The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-01-14
WASTE PAPER FOES.
HOW BOYS KEEP STREETS or
BROOKLINe, MASS, CLEAN.


ed Wire at the Ends-In n Week
One Boy Picked Up $50 Papers.
| If YOU ara stranger in those pre-
cipcts Of Erooklina, Mass, which COM
! prise the I,strict Of the Henry L.
Pierce Grammar school and hence IN
familiar with the up to date methods
in vogue there, just happen through
that section Of the town some morn
Ing or afternoon as the pupils are on
their way to and from studies. drop
piece Of paper in the street and then
await developments, says the Boston
Globe.
Looking back over your shoulder. 1t
is ten chances to one that you Will see
approa ching at top speed small boy.
brandishing long round stick with
pointed wire at the end. 1t will be
needless for you to run. The lad In
tends you no bodily injury for your
appore carelessness. I!a is men,
Der of the Good Citizens club, recent
ly formed in the Pierce school, and it Is
the piece of paper you dropped that he
is after. not you Down &c swoops on
the offending paper, and in a trice he
has it jabbed on the stick with the
wire end.
AS you pass on your way from the
district you are very apt to meet many
other small boys, all carrying similar
sticks and engaged in a like Occupa-
ton Ask what it is all about, and
you receive the prompt reply to the eff
feet that the laos are all members OF
the above named club, and to back up
their assertions they show you shin
ing white button bearing an American
flag in the center and the following in
scription around the edge: Good Cit
zens' Club, Pierce School"
The club was quite recently organ
lied by the principal, Miss Mary NC
SkimmOn. for the purpose of keeping
the streets in the vicinity of the school
free from the scraps Of waste paper
which despite the vigilance Of the local
street department employees find their
way into the public highways, serious
ly affecting their otherwise tidy APP
pearance During it's short existence
the club has accomplished a great deal
of good and as a reward has been
showered with favorable comments
from the residents in the neighbOrhood
on the spotless appearance Of the sur
rounding streets.
The club comprises fifty-twO mem
bers, or four boys elected by ballot
from each OF the grammar grades from
four to nine. Each grade elected its
own four representatives. John Tag
CART was elected president and Oscar
Nissen secretary at the first meeting
held in the assembly hail Of the school.
The club holds sessions once a week.
when each member reads his report OF
work accomplished for the past week.
Considerable rivalry exists among the
boys as to who shall make the record
collection of the week, and in this con-
nection it might be mentioned that
nine-year-old Carl Pree, all energetic
youngster, recently held the club rec
ord. he having a total of 1850 papers
picked up in one week.
To stimulate interest in this enter
prising organization it is so arranged
that the clubs officers and members
shall be changed perhaps every two
months, so that others may have an
opportunity OF taking part in the i'm
pOrtant work of keeping the streets
free from refuse. The results of the
clubs work have been far reaching,
since it has extended to the cOmmuni-
ties in which the various pupils live.
Each pupil of the Pierce Grammar
school has constituted himself or her
self a foe to waste paper lying about
in the public streets. and it is now a
common sight to see children picking
up papers in almost any section Of the
town.
The pupils of the Pierce school and,
in fact, all other schools in the town
| are given regular talks by Superintend
ent Aldrich relative to the throwing of
waste paper into the streets instead of
| the barrels provided for it's reception.
/ but it was soon discovered that in Or
| der to accomplish any good result there
! must be organization; hence the Good
| Citizens club, which, set in motion by
Miss McSkimmon, has served to infuse
into the minds of the pupils at large
| proper realization of civic duty. To
| make this latter thought more pro-
nounced Miss McSkimmOn had the
| American flag placed on the badges to
| indicate that in fulfilling the obliga
tons of the Good Citizens club the
boys We're also serving their country.