The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1908-04-30
THE SCOTCH CITY THE PRIDE
or ITS CITIZENS.
Everybody Talks Glasgow for Every
Man Woman and Child Has an
intersst in the City and
its Government

| man on the train. We have the best
city in the kingdom. probably the
best in the world, sir a casual
ncighbor on top Of one Of Glasgow's
tram cars said to me
That sounded like Pittsburg. like
Chicago. or like the loastfulucss Of
the American Far West But it
wasn't the same thing
You seem to be proud of your
city | suggested. inyitngly
"Of course am my friend ro.
spondod Glasgow sells me gas at
| two shillinEs a thousand. Do gives
me telephone service at little more
than half what 10 used to cost from
a private company, it sells me wa.
/ ter and electricity and does lot
OF other things. As for the Glasgow
| trains. they beat the world"
And the tax rate?' ! inquired.
is quite low" was the reply
We passed bowling green smooth
as billiard table The city has
/ just opened those green's said my
informant and pointing to group
Of working men, he added. ANY
one of those men could tell YOU the
things ! am telling YOU. they know
all about our tram system, they
have fair idea OF what the system
earns and what it costs To carry
them. They'll tell YOU whether the
profits should be used to reduce fares
They regard the trans, the gas, the
water, the electricity as their busi-
ness. ! councilman has got to at
tend to the business OF these men.
If he doesn't they 'hccklc" the life
out Of him"
That's what the man on the street
says about his Glasgow. That's what
the poor unfortunate, living in a >
room tenement. SAYS. That's what
the merchant the manufacturer, the
big business man says They talk
Glasgow all the time. Edinburgh says
this is vulgar Edinburgh says it is
unidentified At all events its the
Glaswegian way.
Even at the club found H. /
was introduced 10 knot of sandy
haired business men. They were
deep in talk ! heard the phrases
. business men coniurc with In Amcri-
ca. ! heard OF tramways, OF gas. of
electricity. and of telephones And
especially of some blg corporation in
which they all seemed to be- intorcs.
ed. One OF the men was a ship own
er, another was a large merchant, an
other an editorial We're men of
eminence.
The talk turned TO parks to hous
ing schemes, to symphony concerts, 90
a Whistler portrait in a local art
gallery The corporation so absorbing
10 the mall turned out to D" III
corporation of Glasgow, the hi.ges,
corporation in Scotland, The tram.
ways, the gas, the electricity, tie
symphony concerts, the Whistler pur-
+. chase-all were parts of this Gltsgow
These men We're discussing cconom-
les, not parties policies, not politics
and they did it as II il were rEcir
own business.
went out to the sowaga di,posal
works az Dalmuir An old employ p
took me i'm tow. lie explained how
the sewage was collected, how it was
separated by chemical treatment;
how the water was purified before
being poured into the river Clyde.
1t was so pure, he said, that it was
III 10 drink lie offered me a gIpsa-
ful but told him WASH feeling
thirsty Just at that momou- So he
drank q himself
He told me how much the city
received from the sale Of the sudge
as fertilizer. He explained the pro
cess as gardener might describe
the cultivation Of some rare flower
be- had given his life TO producing
The man had been in the city EN-
ploy long time There was little
dignity, and less pay, about his
position. But he was a citizen OF no
mean city, and be was proud OF
his job. He was loath to let me
leave him and his cesspool 1t was
an so important to him he felt il
must be equally important to the
rest OF the world
Enthusiasm and interest devotion
and prlde-these are the character
istics OF Glasgow citizenship. / have
talked with the heads of the city
! 1