Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1909-09-11
CLEANUP DAY
State superintendent snawkey Sends
Out Pamphlet on Cleanup and
Beauty Day.
Beautlfy Day.

State Superintendent shawkey, in a.
pamphlet just issued, says:
am convinced that the work Of
our schools is seriouly discounted BY
The bad physical conditions in and
around school houses. ii IS 4 lamen.
table fact that an idea school house
and grounds is really hard to find. An
inartistic building, dirty and uneom-
Portable, with an inadequate and neg.
lected yard is the rule. 1t Is small
comfort TO argue that other states are
no better off in this respect than We
are. The time is at hand when ii
vii be our shame If we allow condl-
tons to continue. Shall we not have.
a concerted effort among all the PEG
pie Of the state towards cleaning M
and beautifying West Virginia. our
home, a land bountifully Blessed by
nature but devastated by man?
TO this end | have designated Fri
day, October /, 1909, as
Clean Up and Beauty Day
to be observed in all the schools of
West Virginia and by every civic fed
GRAFTON, Improvement league, woman's
club or other society thar viii join us
In such a beneficial and patriotic
movement. This exercise will take
the place Of the fall arbor day and
while the folks in the country are
~scrubbing windows and floors, clean
ing away debris, planting vines. build
ing walks, erecting flag poles or put
ting up pictures, the folks in town
may be washing walls and desks.
planting shrubs or trees, or organic
ing crusades against filthy alleys and
back yards, unsanitary cars and inde-
cent b%illboards, noxious shows and
vulgar language on TIE streets. We
live in the school house, the car and
on the street. These places should
then be as c'ean, wholesome, attrac-
tive and beautiful as We can make
them. How shall we go at all this?
Any way so we go at 1t In earnest.
A young girl reporting her improve
ment work two years ago said: '.The
sum "tR19 vi Jill " GIG 81 DIE
that to cut them off would leave stubs
to mangle the children's feet at play,
so | got the larger pupils to help and
We pulled them up by the roots with
our hands" The same teacher went to
the road overseer and hv her e~ntreaty
compelled him to remove the public
road out from the front OF her door
steps. This shows what can be done
where there is a will.
If you live in the city have the
mayor issue a clean up" proclamation
for October l, Enlist the activities OF
every child by the use OF a button or
other means. The press will lend you
great assistance if you tell them about
the movement. Have the ministers
preach a sermon on the subject on the
possible civic Improvement club and to
as many of he hundreds of needed
things as you can do.
If you are in the country get the
boys and girls, their fathers and moth
ers, the trustees and boards of educa-
ton, the ministers everybody else,
and go to work, first on the school
house and grounds, then on the roads
and fence rows. then the springs and
streams, then the churches and ceme-
teries.
All this "a be done by will and
work with little expense. 1t is not
~abundantly worth while and shall we
not join in the movement with spirit
and thus bless the goodIy country we
call our home?
Respectfully,
M. p. SHAWKEY,
State Stunt.