The Saint Paul globe., 1903-11-30
SAYS ST. PAUL FOLKS
LACK PUBLIC SPIRIT
DR.. Ohage Discusses lndiffer-
ence Manifested Toward
Public Improvements.

cry class must put their shoulders to
the wheel and as a unit push for the
advancement of the whole city, not
only along commercial lines, but along
. other equally important ones. Only
when we do this can we hope to Sc
cure and auditorium, Y. M. c.. A.
building, and many other things OF
which the city is sorely in need. Ii
we do this, we can then announce TO
the world that st. Paul is not only the
healthiest and most beautiful city to
live in, but that it is also the happiest.
eve must stop listening to the false@
alarm statesmen, who overlook the
fact that we must not only live, but
that we should live nobly; that we
| should think something about our fell
| low men and the coming generations;
who forget that in health lies the pow
er and strength of nation.
So spoke DR.. Justus Ohage last even
ing before large audience at the Peo-
| pies church. Rev. Samuel Smith, the
pastor, spoke along similar lines, and
declared that the citizens should be-
| gin to plan great things and not he
afraid to spend a little money in tax
| ing advantage of the natural beauties
of the city.
| DR.. Ohage was announced to speak
! on Public Baths and Public Health" !"
| The doctor gave a description of the
| baths and of the methods in which
they were conducted. His talk was il
lustrated with stereopticon views.
Baths Moral Influence.
'The secretary of the Chamber of
Commerce and others have asserted" !"
| said DR.. Ohage, that the baths were
! an expensive fad. Well, the real facts
| are these: After Harriet island had
! been all fitted up free of expense to
| the city, it was turned over to the
| municipality, and since then $4,000
| has been appropriated for improve
| ments at the island. This money has
| been used to erect new buildings, con-
! struct an approach and make other
| improvements. Besides the baths have
| turned into the city treasury so far
| $4,000.
| But if you want to look at the mat
| ter in the cold commercial manner that
some do, still say that the baths are
| a paying investment to the city. In
| Minneapolis during the past year four
| teen boys were drowned while bathing
| in the river. We had no such acci-
| dents here. If we have saved twelve
| lives, as no doubt the baths have done,
| and each life in this state has a value
| of $4,000 placed upon it, then we have
saved cool 100000, besides all the
tears and sorrow that must go with
such loss of life.
'The baths have also meant a great
deal for the health of the city. In the
Sixth ward, for instance, where my
projects have been opposed a great
deal, the decrease in mortality and in
| contagious diseases has amounted to
| over 20 per cent in the past four years.
| This is an important item that we
| must consider.
'sWe are constantly talking about
| stamping out anarchy. What we must
| do is to prevent the making Of an
archists. The young workingman, aft
| er hard days work, goes to his
| boarding house. He can either spend
| his evening in stuffy little room or
| go to the saloon. He chooses the lat
| ter place. He goes there and spends
his money and then, unhappy and dis
| satisfied, he is always open to argu-
| ments of the anarchists and is easily
| made one of them.
| But let him take his pipe and his
bathing suit and go down to Harriet
! island. He gets a bath, has some good
exercise and spends a pleasant even
ing there. He goes home a healthier
| and happier man. Such man will not
listen to the arguments of any anarch-
ist.''
DR.. Ohage spoke at some length upon
| the benefits gained from the baths by
newsboys and bootblacks, and declared
that it had very wholesome effect on
their lives generally. He also told of
the work of the day nursery.
Charges Railroads With Grating.
He spoke about the fight for an ap-
proach to the baths, and told of how
the Omaha road had secured several
city lots as well as a mile of the old
river road from the city for an actual
consideration of $1,500. eff there is
any graft anywhere in the city, here
was an enormous piece said the doc
tor. Another very large graft was the
Union depot deal. The Union depot
company promised, when they wanted
land from the city, to widen Sibey
street and make it a beautiful boule
ward. How Jong did their promises
last after they had once got their fin
| gers ON the land?
'"There is also a sad lack of philan-
| thropy in this city. We seldom hear
of any rich people here leaving lega-
| cies or giving toward any great enter
| prise. They say that unless rich
| man does something for his fellow
| men it is harder for him to get into
heaven than it is for camel to go
through the eye of a needle. If this
be true, I am afraid very large num-
| Der of St. Paul men will find work
down in the coal bin in the hereafter" "
DR.. Ohage closed with an appeal for
better support of the baths among the
citizens, as well as for all other enter
prises of public benefit.
Municipal Patriotism Needed.
little too much on the rich men, said
DR.. Smith. ct is a very common ex-
cuse to say, why don't the rich men OF
the city do this and that?
"Dr. Ohage is a man of but average
means, yet by energy, patriotism and
hard work he made Harriet island
We should have more of this. What
we need is a feeling of capacity among
the general citizenship. There should
be union of all forces, and we should
begin to plan great things.
kansas City has recently spent S.
100000 in beautifying the city. Yet
! when man from Boston a few days
ago proposed a great Improvement for
ST. Paula beautiful vista extending
from our new capitol to the high
bridge-whieh he thought might cost
$1,000,000, the suggestion received little
attention. No one has seemed to think
about it since. The expenditure looked
so large to the citizens that they quick
ly put it out of sight.
HE also suggested a metropolitan