The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-09-16
Brooklyn Eagle.

T. : Come bring your broom along;
We're going to clean this city
With happy summer song.
Well chase the festive bacilli,
The frisky germ ensnare, -
And holding brush and dustpan high,
Hunt microbes to their lair
War Cry of the Women White Wings.
-Four hundred women-all pretty, Of
course-wtth incidentally a few men armed
with brooms, have undertaken the job of
keeping Kalamazoo, Mich, clean.
Now, here is an example for the women
Of every city, town and hamlet in the
United States to follow The housewives
of all these places keep their own homes
cean-why can't they keep the streets
clean? The success with which these
women have cleaned up the city of Kala-
mazoo and are keeping it clean is worthy
Of emulation. thought to result, and per-
haps it will, in the formation Of other
women's civic leagues in all parts of the
country. And, in passing, it may be re-
marked that the women OF Brooklyn have
a golden opportunity to distinguish them
selves in street cleaning. Certainly Brook
Ign streets would bear a good deal of
cleaning by either men Or women.
But just to learn what these Michigan
women are doing, 1t is worth the while Of
any woman-whether she lives in Brook
Elyn or any other place-to look a little
bit into their methods and find out how
they brought about their present good
work y<3a,- ,>-.-
1--WE are going to have the streets of
this town so clean you can just eat off
them," the Kalamazoo women say, and
what the women of Kalamazoo say Is go
ing to happen-well, it happens, that's ALL
| Now, Kalamazoo is a pretty clean town,
anyway-anybody in Kalamazoo will tell
you that-but it Is going to be the clean
est ever now that women are the cap
tains of the white wings" and the best
of it is, they're not going to stop at just
little street sprinkling and busting off
bit, but they're going to plant trees and
flowers all over and have vines trained to
cover unsightly buildings and make little
spots Of beauty out of old back yards, and
real parks out OF big vacant lots, where
dead cats formerly slept the long sleep
and elongated trails of tin cans marked
the path of empire.
| This is how it all came about
First, there was the Rev. Caroline Bart
lett Crane, who thought it would be the
incest thing ever was to have the clean
est city in the world. So the Rev. Mrs.
Crane, who has been in the public eye Of
Kalamazoo for good many years, organ
lied the Women's Civic Improvement
league. In this work she was ably as
sisted by Mrs. A. j.. Mills, and amid great
enthusiasm the Organization was perfected
a short time ago, and during it's short
existence it has accomplished what many
another league Of long standing has failed
to do. In the very start 1t aroused public
sentiment, and that Is half the Rattle.
The league was very popular and grew
rapidly, until now its membership, reaches
400, and they come from some of the best
and strongest organizations Of the city.
But it is not only the club women who
are interested in this municipal movement,
for many prominent business and profess
sional m en- and city officials are also iden-
titled with it. Among it's honorary mem
! bers arecthe mayor and ythe city council
: men, but, while all these men folk are
giving the organization their moral sup
portland, perhaps helping it on g. little
. bit fnarc ially-you must understand that
the women are the bosses, and chat 1t IS
thru their efforts that the streets are be-
ing kept so spick and span.
f." While the women from the best families
of the city are the leaders of the league,
it is by no means a class organization. AS
an evidence Of this colored women's or
ganization known as the Celery City club
has Joined the civic society, This colored
women's club has been doing work among
the colored population Of the town that
! has been surprising everybody, so when
the present street cleaning movement was
first talked about the colored women sent
in word that they should be glad to, CO.
4 Operate with the new sorganization,# and
{ their services were readily accepted.
y The: Women's Civic Improvement league
i was organized fs in "a most businessltke
sistants members of a subcommittee OF
five women. Among the organizations
that comprise the league are the Ladies
! Library association the Peoples Church
, society, delegates of the Daughters Of the
American Revolution Celery City club,
,, Methodist Pastors union, Twentieth Cen
! tury. club, St.. Luke's Guild, Woman's
, Christian Temperance union and the He
brew Ladies' Benevolent association.
The leaders Of the league believe thai
every one In the city Should help in this
work of cleaning and identifying tex
!, town, and they have therefore asked the
school children to do all they can In the
good cause. Efforts will be made to have
the school grounds places Of beauty. Trees
: and plants are to be set out in the schoo
5 yards and window gardening will be en-
> couraged. A great deal Of work will AIS
r. be done in the parks and flowers will
. bloom in all parts Of the city. a.e.
= But in the meantime sanitary conditions
9 are not to be neglected. "
% In this connection Mrs. Crane will prov
= Invaluable, as, her efforts in the line o
- meat and milk inspection are well know
!. all over the state of Michigan. She ha
>, been So successful in her endeayers II
, | this direction that she has had Dill
- passed in the state. legislature In favor Q
n her methods, and the work has been s.
d we'll thought of that it has been take
d up in Indiana and other states. Cleanli
W ness in all things that appertain to foo
has been Mrs. Cranes chief concern 70
70 several years past. .r...a h.
Ie Six b1ocks-right in the busiest an
IS therefore the dirtiest part of the cityar
G. under the direct supervision Of .th
q women. Mrs. Crane made the start, as
: sisted by Mrs. Frederick Hotop. 1Fou
is spotless white WINGS" under their Cor
ID, ders, were the advance guard Of the arm
is that is fighting dirt. OF course, a curiou
1T crowd followed them, but that dtdn
le make the slightest difference. The Wor
it went merrily on The men swept an
If mo eIad owl duo ont +l,e straats q q RI \