council of that city and is expected 
to result in the appointment of a com- 
mission. The law, giving authority for 
the establishment of shade tree com- 
missions was enacted in 1893, and was 
accomplished chiefly through the efforts 
of Frederick W, Kelsey, of Orange. 
The practical workings of the law are 
extremely simple. Under its provisions 
the governing body of any city, town or 
borough may declare the act operative. 
The mayor, or other presiding officer, is 
then authorized to appoint a commis- 
sion of three persons, which board has 
the same control over the planting and 
care of shade trees that a municipality 
ordinarily has over the opening of 
streets after due advertisement, etc., and 
the right also to assess the cost of the 
tree planting improvements upon the 
abutting property owners. The law 
is now in force and the commissions 
have accomplished most satisfactory re- 
sults in the leading cities of the state — 
Newark, Passaic, East Orange, Plain- 
field and many other places, and a com- 
mission has recently been appointed in 
Jersey City. 
^ ^ ^ 
Grand Rapids recently inaugurated a 
“civic revival’’ with a series of interest- 
ing lectures by Prof. Charles Zueblin, 
of the University of Chicago, on various 
topics connected with civic improvement. 
The revival was held at the Fountain 
Street Baptist Church, and attracted 
widespread interest that is expected to be 
of great value to the cause of city better- 
ment. The city’s entire population irre- 
spective of political opinion or religious 
creed, co-operated under the direction of 
the Board of Trade. The following were 
the topics of the addresses: “The New 
Civic Spirit,” “World’s Fairs and the 
Art of City Making,” "The Training of 
the Citizen,” “Transportation,” "The 
Making of a City,” "Parks and Recrea- 
tion,” “The Administration of the 
City,” “The Improvement of the Na- 
tional Capital,” "The Life of the Citizen,” 
“San Francisco, a City of Promise,” 
“The Redemption of Harrisburg, a 
Typical Small City,” “Representative 
Government vs. Democracy,” and “The 
Common Life.” At the close of each 
lecture opportunity was given for a 
general conference in which all present 
were privileged to take part. The even- 
ing lectures were illustrated. 
>!« >}C 
The suggestion has been made by the 
president of the American Civic Asso- 
ciation that the advertising spaces in 
the Subway stations in New York be 
purchased in perpetuity, or at least for 
a term of years by the city, which has 
neglectfully disregarded its opportunity 
to prevent this extension of facilities for 
the wrong education of the people, says 
the Outlook. The . Pennsylvania capitol 
has in its floor the unique Mercer his- 
torical tiles, preserving a record of the 
times and the state. If the Keystone 
state can thus place its memorials in the 
floor where all may see them, it is asked 
why Greater New York cannot work 
into the walls of these tunnel stations^ 
even more imperishable records of its 
life and its times? Rookwood borders 
are provided ; why not have placed in 
these spaces a series of Rookwood tiles, 
akin to those shown in the Fulton street 
subwaj' station, thus suggesting history 
instead of corsets and drugs and the 
genius of New York rather than beer 
and breakfast foods? 
* * * 
Mayor A. J. Mathis, of Des Moines, 
la., at a conference with the members 
of the City Federation of Women’s 
Clubs, asked the women for questions 
or suggestions in regard to beautifying 
the city. They responded with the fol- 
lowing eight specific demands ; 
Complete garbage system for the city. 
Removal of billboards about the city. 
'Vacant lots kept free from weeds. 
Clean streets. 
Enforcement of anti-expectoration or- 
dinance. 
Removal of old waste paper boxes. 
Clean street cars. 
Clean up day for May 1. 
Mayor Mathis expressed his willing- 
ness to assist the club women to make 
Des Moines a “spotless town” and be- 
gan by promising issuing a proclamation 
for "clean up’’ day which was held 
May 1. ..... 
A big celebration of the first anni- 
versary of the Crescent Hill Improve- 
ment Club of Louisville, Ky.. was recent- 
ly held and this year the club will do 
even greater work in the way of beauti- 
fying and improving the prett}' little 
suburb. It is planned to beautify the 
Louisville and Nashville right of way 
through the city by planting vines along 
its course, and to inaugurate a system- 
atic campaign for planting trees 
throughout the city. Ambrose Bruner 
is president, M. W. Neal, vice-presi- 
dent, and Henry D. Ormsby, treasurer. 
* * * 
Actual work of tlie river, improve- 
ment committee of Milwaukee has be- 
gun. Mrs. Martin W. Sherman, repre- 
senting the Outdoor Art Association,, 
and Louis Mayer, representing the So- 
ciety of Milwaukee Artists and other 
workers, will visit people with prop- 
erty frontage on the river and every 
property owner will be asked what he 
is willing to do toward beautifying his 
frontage. Mr. Mayer has made a de- 
sign of the rear of every building in a 
certain block as it would appear if deco- 
rated and improved according to a sim- 
ple and inexpensive plan suggested by 
him, also a sketch of it as it now is. 
* * 
The premium list has been prepared 
for the Denison, Texas, annual flower 
show to be held under the auspices of 
the Denison Civic Improvement League 
and the catalogue will be ready for dis- 
tribution at an early date. The pre- 
mium list will be large and the ladies 
of the league are working enthusiastic- 
ally in expectation of an even greater 
show than the splendid events of the 
past two years. The league has also 
offered quite a list of prizes to the 
school children for best results obtained 
through the planting of flower seeds, of 
which more than eight thousand pack- 
ets were distributed this year. 
After a successful history as the Fed- 
eration of Improvement Clubs of Oma- 
ha, that body has expanded into the 
Federation of Improvement Clubs, of 
Douglas County, adopted new constitu- 
tion and by-laws to provide for the 
membership of the new clubs and re- 
ceived into membership as first of the 
new county clubs the one known as the 
Douglas County Good Roads and Im- 
provement Club, which has headquarters 
at Millard. These officers were elected 
for the year: President, J. W. Malone; 
vice-president, Andrew Wellman; secre- 
tary-treasurer, 1. P. A. Bruecherf. 
^ ^ ^ 
Prof. Frank A. Waugh, head of the 
horticultural department of the Massa- 
chusetts Agricultural College, Amherst, 
Mass., has just issued a leaflet entitled 
“Amherst Beautiful,’’ a program of 
school exerci-ses designed for children 
of the 8th and 9th grades. It consists 
of a series of 12 lessons on the follow- 
{Continued on page .V) > 
