The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-05-02
WOMAN'S WORK IN
URBAN IMPROVEMENT.

MMANY American landscapes and
M cities and towns are character
fzed by barren ugliness- Tour
lists come home from Europe and ex-
claim at the unslghtliness Of our streets
and our roads, our lack of parks. stat
ues. fountains. trees and flowers and Of
all that makes the outdoor view attrac-
tive
Natures creations must be restored
ere there will be anything to make our
country attractive to the aesthetic sense.
American men are as yet mostly too
busy with money getting to attend to
this identifying of city and village.
Women have time. and it rests with
them to rebuild what the. pioneers de-
stroyed While we ought perhaps to
think more than ever about heaven, We
ought to prove we are thinking OF it
BY trying to realize It on earth The
beautiful city? What is it but the per-
feet ideal of all the beauty we know
here - gardens and fountains and
streets shaded by trees Of paradise
sweet fields arrayed in living greene
Bright winged birds viii fash to and
fro amid those trees of paradise. we
believe. and the air win throb and thrill
with their songs Of celestial sweetness.
Why not here on earth2
1t Is for woman TO help realize, on this
earth at least. a part of the natural
beauty we are accustomed to associate
with the thought OF heaven. Women
teachers may do their share of the work
by arousing in the children a desire for
clean, beautiful streets and for planting
trees and flowers in public places. Club
women are beginning to be a power.
They can do more than any others by
arousing interest in the identifying OF
cities and towns. Newspapers. will
gladly lend aid to any measure for pub
lie Improvement Club women through
committees may get subscriptions and
appropriations for the work: they may
provide free lectures with stereopticon
views of the city beautiful and other
wise.
Among the first things to be consider
ed are the streets and sidewalks, before
all in respect to good paving and clean
illness. After cows and pigs ceased to
be allowed at large in American streets
the yard fence gradually fell into dis
use, and the grass plots in front Of the
houses became a continuous lawn.
greatly improving the aspect of a
street But as yet the streets, even IN
places where there is plenty Of room for
trees. are iasufficiently shaded. The
public squares of American towns ought
to be shaded, grass carpeted, laid of in
walks and adorned each by a FLASHING
fountain bordered with flowers Such
a square should be the vista toward
which the street views converge or
statue. 2 handsome church. a public
building that is slightly srchitecturally
may be placed where IT will meet the
eye which looks toward the end Of a
street. These improvements take not
so much money as labor and persistent
agitation and effort. and public spirited
women may achieve them all
A well known club woman. Mrs.
Clarence Burns of New York, has taken
for one of her tasks the providing OF
pretty public Fairgrounds for children
during summer vacations. She inter-
ested the city authorities in her scheme
and gained her point; she has walked
up organizations among her own sex
till she now has $4,000 women behind
her in her work. She has accomplished
marked good in the cOngested. unbeau-
tifuI districts of New York city. Mrs.
Burns is certain that every woman
ought to be interested in municipal
management. and she sees great things
ahead for women in public work.
A few AmeriC1sl cities are already
alive to the necessity of civic adorn-
ment- Buffalo and Cleveland IN sum
Tner are very beautiful and may be
taken as illustrations of what can be
done and must be done II residents OF
American towns are ever to become
proud of the places they live in. II
there is anything that is within the
sphere Of woman's activity 1t is work
ing for the realization of the city beau
tiful on earth.
KATHERINE BLADES.