The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-04-03
AN AD&MLESS EDEN.
Pretty Now Jersey Town Gov
orned Entirely by Women.
Many Big Reforms Accomplished Already
and More Promised = Clean Streets,
Trim Lawns, Law Abiding. Small
noys, and Sanitary improvements.


uoys, and Sanitary improvements.
Montclair is becoming workable
Adamless Eden so far us the admin
istration of local government goes.
Men there are a-plenty in the pretty
Jersey town, but they do not amount
to much i'll the face of the two hun
drcd women who have gained control
of the town.
ltall began about year and n half
ago, says the Chicago Tribune. Some
strolling theatrical persons posted their
bills about the quiet and very proper
Montclair, and when the matrons and
maids went out for their afternoon
sauntcrs they were shocked by the
pictures of women posing in all sorts
OF ways and almost all in tights.
The young men in Montclair aggra-
waited the evil by persisting in standing
around and looking at them. The good
matrons and maids were sire that the
young men were being contaminated,
so they organized n committee upon
public morals and compelled the own
ers of property upon which the Offend
ing pictures were displayed to tear
them down. 1t was accomplished by
moral suasion, by threats of boycott if
the property-owner was merchant,
and by legal proceedings.
1t was not long before the women
began to add other committees to their
committee on public morals, till now
they have dozen or more. There are
the sanitary committee, of which Mrs.
ID. Nj. Duncan, whose husband is presi-
dent of the board of health, is chair
man; the committee on sidewalks and
streets, of which Mrs Marion Wheeler
Is the head; the humane committee,
the landscape art committee, the young
folks committee, the Sabbath observ-
ancc committee, and many others.
When the various committees found
themselves full of business they
formed the Woman's Town Improve
mcnt Association of Montclair. with
an executive committee. composed of
the president of the association. Mrs.
Wilson Smith; its secretary, Mrs. III. C.
Marshall, and the heads of the various
active committees. So, now the two
hundred women of the town improve
ment association find that they have an
organization that can rule the town.
The common council is pigmy In
comparison. The women have looked
up laws that have been dead for years,
and are having them enforced. at
their monthly meetings the affairs of
the town come before them in man
ner similar to that in which they are
handled ut the meetings of The common
council. They have kept the streets
clean and free from litter; have driven
olilpostcrs away; they have preserved
trees from mutilation; have forced care
less propcrty-owncrs to keep their
lawns well trimmed and their premises
In an artistic conditions; have forced
small boys to adjurc the slungshot; have
either driven saloons out entirely, or
forced their owners to sell liquor with
the greatest of reserve and precaution;
have compelled hack drivers to treat
their horses well and lay them aside
when they get too feeble or old for
work; have induced all handlers of
good horses to loosen the chccl-rcin-
in word they have done and are do
ing incstimable good.
And it is all through moral sua-
sion," explained Mrs Wheeler to re-
porter. "You see we really have no
legal authority back of us. What we
do is through our influence as women"
The storelleepers, of course, COM
ply with our requests in all such mat
ters," said Mrs George z. Brown "In-
deed, they know that we include
among our two hundred all of the
prominent women of families in town.
If they dcficd our decisions upon what
is best for the welfare of the communi-
ty they know that their business
would suffer greatly"
81 am sure that Montclair sees n
great improvement in itself since we
took hold said Mrs. l.. j. Jiutchison.
Il believe the best citizens look upon
MS with favor. OF course, it's a bit diff
fcult sometimes TO force an obstinate
resident to keep his grass trimmed, or
his street and walk clean, but we have
always been successful in the end
The boys had q great habit of build
ing fires in winter against the trunks
of trees. We have stopped that We
have looked into sanitary matters very
closely, and hope to make Nrontclair as
near model town as can be found"
-----------