The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-11-20
3 LOVE OF THE BEAUTIFUL.
Its Lack the Most GIaring Fault Of
MISUNDERSTANDING Efforts of
the Civic Leagues-What Individual
Work can Do.

For The Messenger.
II some beauty-loving stranger from
a distant land were to visit our own
country and were asked the question as
to the most glazing fault of our ever
active and progressive people his an
swer would be our lack of a love for
the beautiful. This might be, on first
thought, considered as a harsh and I'M
deserved criticism, but a little refec-
ton, h~umiliating as the confession
would be, would show that our neglect
Of beauty, for its OWL sake vas too
evident to admit of any denial.
One of our American poets, n. T.
Willis, who died about thirty years
ago, was, for a good many years the
editor of a literary paper published in
New York, and the motto was, eve
Must Do Our Utmost to Encourage the
Beautiful; for the Useful Encourages
Itself" There is a mine Of truth and
suggestion in these simple words and
we would be better mentally, morally
and spiritually if we would keep them
i'm mind and find expression in efforts
to beautify, not only our home sur
roundings, but all public places as well.
1t is, of course, easy to say that a
love for the beautiful is merely a SEN
timent and has no commercial value:
that is, it can't be turned into dollars
and cents; but against this argument it
may be we'll to say that sentiment real
1y rules the world, and, outside all Of
this, it can be truly said that the i'm
proVement of private and public
grounds, even from a financial stand
point, is a good investment and can be
safely counted on to make good returns
in actual cash, for nothing is more
helpful to a city or town than for it's
people to cultivate a spirit Of civic
pride, which will inspire with the de-
sire and make it as attractive Is pos
sible. This will advertise their city far
and near and will attract to it a great
many people who like to reside where
the surroundings are beautiful.
All the readers of The Messenger will
agree with the writer signed when he
asserts that about the most desolate
place, that can we'll be conceived of is
the ordinary railroad station, without
a tree, shrub or flower to atone to some
extent for it's hideou> ugliness. For
several years efforts have been made
TO induce the railroad authorities to
N"hS "R Llo VI II LIZ
station, but SO far nothing has Deer &C
cOmplished. In some Of the towns in
South Carolina the civic leagues have
done good work in the way of beautify-
ing the stations, and, while some really
wonderful transformations have been
brought about through the efforts of
the ladies, what is really needed is for
the railroad authorities to take the
matter in hand and i~naugurate a regu-
lar system for carrying on these i'm
provements. But aside from this and
the work of the civic leagues, the sta
ton agents can if they wish, do a
good deal in the way Of improving
their stations, and to show how this
can h-.-- the writer begs to call at
tentiOn to the work of the station agent
at Darlington, S. c.. The name of this
agent is r. J. Rivenbark and a visit to
his station would be an object lesson
to most of his brother agents. There
is an active civic league in the beauti-
full and thriving town of Darlington,
but Mr. Rivenbark, realizing that the
ladies had more thar they could we'll
do, formed himself into a civic league
and planted out his own flowers, bear
ing all the expense personally. Near
the passenger station, and in full view
Of the people passing by on the trains,
ne had a bed of gorgeous c~hrysanthe-
NUNS that would attract attention my
where. The plants were not, as is Of
ten the case, even in private gardens,
just planted out and then allowed to
take care of themselves and to exc out
an existence in the MIDST of grass and
weeds, but on the contrary were cult
waited with the utmost care, the ground
kept we'll worked and very rich and
h plants supplied with plenty of wa
ter in dry weather. This flower bed
has attracted a great deal of attention
and Mr.. Rivenbark has received a great
many compliments about the beauty Of
his flowers and they are we'll deserved.
The waiting rooms, as well as the Of
fees, are kept as nicely as it is possible
to keep places of this kind. In the la
dies waiting room are kept some mag
azines for the entertainment of the
people who sometimes have to wait on
a belated train. Now if there is an
other station agent anywhere who can
make such a showing as the one above
mentioned, the writer, for one, would
like TO hear of him.
II wax not the intention of the writer
IN this article to go into an elaborate
discussion concerning the culture Of
h beautiful, his main object being to
point out what can be accomplished by
individual effort in this direction, in
dulg1ng, at the same time, the hope
that some good may be accomplished
in the directions of arousing a senti-
= ment Of civic pride among our people;
"a pride. that will manifest itself in
visible results.
dA q future article the writer will
fake.4up the, matter of the planting
andr9sare Sf city trees, making, at the
same time. skms suggestions as to the
best safSe this purpose;
n.und 9npUys W. D. WOOD,
1917 Sumter 2f TrfsseefHeseat , Columbia, S. c.
,Transfers of Real Estate.