The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-04-01
TINE lNlIA1oRy STEP
First Step Along civic Lines in Pub
lie gathering Was a Great
Success.

Success.
That Mitchell people are imtued
with the idea Of i'm provement in
public and private property was
thoroughly demonstrated by the
MAGNIFICENT audience which gathered
at the opera house Tuesday evening
to attend the first meeting held for
the purpose of interesting the general
public in a movement to beautify
the city. AS individuals our people
have for years taken a great pride in
making the Surroundings Of their
home more attractive and this can
be noticed in nearly every quarter Of
the city. 1t is shown IN the hand.
some streets, the flower beds, the
shrubbery and hundreds of other
ways that tend toward some attract
iveneSs.
However, it was the desire to
broaden this spirit that the Today
Club organized a clvics department
and stared a movement to interest
all people in the Identification of
private and public property. The
%initiatory step was highly successful
and all that will have to be done now
IS to follow it up with some vigorous
work, and the result in the years to
come will abundantly pay for the
struggle.
The program that was prepared
was listened to with interest and the
speeches we're received with kindli-
ness. The Mandolin Club played
several selections and the High
School Glee Club sang a chorus that
was excellently rendered, responding
to q very hearty and deserved encore.
Misses Lee and Lathrop sang a very
pleasing duet that received demon
strative appreciation.
The speakers Of the evening were
Mr.. a. e. Hitchcock, and DR.. Thos.
Nicholson, president of the Univer-
sity. MI. Hitchcock talked briefly
and in the course of his remarks
expressed the sentiment that a town
and people which followed the plan
of planting trees, setting u flowers
and shrubbely and otherwise beautl-
flying the homes and streets conduces
to general happiness, elevates the
morals Of the people, and puts differ
ent life and activity into the citi-
zens. Personally he said that he had
always taken a great deal Of pride in
Improving his own home in this way
and the pleasure in this was not al
ways bis alone but that it contribut-
ed much to the general public which
passed his home. He hoped to see
a strong enthusiasm created for this
Improvement idea so that it would
extend to every quarter Of the city.
DIR. Nicholson gave a very interest
ing address and in opening said that
the splendid audience that was pres
ent augured we'll indeed for the
movement which had been started.
Civic improvement, he SAID, he had
always been interested in wherever
he lived and it was a question, I'M
fortunately, which many towns let
go a begging, mi the result was
noticeable In the Outlines bedraggled
appearance OF a place. DIR. Nichol-
son said as much as he knew of our
people i'm the short time he had been
in Mit1I,all l,l hin, tn L,l;o,o %t,.e
such Il movement as this would have
the hearty endorsement and approval
of all the people. In fact, he de-
GLAZED, one OF the main things out
side of the University that induced
hun to come to Mitchell last umme
was the three days he spent i'm the
city among the business men, whom
he found to be Of the hustling, ener-
getic class and the kind to make a
town grow. Mr. Nicholson offered a
suggestion in the way OF having one
day set apart in the spring when
every citizen i'm the city should put
IN the time in Cleaning UP the front
and hack yard and the alley, so that
no difference where the stranger
went lie would be greeted by that air
of cleanliness that always makes a
very favorable impression. He said
that lie had ALWAYS found that ii
stranger going into d town first
looked at the clean appearance of the
streets, and the attractiveness Of the
homes. aud with these two in first
class shape a good and lasting i'm.
preston was formed. Dir. Nicholson
presented some excellent thoughts
and suggestions in this matter Of
civic Improvement, and said that
the clean door yard, the trees, the
flowers, the shIubbery, etc. all had :
moral value to the people of the
town. They helped create a better
sentiment and assisted to engage the
thoughts Of boys and girls and mer
and women in a better channel, an6
brings out the better part of human