The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-06-25
WOMEN'S GOOD WORK
FAIR SEX IMPFC WING AND BEAUTIFY-
ING Many TOWNS.

The Laurel Hill Association and
other Progressive Village I'M
provement Societies That Are
Working For Town Betterment.
A prominent Chicago woman recent
~ remarked that the masculine portion
Of the population was so engrossed in
making money that whatever was &C
complished in the direction Of render
ing life more pleasurable by the bet
torment Of abiding places must of ne
cessity devolve upon the women.
Seemingly almost simultaneously wo-
men in all portions of Miss Columbias
domain have awakened to a realization
of this same condition of affairs, and
SO there have been organized on every
hand associations of women the object
of which is to improve the conditions
of municipal welfare and at the same
time arouse the citizens to interest and
pride in the neatness and beauty OF
their individual surroundings.
Not only are women the most potent
factors in the present era of civic i'm
provement, but indeed it was woman
who first set on foot the movement
which has now grown to such splendid
proportions, says the ST Louis Globe
Democrat. Miss Mary Gross Hopkins
was the pioneer, and it was just half
century ago that she started the agi-
tation which ultimately resulted in
making her home town of Stockbridge,
Mass, one of the most famous ''show
places" of the Berkshire hills. Miss
Hopkins organized the Laurel Hill as
ISOLATION, which speedily succeeded in
greatly augmenting the natural beau
ties Of a rocky, laurel wooded hill which
had been given to the town years be-
fore for use as a pleasure ground.
Then followed more pretentious prof.
ects, such as the grading and lighting
Of the streets and the introduction Of
annual competitions on the part of the
householders for the most beautiful
lawns, the best kept gardens and the
neatest back yards.
What has been accomplished by the
women Of this New England town may
be accepted as fair criterion of
achievements along similar lines in
other communities. Unlike other
movements of national scope, however,
the work of each local branch is char
acterized by a certain distinctive in
dividuality Of character Seldom has
any band Of women entering the field
sought to follow exactly in the foot
steps of any other like organization,
but each has proceeded along lines Of
it's own, laid out in accordance with
the most urgent needs of the COM
munity which it has sought to serve,
and thus each group of civic improve
ment workers has had something Of
example and suggestion to offer to
every other body Of toilers in the same
general field.
A particularly progressive plan has
been followed in the little city of Dix
on, H., where the women only few
months ago became thoroughly imbued
with the spirit of civic pride and a de-
sire for local adornment. The Dixon
council of women was organized at
meeting to which each society of WON
en- in Dixon had been invited to send
two delegates. Even church organiZa-
tons and social clubs were included
the. interest of hundreds Of women
was enlisted and ample financial sup
port secured without the council be-
coming unwieldy as to numbers. Of
icers were elected, and to aid them
in the practical work of the organiza-
ton vice president was elected for
each ward in the city, each vice presi-
dent being accorded the privilege Of
choosing her own assistants
1t is the duty of these field workers"
to search out insanitary places and to
interest the women Of their respective
districts in making home surroundings
more attractive. More recently other
matters have been taken up, and
among the other objects attained has
been the removal of unsightly bill
boards.
The great secret of success in any
improvement movement by women
seeking the general welfare consists
in arousing the interest Of the general
public This has perhaps never been
done more effectually than by the Vii |
lage Improvement association Of |
Honesdale, Pa. This organization came
into existence little more than dec |
ade ago, and yet it has already laid |
out parks, beautifed unsightly roads, |
converted. a garbage dump into an at |
tractive riverside walk, provided an |
public fountain, planted flow
ers, shrubs and trees in great profu- |
sion, vastly improved the sanitary con-
dition of the town and contributed to |
the cleanliness Of the streets by plac- |
inc in oOnvnninnt locations boypc for |