The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1911-09-30
nER BUSINESS IS
CLEANING TOWNS
Kalamazoo Woman Is First
Public Housekeeper.
AccoMpusHEs BIG RESULTS.

kaiamaxoo, Mich, = Spotiess Town
and Started improvements In Many
Other Places on Contract.
The Rev. Caroline Bartlett Crane of
Kalamazoo, Mich. has the distinction
Of being the first public housekeeper
In the world, says Hamptons Maya
zine. 1t is her theory, put effectively
into practice, that a large part of city
government is merely housekee ping on
big scale, very badly done, because
men do not know how to keep house.
ave have waited long time" says
Mrs. Crane, "hopIng that the men
would learn, but now we are tired of
waiting. Women ARE tired of being
told to open their mouths and shnt
their eyes and everything will be done
for them. II the home is womens
sphere surely the filthy streets through
which they must walk In order to
reach their homes are part of that
sphere also"
She told the recent conservation con-
gress In st. Paul of the simple, plain,
but time tested housekeeping methods
that under her direction have been
applied in number of cities and of
the excellent results which had follow
ed. So practical were all these sani-
tary suggestions that Immediately
after her speech the state board of
health of Minnesota voted an appro-
priation to engage five weeks of her
time. The board asked her to visit
the twelve largest towns of the state,
view them with the eye of house
keeper and report. Now those cities
are getting the house cleaning of their
lives.
Some time ago the ideal of public
service grew so strong in her heart
that Mrs. Crane resigned her passionate
and devoted her entire time to civic
work. She organized the Women's
Civic Improvement league and started
out to clean up Kalamazoo, which sad
~ needed cleaning at that time. Mrs.
Crane offered to take charge of the
street cleaning department. After much
persuasion the city council gave her
charge Of six blocks on Main street
for three months. Mrs. Crane instltut-
ed the plan Of white wings" hand
workers and soon had her section of
the town entirely clean. Moreover, she
was saving money on the Job. For a
certain allotted space of street Kala- 4
mazo0 had been expanding $3.50. Mrs.
Crane cleaned the same space for IS
and handed tile extra $3.50 back to
the department. Before her three
months had elapsed the city had adopt
ed herplan.
This was only the beginning. Mrs.
Crane and her Civic Improvement
league next went after KalamazoO's
food supply. They visited the slaugh
ter houses. the dairies, the markets,
and the reports they turned in to the
clubs. the churches and the newspa-
pers were so startling that the town
almost lost its appe lite. The result
Of the league's exposures was law
providing for municipal inspection of
meat, milk and all market products
All the public institutions In the yicin-
ity of Kalamazoo were next brought
unuer the inspection of the league.
The almshouse was found to be in a
shocking condition of neglect. The
women cleaned 1t up. Other institu-
lions were examined and z nd lack
Ing. The women supplied IT,, + wants.
or, rather, they made the proper au-
thorities supply them.
Having made Kalamazoo into the
.'spotless town" of the northwest. Mrs.
Crane continued, by means of writing
and lecturing, to preach the gospel of
civic cleanliness and order Soon dis
tant cities began to send for this pub
lie hOusekceper to tell them their own
shortcomings.
The most valuable part Of Mrs.
Cranes work il that 1t has proved in
almost every case permanent. Her WIS.,
It and inspection are followed by or
ganization of effort to bring about the
changes suggested by her. After her
visit to Kentucky the legislature pass
ed state health laws that were a gem
Grafton in advance of those Mrs. Crane
criticised. A few months after her in
spection Of Nashville they had clean
ed the public market and laid new
sidewalks throughout the town. CAL
umet, ILL.,. was changed in year from
a mining camp into a modern town
with parks, good streets and an organ
lied system of public relief.
unsiahtly Hitching Post.