Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1911-06-12
CIVIC PRIDE IN
OUR OWN TOWN
What Has Been Done Toward
This Progressive Move.
WHY NOT BEGIN NOW :?
Let DO Il For tho Town" Spirit Over
top Any Other Personal Feeling and
Consider It Your Duty to Further the
Betterment Of the Community.

top Any Other Personal Feeling and
Consider It Your Duty to Further the
eettern1ent Of the Community.
Civic pride or the lack of 1t is an in
dividual characteristic. man may
he averse to civic progress for several
reasons. He may inherit grouchy
disposition. He may be man born
narrow minded and brought up uar-
row minded. Because of this he mas
not prospered in business and has not
become particularly desired IN society
He is peSSimist. hard Shelled and
not prone to absorb the reasonable ar
gument OF an enthusiast. says W.
Clum.
Where community is burdened
with a large number Of such individ
ualS the task is one that no commer-
cial secretary can tackle with conn
dence. for there we have collective
nOnprogressiveness. which is almost
as difficult to combat as the flowing
or the ebbing of the tide.
The individual citizen who is devoid
Of civic pride has some pet reasons
for that averseness. Probably he is
personal enemy Of the president OF
the Town improvement society or be
dislikes some Of the men who tempo
rarily are conducting the organization.
and az civic pride must be expressed
through some such civic Orga nizatiOn
this condition would be cause enough
for that individuals apathy. You
must find out the real cause of his
lack of sentiment. or. rather. lack OF
an expression OF sentiment. for | be-
lieve that deep in the heart Of every
man there is civic sentiment.
But where there exists this personal
animosity on the part of the man you
want as II member of the organization.
the man whose help yon need in the
work of civic betterment. your first
duty must be to "depersonalize the i'm
provement society Show that the or,
gnniZation is working toward one goal
the progress of the town-and that
one may beA,me identified with some
branch of the organization work where
one may do ones share of good and
at the same time not come in personal
contact with men whom one diSlikes
1t too often happens that one group of
desirable citizens refuses TO help your
civic organization because certain 9th
ers are in control. and when those men
20 out of office and II new administra
ton comes in another ScOr. or more
Cf hx,rc Of
personal difference with officers in the
new administration. This is condi
ton which exists in too many towns
and cities. but which ought to he over
come.
There Ia another point to keep in
citizen the gospel of do II for the
town." Many persons are prone to
look upon their membership fee in an
Improvement society as a contribution
to charity. had one man tell me not
90 long ago that he contributed $50 q
yenr to his church. $25 a year to the
Y. NJ. c. A. and $40 a year to foreign
missions and he thought that was a
sufficient amount for man IN his CIR
culnsta noes to give to charity.
am not going to defend the church
or the Y. NJ {. A. or the missionary
against that statement. but ! caution
you to avoid the expression OF tina,
sort of sentiment You must preach TO
the individual that after all he is not
giving to charity. nor Ia he giving any
thing to the town that does not belong
to the town The basic principle is
that he owes the town something. and
the best way to liquitlate thar debt Is
to get on the band wagon" and he
civic worker,
This Is an era OF competition among
men. among business. among munlci
palties Your prospective memneI
must be made to realize that ordinar!
taxation does not provide for the ex
pense incident TO maintaining Il posi-
ton in the front rank OF progressive
cities.
We hope the people of this town
who are Of the character that Mr.
Clum has described will profit by this
example and not let their personal
feelings interfere with doing some
thing good for the community
Our town needs civic pride as much
as any other town in this country. and
it Is only right that the citizens should
do something for 1t In the spirit OF a
duty and not as business venture.