Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-01-23
HOW TO- BEAUTIFY
OLD ROADBEDS
MRS McRAE is OFFICIAL BEAU.
TlFlER OF RAILWAY STATIONS.
Travels in Private Car Employed b. a
Big Lines is Given Carte Blanche
by the Officials. Who Declare the
Results Pays-ilow Difficult Pro
positions are Treated

profession open 10 women but there
are not many men who nave perfect
ed professions for themselves FOR
that matter there are few men clever
enough to originate new lines Oh
work. Yet that is what a Chicago
woman has done She is Mrs. a. l..
McCrae. She has not named her
title. She might be called a station
| beautifier, for her work consists IN
making more pleasing to the eye the
station grounds and buildings which
mark the ways of railroads. Ana
who that ever has travelled for days
past dull, square buildings surround
ed with mounds supposed TO be orna-
mental will say that it is not a bless
ed work?
1t is twelve years since the rail-
roads began in any systematic man
ner to beautify their properties. The
first attempts were modest ones, bus
they proved satisfactory and the
work has grown, until today Mrs. Nc
! Craze is given carte blanche by the
company which employs her as to de-
signs and expenses. she travels in her
private car and is recognized as one OF
the number who contribute to the wei
fare OF the railroad world
1t is an ideal work-at least for
me- said Mrs McCrae. Il always
have been interested in landscape
! u-orIz ,f ,-aric,,s binds and - 80.
work of mine ! have found an outlet
for all my enthusiasm. You see,
there has been so much TO do that Z
have felt interested all the time IN
the final outcome 1t has heen an
experiment, but its worth has been
proved now. All the larger roads
may be said to be interested in this
improving of their grounds. rue
traveller of today has a more pleasant
way to travel than he would have
had twenty years ago. Instead or
bare little buildings which either
were so dull that they depressed
ones spirits or so gaudily painted
that they hurt the eyes, are to pc
found neat little structures when
neither are shabby from lack of paint
nor over loaded with it.
AS for myself, / don't care for
many Of the first attempts which
were made to improve the station
grounds and which still are in vogue
in some places. | refer to the
graveyard effects produced by
mounds bearing in gravel or flowers
the name of the town Foir that
matter, | do not believe in spending
! too much money or effort in growing
flowers. Hardy shrubs bloom for so
short season and often need to be
reset each year; so they are expens-
i've. But shrubs and vines are beau
tiful for the greater part of the year,
and for year after year.
"Of course. it isn't always possible
to obtain the desired effects. But i
never yet have seen a spot so lacking
in possibilities that it could not be
improved. The grouping of build
ings has much to do with the general
| effect and, of course, where they al
ready have been erected. all we can
| do is to make the best of them and
their surroundings. When the main
building is in the foreground and the
others grouped together in the back
! ground, | feel grateful. A clump of
/ bushes may be used to hide or at
least soften the outlines of the minor
buildings and the value of the vine
cannot be overestimated.
Il remember one s'rtion, especially
which / wanted to imrrove. 1t was
small and the groun 6 were tiny. In
fact the place was too cramped to
carry on the work of the road. The
station agent was polite to me, but
he told me at the start that he didn't
believe could do anything. We
| haven't an inch of space to spare,
he said Yet | was determined to do
something for that ugly little station.
! [ watched the men driving up to a
| loading platform and there was not
room for them to reach it without
hitting the building each time There
surely wasn't an inch to spare. But,
| said i to the station agent. they
can't drive into the angle OF the build
ng; can they? Well. l can put lit
! tie green in there / did put it in
that angle end in the opposite one
md l trained hardy vine over the
| little building, and really it didn
| look so badly, after ALL"
The work which Mrs. McCrae does
is carried on the year around, as the
winter months are spent in the warm
sr states.
The arrangements of the railroads
which have spent so much money and
effort on the identifying of their
properties claim that thew receive a
iirect return for their mt ney.
This WORK " said one railroad man,
simply is in line with our general
effort of lettering in every way our
I service. OF course. where there Is
no competition, a man wal ride in
he tain b. must, to reach his destin-
alton. but with a choice OF roads. tne
| enc made as beautiful as possible ana
he other neglected, there Is no oues-
ton but the prospective passenger
viii choose that which has been most
improved. We have iodnd it pays
and the day Of the old, ungainly sta