The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1907-09-25
CIVIC IMPROVEMENT LEAGUE.
Mrs. FAINT of Anderson Visits Laurens
and Makes Notable Address.

Mrs. Rufus FAINT, of Anderson spok
in the opera house last Tuesday evening
to large audience of men and women
who were present to hear her ideas upor
civic improvement. Mrs, FAINT came
to Laurens upon the invitation of the
civic league, an organization very re
Gently here and anxious for enlighten-
ment. While in the city Mrs. FAINT was
the guest of Mr.. and Mrs, C. C. Feath
stone,
Seated upon the rostrum with Mrs.
FAINT last Tuesday svening were Mrs.
Jesse H. league, president of the Lau,
rens civic league, Mrs. w. L. Gray,
Mrs. P. A. Simpson, Mrs. II. D. Darl-
ington, Mrs. c. C. Featherstone, Miss
Bessie Roland, DIR. H. X. Aiken, and
the Hon. w. R. Richey.
DIR. H. K. Aiken, president of the
Chamber Of Commerce, acted as master
of ceremonies, stating briefly the OBJ
ject of Mrs. Fant's visit and introdnc-
ing her to his audience.
Mrs. FAINT is we'll known over the
State as a lady Of wide culture. but
her address was a finished production
of a high order, and was full of practi-
cal suggestions which were eagerly
heard by those new to civic work. The
address possessed one fault 1t was toe
short. Her audience would have gladly
heard her longer.
However the ladies of the city were
given another opportunity to hear Mrs.
FAINT Wednesday afternoon at the first
Methodist church and the regret was
generally expressed that this talk also
could not have been heard by the GER
tlemen.
On this occasion Mrs. Fant Simply
told the story of civic work in the city
of Anderson. She described old Ander.
son and Anderson physically regene.
rated-and she told in detail how hard
the women worked to make the money
to pay for the wonderful amount of
work which has been done.
Anderson, like Laurens, has public
square and the Anderson ladies went tc
work first on one side of the court house
then upon the other, and Mrs. FAINT,
whose ideas are entirely practical,
strongly advised the Laurens League tc
undertake only what they could do we'll
She said that it was a great mistake tc
plant trees and flowers on half dozen
sections Of the town and let them al
dis.
Two things she strongly advised car
certainly be done without great cost.
One of these is the purchasing by the
City Council Of garbage cans to be useC
by the merchants instead of of throw.
ing trash IN old boxes in front of tho
stores.
Another is to ask the City Council tt
appoint day for all the housckeepers
of the city to clean up their own premi
ses, their back yards and wood yards
Mrs. Fant said that an intense rivalry
in cleaning yards grew up in Anderson
extending even outside the city limits
She also gave the cost of various flowers
ETC., recommending some and giving
warning against others. She strongly
recommended Cannas as being hardy ant
prolific. The ladies of Anderson have
transformed their court house square
into two parks in one of which is a twt
thousand dollar fountain and they art
now working on their cemetery. Mrs.
Fant dwelt upon the advertisement the
Getty beautiful" had proven for Ander
son, stating that numbers of people
had been attracted TO move to the towr
by the civic work.
She said that the b0siness men, anC
aldermen, some Of whom were scoffers
in the beginning and disgusted by
the feminine interference would noY
do anything for the civic league of An
derson, because they realize how the
work of the e'league has really benefited
the town.
Mrs. FAINT was convincing, and we
wish the whole town could have heart
her Wednesday afternoon,