The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-09-27

"An object lesson for every city In
the United States" was what Prof.
Charles Zeublin, ex-president of Amer
lean League for Civic Improvement,
pronounced the public baths on Harriet
island yesterday morning. In spite OF
a lowering sky fifty-five of the dele
gates and visitors who have been at
tending the leagues convention met
yesterday morning at $3.50 O'Clock at
the Commercial club. There Mrs. Rus
sell r. Dorr, Mrs. Condo Hamlin and
other officers of the Womans Civic
league took charge Of the party, which
boarded trolley car for Harriet ISL
and.
DR.. Justus Ohage, accompanied by
the health inspectors, bath attendants
and special policemen, met the visitors
at the entrance to the baths. The doc
tors bodyguard saluted and he him.
self, with the assistance of the health
inspectors, escorted the party over the
grounds. Not Prof Zeublin alone but
every other member of the party was
loud in EXPLANATIONS of delight over the
arrangements for public comfort and
public recreation that are in evidence
on Harriet island.
The baths themselves, the swings,
Tie dppclI cIluos tllC oe1J ASA
sery-all were thoroughly inspected
and praised without stint. The visitors
yesterday were men and women whom
broad culture, long experience along
the line of civic improvements and an
intelligent philanthropy have made ca
pable of judging accurately the value
of the baths and other appurtenances
on the island, and DR.. Ohage was made
to feel that his work was thoroughly
appreciated.
Go to Minneapolis.
There was no programme of adj
dresses given yesterday morning on the
island. In fact, the visit was most in
formal. About II o'clock the visitors
boarded a trolley car for the Indian
Mounds, and from there they went to
Como and later to- Minneapolis. Arriv-
ing in the latter city the visitors went
directly to the West hotel where they
were met by the members of the park
board and their wives. After an infor-
NAL reception luncheon was served. AT
the close of the repast DR.. w. W. Fol-
we'll extended the formal welcome of
the city and the park board, and was
followed in a similar vein by G. M. Lor-
ing and Prof. Maria l.. Sanford.
The afternoon programme was given
in the hotel parlors. Dwight H. Per-
kins, of Chicago, spoke on Municipal
Fairgrounds" and Miss Eleanor Tar
rant, of playground work in that city.
The paper read by Kenyon L. Butter
field, instructor Of rural sociology in
the University Of Michigan, was of
special interest, for it treated of the
proposed federation Of the various rural
societies that are working for the i'm
provement of rural conditions.
For Social Clearing House.
He said in part:
1--WE may conveniently group the agen-
cies already at work in rural life into. 1,
the religious; 2, the educatlonal; 3, the
industrial. The religious forces comprise
the work of the church, of the Sunday
school of the young peoples societies,
and the newly planned work Of the Young
Mems Christian association in country
districts. The educational forces include
not only the rural school, but also agen-
cies for agricultural education, such as
agricultural colleges, experiment stations,
farmers Institutes, home reading courses
for farmers, boards Of agriculture and
Finder the industrial agencies, we
may name first of all the general organi-
cations, such as the grange, the farmers
clubs, the National Farmers congress
and the Farmers alliance.
What is chiefly necessary Is sort of
clearing house for an exchange of ideas
and plans among all who are at work on
any Phase Oh the SOCldl pTODlei1l.
There is need of a central bureau that
may emphasize the necessity of the study
of agricultural economics and sociology,
and press the value of cooperation In the
work"
History of the Movement.
"a Decade Of Civic Improvement was
the subject of President Charles Zeublin' S
annual address. 1t was a comprehensive
resume of the work done by the league
and of similar Organizations that pre-
n6 az n q
The last decade has witnessed not
onlv a greater development of civic i'm
provement than any previous decade, but
more marked advance than all the pre-
vious history of the United States can
show. At the beginning of this period,
the most significant expression or civic
interest in cities was to be found in the
first social settlements of New York and
Chicago, in the beginning of the eXpan-
SION of the public school system, in the
first struggles to transplant the merit
system from federal to municipal offices,
in the preparations for the Worlds fair
in the isolated examples Of village and
town improvement, and in the develop
ment of municipal functions, such as
street paving and lighting, as well as IN
the first attempts at administrative, re-
form, which found expression subse-
Quently in the metropolitan systems OF
Boston.
citation was founded at stockbridge
Mass, in 1853, while the chief develop
ments of village Improvement have taken
place in the last half dozen years. The
first public baths were established at
Boston in 1866; but outside of Milwaukee
which established a natatorium in 1889,
the general movement for public baths in
this country dates from 1898.
1.-The movement for civic Improvement
may be said to have found a three fold
expression in first, the new civic spirit;
second, the training of the citizen, and
third, the making Of the city. AT the
close of the ninth decade of the last cen
fury the new civic spirit was finding its
chief expression in the adoption Of GER
tain important English social movements
which had f1ourished for a number OF
years across the water chief among
which were social settlements and uni
versity extension.
1--WE believe the brief experience OF
four years of pioneer effort with made
quate financial support and notable sac
rif1ces on the part Of the leading work
ers sufficient to warrant the claim thai
the American League for Civic Improve
ment has outlined a satisfactory plan fol
our cooperation"