The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-04-26
POTATOES FOR ALL
Public Spirited Topeka People
Pushing Pingree Plan.
Every Poor Man Given a Chance
to Work.
FIFTY YOUNG LADIES
Will Appear on the Stage at
the Crawford
To Help Carry Out the Ideas of
the Federation.
YOUNG LADIES

appear on the stage at the Crawford
Friday evening. 1t will be the debut
of many of them, although some have
appeared in amateur theatricals before.
just what they intend to do has not
been divulged, further than that they
will give two comedies, which are prom
Used to be very mirth-prOVOking. 1t is
the entertainment which is to be given
by the Industrial Federation to raise
funds for its public garden work
The work which is being accomplish
ed by the Industrial Federation of To-
peka will be commended by every one
who understands it. Through the eff
forts of this organization one hundred
poor families already have gardens
which are up and bid fair to be of
material assistance in providing for the
family larder during the summer
months, and other families are being
supplied with the requisites for gar
denS every day.
The federation has been organized
only a little over two months, but it
has already accomplished great things,
both in the way of aiding the poor and
indirectly in improving the appearance
of the city by having neat gardens
made on vacant lots which heretofore
have been used for dumping places for
garbage or have grown up to weeds.
During the first part of February a
few men and women who wished to aid
the poor of Topeka in helping them
selves, met in Postmaster Guthrie's
private office and started the fedora
ton. Among those present at the or
ganization were Mrs L. E. Thorpe, po-
lice matron; NJ. c. Long, pastor of the
Third Presbyterian church; Rev. F. E.
Mallory, pastor of the Parkdale Chris
tian church; DR.. and Mrs. Palmer G..
G. Gage, P. w. Griggs, and Judge
Guthrie.
The plan of work is similar to that
which Governor Pingree started in his
famous potato patch" scheme of help
ing the poor people of Detroit to plant
potatoes. The idea has been to aid
poor families who had no space for gar
dening purposes and no money with
which to purchase seed. to utilize the
vacant lots of the city which usually
grow, up to weeds, which either have
to be cut by the city or else breed dis
ease.
BY enabling such people to plant gar
denS, several purposes are served. The
families themselves are enabled to have
many vegetables fresh from their own
gardens, which they would otherwise
go without, or else would not be able
to procure until the vegetables were on
the verge of spelling and therefore I'M
healthful. Half grown boys, who, if
left to themselves, would probably be
into mischief, are given something to
do, and many of them take a, great in
terest and pride in their gardens
When committee appointed by the
federation presented the matter to the
real estate men of the city and asked
for the use of the vacant lots, the real
estate dealers readily fell in with the
plan. The appearance of the lots is i'm
proved by the gardens, the weeds are
kept down, and people are benefited,
so that the federation had little trou-
BILE in securing the use Of 400 vacant
lots for this purpose.
Many of these lots have already been
planted to gardens and potatoes, and
the balance are being rapidly assigned.
AS the season advanced the need for
seed and implements became pressing,
and the federation has gone into debt
to the amount of $35 for these, and
more will be necessary. 1t is to raise
~ fnT-t Ia
that the entertainment is given by the
federation at the Crawford on Friday
evening.
Applications for seed are made
through some of the trustees of the or
ganiZation. The membership of the
federation is now about rs, and in each
neighborhood some of the members are
appointed as trustees to look after the
needy families of that particular local.
ity. When a family which has been
granted the use of a lot, needs seed al
so, some trustee who can readily in
vestigate finds out about what is need
! ed and the amount the family can best
utilize, and an order is issued on the
store house, which is in charge or Kew
| Mr. Parham at the corner of Fourth
! and jackson. These orders are small
| in themselves-for instance, half doz-
! en- packets of assorted garden seeds
| and a half peck of seed potatoes, Will
| be issued for a garden,-but in the ag-
| gregate they count up. In case of eX-
IRENE need garden implements are
loaned, DuJ these cost more money anu
| the federation has not been able to
make many purchases.
| Considerable time and work is being
| expended in getting up the entertain
! ment to be given at the Crawford on
| Friday night TIC pay the expenses in
| CURED by the federation. 1t is given
| under the direction of Mrs. a. S. Palm
! ed, who put on the same entertainment
| in Chicago. About so young women Of
| Topeka will participate in it. There will
| be two comedy scenes entitled, THE
lot
| Donation Party to Parson McHeney."
| In addition to these there will be mus
! ic by the Modocs, Topeka vocalists and
| the Commonwealth orchestra.
The chart for the entertainment will
| be opened tomorrow morning at Row
| leys drug store
Col ,Stotsenburg's Successor.