Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1905-09-23
DEAUTIFYING TOWNS
MEASURE OF SUCCESS ATTAINED AT
BIRMINGHAM, MASS.

Value of Lessons to BE Learned
Fraw an Improvement Association's
Work-PracticnI Fruit of IA Lecture.
What Can lie Done with the Press
In any community striving toward
the town beautiful" and the general
field OF civic betterment nothing Is
more stimulating than to hear of the
ideals that obtain elsewhere and the
measure u success attained. For per
haps fifteen years past the fine old
town of birmingham, Mass. has had
its village Improvement association,
moving along with varying degrees
Of enthusiasm. but hardly strenuous
enough to make any serious impress on
the village life. Less than II year ago
some of the more Jealous souls met
and resolved to organize under the
laws of the commonwealth and begin
really to do things. With legul au-
thorlty to hold real estate and with
distinctly a~owed purposes the Fran
lngham Improvement association be
gan its active career.
One of its first acts was to engage
the services Of Henry Turner Bailey
to deliver an illustrated lecture in the
town hall, and for this lecture several
local slides were provided. picturing
scenes that We're an otfense to the
town and many that We're as notice
ably to It's credit 1t goes without say
ing that Mr.. Bailcy's effort was n de
cidcd success Before s o'clock on
the morning following the lecture men
We're at work removing the objection
able features that the stcrroptiCon had
so eloquently presented, and twice the
space given by this brief paper might
be filled with accounts of the actual,
practical fruit shaken from that one
lecture tree.
Tho Framingham association Is for
tunatc In having an admirable board
of officers, headed by an enthusiast Of
high ideals. Probably no other man in
that town could or would give more
earnest. intelligent care to the inter
eSts Of the. association and Its objects
than does Its president, DIR. Frank
Wallace Patch. The committees are
rs follows:
Finance, public grounds and streets,
editorial. membership and railroads.
These committees are carefully select
cd and are actively Mt work. Natural
ly the most noticeable work has been
that Of the editorial committee, because
that Is in evidence In the local press
week after week. Right here Is sug-
gcstion Of value to every Improvement
society In the land.
Publicity. "kccping cvcrlaStingly at
H." not fitfully. but pcrsistpntly. will
accomplish wonders. Put those with
n gift for presenting things forccfully
and yet judiciously on the editorial
committec-thoSe who will not be east
ly swerved by other interests into put
ting aside the claims Of the village I'M
provcment work. Let them win the
cooperation Of the local press and then
make the most of It, Hit hard, but
hit with tact Remember Emcrson's
counsel:
Mask thy wisdom with delight;
Toy with the bow but hit the white!
There are three local papers at
Framlngham. There are three mem
bers of the editorial committee OF the
Improvement association. Each mem
Der writes for one of these papers.
The chairman of the committee has
conducted n regular department in the
birmingham Tribune. to which he has
contributed about two columns week
ly. Nothing will perhaps better show
what may be done through the local
press, handled In this way, than to
quote from the report OF this com
mittee at the annual meeting:
Now, the editorial committee feels
like claiming iust II small part Of tho
credit for several steps In the march
of progress For example, we were
accused Of being eloquent In petition
ing for the restoration of the beautiful
Wren spire' of the Baptist church
injured by lightningI, and the work
was done So. too our plea for Il more
artistic treatment of the church into
rior was perhaps not essential, but tho
work was done We frankly criticised
the discOnsolate appearance of the
sheds at the Unitarian church, and the
transformation Is already in progress.
We called attention with some persist
ency to the condition of the grounds