The Press., 1899-06-01
Jessie M. Good in How to Grow Flowers) VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT ASSO
 CAPTIONS.
Begun May 4th.

Miss Petersen says: ''We have not much money to handles the town coun- cil has charge of all large undertakings, such as paving, lighting, cleaning streets, i c., roadways; and must say we have an exceedingly well lighted, well paved little town, especially as to sidewalks, which are all of blue stone Tagging, from eight to ten feet wide. It is the little things we look after. Our work has been chiefly in the way of making flower beds, laying out parks and keeping them in order during the year. The town is crossed by river, the banks of which were in shamefully neglected condition when we took up the work. We began by building retaining wall on each side, and the town council aided us by forbid ding the dumping in of ashes and rub- bish as heretofore. We also made i've foot path on the north side of the river, which was already shaded by double row of naples. Vines were planted along the walls, and the space gained filled in and flowers planted. A long row of hy- drangeas are reflected in the water from the south bank. A fountain was placed in the river about twenty feet from the bridge.
 "There is another park, or square, in the center of the town with a large foun- tain in the center. This is surrounded by circle one foot wide of tulips in the spring, and Towering plants in the sum- mer. We do our best to keep the grass cut neatly, and to keep weeds down at sides of streets and on vacant lots. Own CTS of these lots, with one or two unpar- donable exceptions, no longer allow rub bish to be dumped on them.
 "Cans, painted dark green and let tered, are placed along streets at inter- vals, for the reception of rubbish and paper. The school children have been interested in this work and have done pretty we'll"
 To me this is the most interesting &C., count yet received from any improvement association, because such excellent work has been done with so little money. The largest gifts ever received by the assoeia- tion were from ten to twenty-five dollars. The town can boast of no presents of parks or libraries, no expensive prizes to invite competition; but with few hun- dred dollars each year in their treasury the members of this association have joined hands, saying, "Let us all work together to make this the model town of Pennsylvania" The building of the re- taining wall along the river and the con- version of the frog pond into the tiny park are alone enough to immortalize the women of Honesdale.
 They attacked boldly the two most offensive sights in the town, and have made them instead it's pride. In munich pal, as in private housekeeping, it is the personal management of the small sums which make better showings than larger amounts expended by hirelings. This division, too, of the association into com mittees to look after details assures the work being thoroughly done.
 The Honesdale association belongs to the Federation of Women's Clubs, and al the state meeting of 1897, held at liar. risburg, no subject aroused more enthu. siasm or questioning than Miss Petersen's three minute talk upon the work of the l Honesdale association. From this talk and may subsequent letters grew num- hQr of mi nr at the state federation held at Chester Pa., in 1898. This association work ii the most contagious thing in the world Like freshly painted house in a neigh borhood, it starts nearly everybody il sight to planning improvements on theil own property.
 | No task is too great for these associa tions to undertake. They will direct thu digging ot anything from sewer to flower bed. They order down your iron fences and order up electric lights witt equal sang-froid. Water flows at thei
 command. They create sentiment il
 favor of ornamental back-yards and tid.
 alleys. Indeed, they offer you prizes fo
 the prettiest backyard and neatest alley
 and the small sums offered by these asso
 citations as prizes for the cleanest alley
 have done more to cleanse some town
 than thousands of dollars spent by tow
 councils.
 Tradesmen are taught that sidewalk
 are not the place to store empty boxes
 nor expose food stuffs to the contagio
 are compelled to keep sidewalks re paired and weeds down, and these socie