The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1902-04-17
PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS.

IN these days of Improvement Socle
ties an article i'll the April Century on
The Beautifying OF illage and Town
is timely. interesting and instructive
While there are those who advocate
beautifying for beauty's sake, they are
unfortunately, i'll the minority. The
great majority look at all public I'M
movements from the dollars and cents
point OF view, and it is difficult to con
vince them that we'll kept streets and
walks. SHADE trees and parks are pay
ING Investment to a town or city. ct
there is abundant proof that such an
expenditure of money brings rich re-
turns in the increased value of real
estate. tie encouragement OF building,
and in many other ways. In ls3},
Stockbridge, a little mountain town III
western Massachusetts,. was flght
shabby-looking country town A sense
OF its shabbiness prompted young
lady Ito organize a society to make the
town a beautiful one, the expressed
purpose being to encourage the civic
spirit by preserving the historic aSso-
Citations Of the place and in various
ways awakening a sense of pride i'll the
community" The good work went on;
aud
Every dollar expended for beauty has
brought thousands back: vast wealth
has sought the region, and given golden
values to pastoral acres and rocky hill
side. Close by in response to this
spirit. the town of LenoX has become a
world famous pleasure resort, and the
country round about is filled with pal
aces. civic beauty and prosperity are
convertible terms. The example of
Stockbridge speedily became contagious
and made d garden Of many Massa-
chUsetts town.
But all do not care for inland hill
towns. Tie sea coast attracts the
larger number in the summer months,
and our own State of Maine bids
fair to become. what it is already
termed, the playground of the nation.
Belfast has the natural advantages and
attractions which should bring here a
large aud increasing number Of summer
sojOurEers, with permanent residents as
well. were provision made for their
coming: but without such provision
they 90 elsewhere and build up other
places. Camden hotels and boarding
houses overflow every summer, and
each year sees thousands of dollars in
vested in cottages which serve to swell
the tax receipts, while their occupants
contribute largely III other ways to the
prosperity Of the place. And so it is
with the island town of Islesboro, and
of many other places on the Maine
coast
Thus it is that quite as important as
adding to the beauties of our city is
providing accommodations for those
who would be attracted by the natural
advantages we already have. If twenty
five years ago we had made of North
port avenue a splendid pleasure drive
with shade trees on each side, who can
doubt but that it would have proved a
most profitable undertaking. Yet with
in that time there have been trees cut
down that ii allowed to grow would
have given shade, aud beauty as we'll,
to what has long been a favorite drive
and walk. Not alone have trees been
cut down, but the bush scythe has
Waged relentless warfare on what the
writer i'll The Century rightly terms
the typical rural Wayside, grown up
spontaneously with brush and brier, and
presenting charming tangle of wild
mxuriance hat ever delights the eye
common bushes of all kinds: elder and
wild rose, Virginia creeper, ciematis,
backberries and raspberlies, and hun.
dreds of other beautiful things,
In Belfast the women have taken the
initiative in the work of public i'm
provement; but the writer in The Cen
fury says it is important that both
sexes should engage in the work, and
that SO far as possible the cooperation
of all classes-the 'leading citizens
and the workers should be sought.
Then as to what shall be done:
First in order in activities of this
kind comes cleanliness. Clean streets
and public places, clean private prem
ises-With these secured, the first great
transformation in the community takes
place. When nuisance breeding rub
bish-heaps are cleared away, and vacant
lots covered with all sorts of litter are
cleaned up, everybody notes the i'm
provement and is interested in seeing it
maintained. Orderliness of course,
goes hand in hand with cleanliness.
The latter cannot be secured without
good order. And with good order there
is a neatness that commands popular
respect. 1t pleases the public eye.
Nearly everybody will desist from
throwing rnhhish into a well kent Mace