The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-11-29
Civic Conversion of a CITY
Transformed its Influential Citizens


The following article from the No
vember number of the magazine, The
World Today" is published by re-
quest of Mrs John S. Beard, member
of Pensacola's newly organized Civic
League and it should be read by
everyone who is interested in the
Identification of the city.
Grand Rapids is a typical American
city, known throughout the world for
Ats manufactures. The transforms
ton which Mr.. Ihlder here describes
Is all the more significant becauTe
due to the combination OF so many
different elements of the city's life.
Churches and the clerSymen have
been as prominent as merchants and
politicians. 1t is only justice to give
specific credit to the Detroit Free
Press" on whose staff Mr.. Thlder is,
and DR.. A w. Wishert, of the Fount-
ain street Baptist chuncn, in which
the lectures of Professor Zueblin
were held.
An old fashioned revival held for
the purpose of arousing the people of
a city to a realization OF their civic
duty, is a new application of old
methods, and, as Grand Rapids has
is new. For q whole week the people
were appealed to. afternoon and even
ing. by one of the most persuasive
uuickeners of the civic conscience in
the country And during the three
weeks that have followed, the effect
of mis- appeals have been manifest.
But this revival had been preceded
by year, of patient effort, which pre-
pared the ground for the sower. Four
years ago a newcomer to Grand Rap
ids was told that there was no such
thing as public spirit in the city. A
Few months ago a new conner, a man
of wide experience, said ne had never
known a city which contained so large
a number of public-spirited citizens
willing and able to cooperate for the
public good. But, he added, beyond
the circle of these men / find thick
wall of Indifference. II was to break
down this wall that the revival was
planned And the wall is broken.
Parts of il are still standing, but the
breeones are too wide to permit of its
ever being made whole again.
Every history has its obscure begin
Ming and that of the new civic spirit
In Grand Rapids is no exception. Four
years ago there was some public spir-
Ii in the city, but il was blind and
Informed. It believed that all that all
ed the city was politics Therefore
1t sought TO purge politics BY good
luck a non-parUss,n mayor was erect
ed, and under aim the administrative
boards were reformed Public works
are now under the supervision of a
highly-paid professional who has
brought about economies equal to rev-
sral times his salary. Evan more inn
portant, the board of education now
consists of nine members elected at
large instead of twenty-four elected
by wards. Under the old board the
schools were considered less import
ant than patronage. quarrels and scan
dial. Under the new board the schools
are becoming source OF pride to the
city.
All these changes aroused the in
terest of the board of trade For
Grand Rapids had a board of trade,
though it, chief reason for existence
appeared to be that every self-re-
speeding city had one. Two or three
COMMITTEES. like That of the wholesal-
ers, did some effective work in fur
thering the interests of their mem
bers, but the board of trade as board
of trade was a subject for Jest People
asked each other wonderingly for
what purpose it existed. The only
answer seemed 10 be: to give a picnic
down Grand River every summer and
dinner every winter.
Four years ago the board Of trade
had a municipal affairs committee.
But il was merely a paper committee.
Its members did nothing, not because
there was nothing TO do but because
they had neither the interest nor the
information. The political reforms
aroused their interest, however, and
they took a part in securing the char
ter changes. They they began to look
about for something else which de-
served attention and found the smoke,
the bill board and the vacant-lot nui-
sances. Against these they began a
crusade which had made considerable
progress This encouraged them so
much that a year ago last January
they detailed a subcommittee to con-
slider the wisdom of working for
civic center and a city plan.
This, at the time. seemed to many
persons absurdly ambitions. Were
not the present public buildings, with
the exception of the postoffice, good
for years TO come? And as for the
city planning, there might have been
some sense in it if it had been under
taken at the time the fur-traders first
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