Semi-weekly herald., 1907-11-18
WOMAN SET EXAMPLE
FOR CLEAN VILLAGES.
by William F.. Curtis, Correspondent
Chicago Record-Heraid.

place of the village improvement as
which have done 30 much
to beantify towns OF New England and
other parts of the country. The first
society of the kind ever organized in
this country was formed In 1853 by
Miss Mary Gross Hopkins of Stock
bridge. q Young woman with q keen
of nature, leatDess and
heavens first law. Al that time, and
II was before the days of summer
lowed to roam at large in the village
of Stockbridge, which made II neces-
sary TO fence in the lawns and gar
dens. The magnificent trees that had
been planted a century before were al
lowed to go untrimmed. the grass and
weeks were never cut along the road
side. newspapers and other rubbish
were permitted to litter up the streets
and the roads were almost impossible
in the spring a1d fall because OF the
mud and very disagreeable in the sum
intI nttIUSt Ol iHt uuSt.
All this was very offensive TO per
son with a keen sense of propriety
aud good order. like Miss Hopkins, and
she began herself with II pair Of tongs
aud basket to gather up the news
papers she found in the streets and
along the roadside. which she carried
4 hun "a
year she worked alone, and kept the
village green in order at her own eX-
pense. hiring a man to NOW the grass,
after she had pleaded in vain with the
selectmen to do so. Her public spirit
and civic pride We're ultimately con
tagious. and the second summer she
was Joined by several other women.
who organized committee and made
IA canvass of the householders for the
purpose OF securing pledges that they
would keep their sidewalks In repair
and cut the grass and weeds in front
of their dwellings. Their efforts We're
successful; civic pride was aroused.
and the next step was to obtain the
passage of an ordnance prohibitins
cattle, pigs and horse from wandering
about the streets. This was a hard
fight, for the common" in the cen
ter Of 'the village was originally in
tended as II pasture for villagers who
did not own farms. 1t had been their
Inherited privilege to feed their cows
and pigs there ever since the settle
ment of the town. But small sub
scription secured them grazing privi-
leges on the neighboring hilsides and
live stock was bauished from the
streets.
The next step was to secure the or
ganization OF law and order league
which undertook sanitary reforms and
the improvement OF the highways
which was done by private subscrip
tion when the selectmel refused to
apply the public taxes for such pur
poses Waterworks and sewers were
then introduced: sprinkline carts were
provided to lay the dust; the railway
company was Induced to erect an ap
propriate station and embellish the
grounds around it, more than 2.0Ot
shade trees were planted upon streets
that We're unadorned: the channel OF
the Housatonic river was cleared OF
Snass and rubbish and its banks were
planted with willows and other shrubs
:, library building was secured: the
old cemetery was provided with "A new
fence: the trees weer trimmed, the
grass was moved; crumbling grave
stones were restored and straighteneo
and the villagers were persuaded tc
improve The gardens and the lawns
from which the fences had previously
Deen removed.
The result may be seen by ever,
visitor who comes here. The grea,
natural beauty OF Stockbridge is nC
longer defaced, but has been cultivated
to the highest degree. while the mo
rale of the community has been eie
vated, the municipal administrator
has been made more progressive ant
effective and the natural attractions
nave been made the most OF for tn,
benefit of both permanent and tempo
rary residents. The farmers through
ont the neighborhood have become in
fected with the same spirit. They
have learned that neatly kept piec,
Of land. with fine trees. flower gar
den and II well kept lawn will sci
much more readily and at higher
price than slovenly kept dooryard.
The Stockbridge Improvement asso
citation still exists to perform its func
tons, and has beea initiated in hun
dreds of towns throughout all New
England. Miss Hopkins deserves 4
monument. The idea is oaly n little
more than fifty years old but it has
become general in the eastern states
and prevails to considerable extent
In the west. where ii would be well II
the people of every community were
TO organize for their own benefit and
the establishment of their surround
hgs. II is public duty which women
can undertake with the greatest pro.