The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-27


the Commercial Club to make of Indianap-
oils city beautiful, has the interest and
sympathy of almost every woman in the
town and will have the practical support
of many of them. Women are, most of
them, born reformers, and the interest
which is shown here by the women citizens
in the future accomplishment Of the Civic
Improvement League augurs well for the
success of the reform
The fundamental object of the league is
the beautifying of the public alleyways,
the vacant lots, the back door yards and the
other waste places of the city, as well as the
improvement of the public parks, and an OBJ
ject such as this can hardly fail to appeal
to most women, as it's domestic side is one
of the prominent features. The women who
spend their days in homes that overlook va
cant lots full of rank weeds and noisome
growths, whose dooryards open upon al
leyways, full of miscellaneous collection of
tin cans, papers and waste of all sorts, will
appreciate the change that flowers and
vines, rather than collections of re-
fuse. and order rather than untidi-
ness, will make. And the other women
whose outlook is from front windows on
broad streets, shady with trees and bril-
liant with bloom, have the sympathy which
will move them to assist the reform with
all their strength.
The Local Council of Women is one of the
moving factors in the work and the beauti-
flying of the city has been for some time
one of the interesting questions considered
by the organization. It has a garden COM
mittee which last year did efficient work
under Mrs. May Wright Sewall, and which
now has for it's chairman Mrs. Charles M
Walker under whose direction the commit
tee will work with the Commercial Club.
The membership Of the committee includes
Mrs SewalL Mrs. Louis ]. Baker, Mrs
Flora Wuschner. Mrs. d. NJ. Parry. Mrs. A
G. Cox, Mrs. J. L. Mothershead Mrs.
Gavin, Mrs. Behymer. Mrs. Leck. Mrs. J.
H Byers, and Mrs. Hopkins. Mrs. Augusta
SEVERN, though not member Of the COM
mittee, will also work with them.
THE LADIES SPEAK OUT.
Mrs. Charles NJ. Walker, chairman of the
local council committee believes firmly that
the first step in the identifying of the city
must be the cleaning up of the backwards
and the alleys. 81 have not visited the
'slums said Mrs. Walker; my opinions
and ideas are based on the unsightly things
L
neighborhoods where well-to-do people live
things that are repulsive to the eye and
offensive to a sense of order and cleanli-
ness. My idea would be to force the owners
of property and the real-estate dealers who
rent the houses, to clean up their premises"
Specifically, Mrs. Walker spoke of a space
between Capitol and Senate avenues where
ashes and refuse have been dumped fence
high and in plain view from the windows
of an adjoining fat building. The Board Of
Health she said, had listened to several
complaints, representative had come and
looked at the heap and nothing had been
done. Another, open space little further
north between the same streets shows, al
ways, dozens of garbage cans. papers. and
refuse OF all kinds in full view Of all pass
ers-by and the unsightly place is allowed
to remain in this condition month after
month Mrs. Walker also said that the
most necessary thing in connection with
the city's improvement in this line is to
her mind the appointment Of a woman on
the Health Board, since the men acting on
that board seemed unable TO accomplish
much.
Mrs. Walker said in conclusion: House
cleaning, which means to the Health Board,
city cleaning, was never yet well done by
men When men are left to clean house,
in q fiat or dwelling, without the super
vision of a competent woman. the work is
invariably poorly done and has to be done
over. i speak from my own experience and
the experience of others, which is the rea
son for my feeling so strongly on the sub
ject of house cleaning by the city
Mrs. A. ID. Farrabee OF the Social Coun-
ell, spoke in the warmest praise Of the ac-
ton of the Commercial Club and of the
benefits of the movement.
ITO my mind" she said, there is no
civic work of more vital Importance than
this which has for it's purpose the perma-
nent beautifying of the city. 1t is a
work not only for to-day, but for to-
morrow. and for the years to come, and
is a thing that cannot be accomplished
later" Mrs. Farrabee commends the plan
established last year of giving seeds to the
school children to plant. and further says
that one Of the important things in the
movement will be the teaching of the
children in regard TO the Importance of the
planting of trees and plants
Miss Mary Dean believes that cleanliness
rather than beauty should be the object Of
any movement in this line.
IF we had a clean city we should have
beautiful city TO my mind" she said.
1.-The idea of planting trees and vines and
such things when our streets and alleys
are full Of filth. has good deal of spring