Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1906-02-09
WHOLE NO. l+04

another would ENJOY III more tnan niu-
self? Yes, many times.
3. with some it is matter of bad
taste; no eye for the beautiful. This is
often illustrated by profuse decorations
out of touch with everything else about
it; want of harmony with nature; a fine
house, perchance, but no lawn, no other
conveniences about the premises, back
porch for a storehouse and the back yard
for hog pen, while the COW pastures in
the front yard for economy's sake.
A. "By carelessness and indifference
No sense of Improvement Thoughtiess:
to everything about him. You see it in
everything he owns and has about him.
Time enough to improve his premises,
but either by instinct or training indif-
ferent to it all. 1t is not necessary to
describe such premises, we see them only
too often. Nor is it necessary to describe
the person.
5. with some it is matter of false
economy. They cannot afford to have
it better, is their plea. l have known
individuals of this class who have
wasted years of precious time during a
life time because they did not like TO
expend few dollars for convenience
or a pleasure. / have known men to
carry soft water for years distance of
many rods because they felt that they
could not afford to put in cisterns. For
the same reason he uses snow bank for
a wood shed, and dog kennel for tool
shed.
6 Again, with some it is downright
greed and avarice. Stripped of every
thing, this kind of a man would rather
have a dollar in his pocket than the
good opinion of any and every person
on earth. He is the obstructionist in
his neighborhood, in his community or
his city. If his neighbor would expend
100000 to beautify property and he
knew it wonld benefit him $4,000, he
would not grant him right of way over
his lot to expend it so long as he could
get $25, 900 out of him for going through
it. Ready to avail himself of every i'm
provement, he hangs back and refuses
to give dollar to secure it because he
knows that the progressiveness Of his
fellow citizens will secure it for him
anyhow. This man is really the most
unprogressive and dangerous to a COM
munity and to civic improvement of the
different classes which / have named.
His conduct discourages and impedes
the progress Of us all. We are likely to
tune our step TO his music because with,
many OF us It is an easy way out We,
say, well if so and SO won't give any
thing am not going to. / won't help
him even if / would help myself
remember once or twice of using this
myself 1t shows the effect of a bad
example. 1t is likely to become con-
tagious.
Now my friends do not be sensitive
about this Certainly / have i'll mind
no one i'll particular although l have in
some way described failure in some
particular of us all l want to confess
that have raped myself a number of
times as take an inventory of my sur
roundings and myself. One might as
we'll treat himself once in a while as
have his wife do it for him all the time.
"These are but few of the evils Incl
dent to the tendencies or characteristics
of individuals which ! have described
that are the subject of civil redress in
our courts Some, like the bill board
nuisance, like pasturing cows or keeping
hogs or dumping papers, filth and rub
bish upon lands or adjoining premises;
are subject to redress in the courts, since,
they may become private or even a
public nuisance; and again in some
instances such acts or similar offences
may be punished by criminal prosecu-
tions. This is the measure of our legal
standard and finds its enforcement in
our courts of law entirely inadequate
and inefficient as corrective of these
many evil tendencies.
'In this class of cases there are two
imposed upon the private
OMIltIs hbts bN ihtoh ShOOoO
to prosecute civilly, if need be, to obtain
redress in cases of private wrong, or
he must elect to suffer the wrong with
out redress. 1t is far from my purpose
tonight to encourage or advise civil
or law suits. / mention it,
however, as a weapon of defense, and
under proper circumstances is remedy
which S, metimes think is exercised too
little for the good of our community.
and as corrective in the ways and
methods of many of our citizens.
sometimes fear we are getting to be too
Indifferent to our rights; we wink too
much at trespasses, violations and impo-
sitions upon our property rights along
lines indicated in the matters referred
10. Second, we should encourage the,
public authorities to prosecute, if need
Al s.x,I