Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-03-09
DIRTY STREETS.
The Woman Who Couldn't Leave an Old
Hoop Skirt Abroad.


published in the Portland Sunday
Times is interesting and applicable in
other localities:
1t was a precious privilege for the
writer, once upon a time. to meet a
garrulous, curious sort Of Cabling mid
die aged American woman, who had
perpetrated matrimony with an Eng
lishman-fortunately OF her own gen.
GRAFTON if not Of her-country. The poor
lady had just returned from England.
where she had been Visiting his folks
and deep and interesting were the i'm
pressions of our mother country, which
she had brought back with her. She
prattied and prattled and said nothing.
to all intents and purposes. until she
remarked on one occasion to her two
fond listeners that everything is so
cleared up in England, that / could
find no place to drop my old hoop
skirt Just think. what a country to
be exiled to, where one could not
chance upon any picturesque piles of
ashes, broken flower pots. tin cans. old
boxes and-those beautiful cages afore-
mentioned, This uninteresting person
did carry away the eternal memory
equally ableiimpression on the
minds Of two people. who hardly saw
her more than half al dozen times. So
by the curious effect of the working of
law in inverse ratio. whenever the
writer chances upon d disordered street.
alley, or vacant lot. she always thinks
of the distracted American woman in
England who had no place to throw
her discarded hoop skirt This may
seem long way around to the disor-
der of our own streets but such was
the point in view. III working through
the story of the old lady and her dress
improver.' Not many days ago in
walking down one of our principal
streets it was perfectly surprising to
notice the amount of rubbish directly
in sight. In front of one of the neat
est of our city houses in the gutter. of
course, some one had thrown a pile OF
paste board boxes. little farther on
there was newspaper. and all over
the street there We're pieces of brown
paper flying back and forth in the
winI. to- say nothing of orange and
banana peels and peanut shells. A
former resident of our city, Prof Ed
" al u -. Null sc VI osilcUI, gave elll <ti-
dress few years since. to the students
of Vassar college, on good manners. in
which he treated the subject from
quite practical standpoint. His words
made such an impre ssion on some of
his hearers that they begged him to
have the address published in tract
form and many copies We're sent all
over the country. The salient point
for most of us to remember from Prof.
Morse's timely rebuke is our street
manners" Not, indeed, as to our bear
ing and mien, but in regard to throw
iEg anything on the side walk, like a
torn up letter or similar rubbish. Up
to the reading of this little tract it had
never occurred to one Indifferent per-
son that she should not throw anything
of that kind into the street, but hence
forth she grew more careful. and more
over. she developed quite missionary
spirit in regard to it with equally
thoughtless friends. Fortunately all
over our broad and beautiful land this
spirit for good housekeeping" is grow
ing among our cities and we hear
much of civic league" and Village
Improvement In Chicago-the writ
cI tHiuhS tHlS SldtciHeIl 10 CUIIcCt-~lt
was through the influence Of the Wom-
ems club, via the Civic league. that the
large tin boxes were affixed to the.
posts at frequent corners,in which peo-
pie were to throw this Objectionable
rubbish. Would it be difficult mat
ter for those in authority in our own
town to listen to a plea from some of
the "housekeepers" and have boxes on
some of our posts in order that we. too.
might have cleaner tidier streets?
Everybody remembers how fearful it
was before the snow came, because the
street sweepers were not used when the
snow ought to have been here, and it
does seem as if it would not entail any
great expense t. have these waste box
es at certain intervals through the city,
and bi-weekly collection by cart from
those receptacles. Perhaps it would
take some time to teach people to re-
member, but we are a most adaptive
people, and we think it would appeal
to all of IFS