Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1910-03-30

a large number of fine churches
which are all full every Sunday. and
the clergy Of the city have among
them some very strong men. The !
church people seem to some extent
to mean business with their church.
going in an outward way at least.
For instance, our church alone be-
sides carrying on it's big work at
home, also supports four of it's own
missionaries in foreign land. What
impresses me the most is that the
work is carried on in quiet, dig
nified, businesslike manner without
the aid of ''rummage sales' sock
socials'' and lot of 'tomfoolery "
This christian spirit seems to pre-
wade the whole city. The homes are
beautiful and we'll kept. even the
humblest cottage. The streets are
clean swept. The saloon traffic has
been out-lawed for Is years. The
blind-pigs are pretty we'll kept out.
l have not seen drunken man in
Pasadena up till couple of weeks
ago. Tie two men l saw then were
Mexicans. Gambling for cigars and
even slot machines are prohibited
and the law relative to tobacco and
cigarettes is strictly enforced. The
dirty and suggestive post cards have
been banished. And that is some-
thing every town in the United
States ought to do. I sat watching
a lot Of young boys playing ball one
day and was impressed with the fact
that tho the youngsters were heated
and excited in their snappy contest,
yet not once did l hear any of them
utter a swear word. At one place
a few blocks from here the people
planted watermelons between the
sidewalk and the curbing. 1t looked
crazy to me, but to my surprise big
nice watermelons lay along the
street all thru the melon season I'M
stolen. / didn't even take one
myself tho the temptation was
strong. AS you know, Fourth of
July came on Sunday last year, and
though good deal of shooting was
done on Saturday and still more on
! Monday yet so strong was the re-
gard for the Sabbath and the city
ordinance that during the whole
Sunday I did not hear a single re-
port. And ] think that is saying a
good deal for self control of the
young boys of Pasadena. Now l
am not telling these things to create
the impression that the people of
Pasadena are all angels. ] expect
that old Nick' is putting in his
work here in various ways like
everywhere else. but I mention
these facts partly because it is in
teresting to see how a community
can develop along certain ideals if
only the public sentiment is strong
enough and crystalizes into united
!; action along those lines; and partly
because many people "back east''
J; have the notion that the "wide and
; woody" far west is a little behind
} in the progress of civilization and
, culture. 1t is mistake. Of course
: all towns are not like Pasadena, and
even in Pasadena there is a bunch
; of knockers and cheap politicians
) who call it the "City Of the Living
, dead" Those who prefer drunken
ness and prostitution, brawls and pa
troll wagons, street takers and prize
fights will probably call a town like
this dead. but an intelligent person
!; who loves home life and the beauti-
full, who likes good lectures and good
) music, culture and clean sports, will
think this is very live place in
deed. Every Sunday afternoon and
at present every Wednesday after
noon, the city band, and it's a good
one, gives free open air concerts in
the parks, paid for by private SUBJ
: scriptions and by municipal apropri-
; ations. The Y. M. c. A. is very
active as are the many other organ
: izations of that kind. The fine
public library was built Is years
ago and is we'll patronized. The
, public schools are of high stan.
} dard. / notice that the question OF
manual training is receiving due
, attention in Wil|mar. The wisdom
of such department is appreciated
, in Pasadena where manual training
) is taught in all the graded schools.
: Besides there is the Troop Polytech.
! nical Institute here which one OF
the pioneer institutions along these
lines where young men are taught
and trained in mechanics and young