The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-01-27
TO IMPROVE TOWN
lhe Today Clubs Work Of a Year and
the Starting Of the Idea Of Civic
improvement.
Its Work Has Been Manifested in In
proving Lawns and Parking 10
Front Of Residences.
Paul Scott With Ills Negro Colony Pro-
poses to Establish a Canning Fac
l0ry in Mitchell.
WORK OF TODAY CLUB
What Has Been Accomplished Along
the Line of Civic Improve
mcnts in Mitchell

Editor Republican: On Nov, g.,
1903, some OF the ladies of Mitchell
met together to discuss plans for civ
ic Improvement. Later an %organiza-
tion was affected. known as the To-
day Club, the fundamental aim of
Which was the Improvement and
Identifying of the city of Mitchell.
This movement was not without
precedent. All prominent cities
have like organizations. which have
been federated into state o%rganiza-
tions and these in turn into a ma
tional.
The winter nonths of the club
were spent mostly in tn, study of
being paid to the city of Washing
ton, the most beautiful city in the
United Stales, it is said. And yet
there is nothing in this city, that a
smaller city might not copy on a
small scale. All the beauty therein
is but the worl. of the citizens of
Washington, which boasts of one of
the largest civic Improvement soci-
cites in the United States.
In March the real civic work of the
club was begun. a committee, APP
pointed hy the president. appeared
before the board of education, ask
ing that the schools might be made
a means through which the work OF
the club could largely be carried on.
This was granted. Next d commit
tee was appointed for each school
building to form plans to beautify
the school grounds and to aid the
teachers i'm this work. 1t was an
nounced that a prize would be given
in each wand to the child who bad
most improved his lawn or garden hy
the close of the summer. Over two
hundred children entered the con
test. Flower seeds were secured at
wholesale prices. These we're put up
in small packages and sold to the
children for two cents per package,
thus making it possible for the seeds
w pS pidGcii III lHc IdluS 0l every
child in school. Over 500 packages
were sold. Without doubt flowers
frightened more lawns and gardens
IN Mitchell last ummer than eve
before. At the beginning of the
contest, the homes Of the children
contrasting We're visited and again the
latter part of the summer, so i'm
provements made might be noted.
The judges of the contest awarded
the prizes as follows:
James IIannett. Fourth wata.
BERTHE Dotld. Second ward.
Hazel Rnggs, Third ward
Ryland kibbee, Third ward.
Willie Avery, First ward.
In the high school and the various
%gra0es. the pupils were asked to con-
tribute shrubs and vines for the
school yards. These were set ont
around tho b IildingS and in the
yards. a few pretty flower beds were
also made in some of which flowers
bloomed all summer with very little
water being given them
Following the suggestions OF the
club, the children in the grade hnild-
ings, under the direction of the
teachers. selected names for their
respective schools. The west side
building is now the Whittier school.
east side, the Longfcllow: and sonth
side, the Eugene Field.
In April, under the direction of
the club. a mass meeting of the cit
liens was held i'm the opera house.
This assembly was addressed by Or.
Thos. Nicholson and Hon. A.. r.
Hitchcock, both speaking very en-
Enthusiastically on the subject Of civic
Improvement. Both stated that they
had lived IN towns having civic
leagues and that the good accomp-
lished ~ such organizations was in
estimable. As a result Of this meet
ing. the use OF the press and the
work of the schools. it is safe to saw
much was done in the way of park
ing, setting out trees, improving
lawns and gardens.
Mitchell has two promising PARK $
' AS yet the public has not been al.