The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-03
SHELDON LEADS IT
Topeka Preacher Heads Fedora
ton War on BilbOards.
DenOunces Them as Inartist1c,
Unsanitary and Immoral.
ROOM IN THE JAIL.
Originals of Pictures Would Be
Arrested on Streets.
Mrs. b. B. Smytbe Secures Ex-
emptiOn for Red Cross.
ROOM IN THE JAIL

At a meeting of the City Federation
of woman's Clubs Thursday afternoon
the billboard question was discussed at
length. and two resolutions concerning
them were passed, namely: That petit
tions Mould be circulated among club
women to taboo all articles advertised
by billboards, and that the sanitary
commission and the board Of health be
asked to exercise their authority
against the billboard menace to the
public health. A committee was ap-
pointed to call on the city authorities
and enlist their services.
DR., Charles NJ. Sheldon gave the first
address which, in part, was as folloWs:
81 think it may be taken for granted
that in city like ours the great ma
tority of people want to do what Is
right and not what is wrong, want to
have a beautiful city instead OF an
ugly city, but there are four groups OF
people who get in the way OF plans for
lettering the world, after we have
counted out those who deliberately pre-
fer wrong to right. First. there are
those who do not know how to discern
the good from the bad, the artistic from
the inartistic.
Second. there are those who do not
care-people who will look after their
own houses and keep clean their own
door yards, but will not concern them
selves about their neighbors OF the
town in general.
1.-THE third is the class of people who
are too busy, and the last group, and
the most observation-disclosures probably
the smallest in numberS-cons1StS or
those who array themselves on the
wrong side for the sake of gain, and IL
tracing down the source of the influence
that keeps billboards in use, 1t will be
found to come from this last class.
''I wish the women of this federation
would walk down Kansas avenue and
look behind the billboards between here
and the river, and you would be
startled the disreputable sights.
Compare our streets with the streets
of Paris. There what little advertising
Is done by poster bills is confined to
one small corner of the city, and the
signs are really artistic and attractive.
The little city of Bergen in Norway.
with its quaint buildings, its narrow,
crooked streets, could not gather to-
gether from all its streets and alleys
as much dirt and rubbish as could be
raked from around one of our bill
boards.
These billboards are unsanitary in
the extreme. In the rubbish that col
lects about them are breeding places
for mosquitoes and flies and the home
Of disease germs. Moreover, they are
gathering places for filth as well as
rubbish. In addition to the unsightly
and unsanitary objections that may be
urged against them, they are many of
them demoralizing in their tendency.
For example, some of the posters adj
vertising plays show pictures that are
an insult to every woman in this town
If people appeared on the street look
ing like the pictures on the boards. they
would be arrested. Why, then, are the
pictures allowed on the public high
way, If the originals would not be?
That the plays these pJsters advertise
are demOraliZing. we all know.
Now to get rid of these billhoards
land I think we are agreed that this
Is desirable) the women of the fedora
ton should find out who controls them,
who has the right to abolish them and
then use their influence and all their
power towards their obliteration. This
Is small matter in some ways, but il
affects. the youth of our town, and that
makes it big matter"
Mild Defense by Rankin.
Mr. E. w. Rankin. who is an adj
VertiSing man, then gave his views. 81
am in favor of advertising-it is my
business. / mean that I am in favor
of good advertising. and I cannot be-
Heve chat all billboard advertising is
bad. I believe that neglected vacant
lot with the litter that accumulates In
4 such places, is more unsightly than the
lot across the street with Its billboard
advertisements. There is much room
for Improvement in this kind Of adver.
Using, but 1 think it has its Legitimate
use. Still IN our growth toward th'