The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-03-26
PRESIDENT M'VEY TALKS ON
THE MAKING OF A TOWN

having been fed on too much starchy
| food like candy.
In such departure school author
tiles would go much farther If they had
the backing of public sentiment.
| Another phase of town development
lies in amusements. North Dakota lis
at distance from theatrical attrac-
tions, lecturers. musicians in great
number and of the highest grade: hence
the feeling that nothing much Is worth
hearing at home town like Wahpe-
ton should have a dramatic club OF its
own, and present one first-class play of
high standard each year. For example
The School for Scandal is as funny as
any play.
The town should have a group of
people studying sympathetically some
great poet such as Wordsworth. Shelly.
Keats. Tennyson, Browning or even
that almost forgotten writer Shakes
peare
These activities are mentioned be-
cause the making of town is the rails
ing of its ideals. The town is worth
while If the people there are worth
knowing.
In line with this the University of
North Dakota is attempting to furnish
when called for lectures worth listening
to If the people are interested, to be
secured at a nominal sum-
Summer open-air band concerts
should be encouraged as a great i'm.
centive to the development of sociabil-
ity.
AS regards the moral side OF the
making of town, it is difficult to re-
move the causes of immortality without
substituting something better. or the
existing immortality will simply be di
verified to some other form One thing
should be given attention. and that is
the bad impression made by noisy
boisterous girls who sometimes 60 to
railway stations alone. The town mar
shall should insist that young people,
both boys and girls be kept off the plat
form.
"Wahpeton should have a public IL
brary-a Carnegie library 1t could he
secured at nominal cost Of nlainten-
ance of about 81 per inhabitant.
Zone wise way to make a town at
tractive. is by tasteful planting. Every
householder should make his home as
beautiful as possible. Every house
should have background Of plant life
with shrubs around the house making
It seem to grow out OF nature There
should be open .centers. with grouping
of shrubs in the corners and back
Churches should place shrubs and other
plants around their premises. with a
landscape plan similar To-. that which
your Wahpeton school hoard has al
ready adopted. In England end Ire.
land, when you enter church, You nav
the feeling OF entering into park
Cemeteries should he beautified to
the utmost. as mere matter Of SER.
tirnent if nothing more. AS a matter
of business, a beautified cemetery adds
to the dignity and value Of y town.
AS regards the care of the poor. II
would he worth while in Wahpeton. as
a phase of civic Improvement. in con.
nectiop with breckenridge to loog after
this I'm the way Of associated charity
work. 1t should be done not as doiIng
out aims. but or the ground that the
poor can thus get on their tAst and
take care OF themselves
What attitude should towrlx people,
take in the future2 An organizs. tion
should be effected aiming 10 davelop
IL
in which We Iips. III should correct taste
so that we may learn to recognizes our
deficiencies and attempt to improve
them. The great difficulty in America
is that we fail to see far enough ahead.
We should plan to have beautiful
schoolhouses, roads. roadsides. parks.
library. well-paved streets and we'll
kept yards. Boston Is planning in 1915
to have an exposition In which they
will not SHOW so much their material
growth but that 1t Is the most beauti-
full city in the woT' and the best city
to be found anSw ere
II would then make this suggestion
that wesboost cur town from the stand
point OF what we have, but also take
inventory of what we ought to have
and develop sentiment looking towards
securing the needed things as soon as
feasible"
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