287 
PARK AND CEMETERY 
Annual reports or extracts from themy historical sketchcsy 
descriptive circidarsy photographs of improvements or dis- 
tinctive features at'^e requested for use in this department- 
I 
'i'he West End Neighborhaod Improvement Association 
of Chicago was organized by the West End Woman’s club 
with nearly i,ooo members. The object of the association 
will be to work for municipal beauty and cleanliness on the 
west side and particularly that portion of it embraced within 
the Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Twentieth wards. It is 
planned to co-operate with |he west park board in the work. 
The following officers were elected: President, W. S. Elliott; 
vice presidents, Romaine Conger and J. W. Eckhart ; secre- 
tary, F. Rush Harris; treasurer, Andrew J. Graham. 
* * ^ 
The Village Improvement Association of Easthampton, 
Mass., has been conducting a very successful gardening work 
among the school children of that town, and this year has 
distributed nearly a thousand packets of seeds at lYz cents 
a packet. In the fall an exhibition of the work will be held 
and three prizes of 75, 50 and 25 cents given for each variety 
of flowers and vegetables, making about seventy-five prizes 
in all. At first the seeds were given to the children by the 
association, but in 1902 and 1903, a decided improvement 
was made, in that the children were asked to pay one cent 
for each package of seeds that they took. This was done to 
give the children a feeling of proprietorship and interest in 
the flowers and vegetables that they would not feel when the 
seeds cost nothing. At the same time the amount was not 
large enough to prevent any child, who wished to do so, from 
taking the seeds. In the year 1904 the children were asked 
to pay the whole cost of the seeds, which was 2^4 cents per 
package, and all of the $50 appropriated by the Village Im- 
provement society was given in prizes. The result was a 
falling off in the number of packages taken from 1,300 to 
800, but on the other hand, the number of exhibits increased 
in numljer and there was a marked improvement in quality. 
^ J’jC ^ 
A very active and effective improvement association is 
that organized two years ago, by the women of Valparaiso, 
Ind., which has recently been incorporated under the name 
of the Civic Improvement Company. The first work under- 
taken was the improvement of the cemetery, which was so 
successful that the city council has now provided help to 
make it permanent. Many triangles, vacant lots and un- 
sightly spots throughout the town have been parked, and a 
movement is now on foot to purchase a large tract of land 
north of the city and convert it into a park. The work is 
carried on systematically through committees for each ward, 
and funds are raised by contributions and by dues of 5 cents 
a month. An incident that impressed one business man with 
the benefits derived from the association is told by an officer 
The man had a vacant lot, and it was neglected. Weeds 
were there in abundance, and it was an unsightly blot on the 
community. The ward workers asked permission to work 
with it and the permission was readily given. Flowers were 
planted, the weeds were given attention, and it became a 
small park. In fact, it was so attractive that an investor, who 
was looking for improved real estate, sought out the owner, 
asked him his price and bought the lot. This year the same 
property owner has requested the women to beautify another 
vacant lot which he owns, expecting to make another sale 
as soon as it takes on the park-like appearance. The officers 
of the club are: Frelove W. Elam, president; Kate L. 
Agnew, vice-president ; Estella J. Gardner, secretary ; Clara 
S. DeMotte, treasurer. 
^ ^ ^ j|: 
The Chautauqua Village Improvement Association, Chau- 
tauqua, N. Y., was organized in 1903 for the purpose of im- 
proving Chautauqua cottage surroundings, not by imposition 
of formal design, but by preserving natural beauty. Its aim 
is to induce residents to co-operate in every way in promoting 
cleanliness and neatness of the grounds, to encourage the 
planting of perennial flowers, shrubbery, and vines, partic- 
ularly those of native growth ; to secure ej^pert advice as 
to the best methods of planting; and to unite efforts^ in a 
general scheme for the civic beauty of CMutauqua. Thsaigh 
the association has been organized but a,^ear there has l^en 
decided stimulus to the spirit of local improvement. Thei'e 
has been a greater interest in maintaining neatness of public 
and private property ; an increase in planting and particular 
attention devoted to the cleaning and beautifying of back 
yards. Mr. Warren H. Manning of Boston has been en- 
gaged in an advisory capacity and his assistant, Harry T. 
Martin, is to be employed on the grounds during the greater 
part of the year. Each cottage holder will have the privi- 
lege of obtaining advice regarding flowers, shrubbery, 
and vines, the needs of the soil and the most effective treat- 
ment of the home grounds. Simple, artistic designs will 
be furnished for screening wood piles, clothes lines, wood 
sheds, and the unsightly objects. It will be the special prov- 
ince of the landscape gardener to give not merely personal 
supervision to individual homes, but to suggest plans for 
the landscape treatment of an entire block, or group of 
cottages. The duties of the landscape gardener will also 
include the preservation and trimming of the trees, as well 
as the superintending of gardens for the children. Mrs. 
Frank Chapin Bray, of Chicago, is president of the associa- 
tion, and Mr. L. B. Yale, secretary. 
NEW ASSOCIATIONS. 
The Villisca Improvement Association, Villisca, la., or- 
ganized a few months ago, now has 120 members and is 
devoting its energies to improving the local cemetery. Mrs. 
F. L. Hadlock is president; Mrs. J. L. Smith, vice president; 
Mrs. F. M. Kelsay, recording secretary. 
The Civic Improvement League of Salem, Mass, recently 
held its first meeting, which was in the nature of a mass 
meeting for arousing public interest. A feature of the gath- 
ering was a stereopticon lecture by Henry Turner Bailey, 
showing many examples of improvement work elsewhere. 
The Twelfth Ward Civic Improvement Club has been 
formed in Memphis, Tenn. The purpose of the organization 
is to secure more and better public utilities in the area repre- 
sented by the membership, and to use individual and con- 
certed efforts toward the upbuilding and beautifying of the 
streets, avenues and premises of the Twelfth ward. The 
officers are : C. Chamberlain, president ; W. F. Roberts, vice- 
president, and J. B. Franklin, secretary. 
The Civic Improvement League, composed - exclusively of 
women, has just been organized in Bristol, Tenn., for the 
purpose of a crusade against dirty streets and sidewalks, and 
•unsightly buildings. Mrs. J. C. Byars is president of the 
federation. Mrs. W. O. Cape vice-president, Mrs. C. Slack, 
secretary, and Mrs. S. V. Fulkerson treasurer. 
