The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-03-01
HER BUSINESS is
CLEANING TOWNS
Kalamazoo Woman Is First
Public HOuSGkeGpGr.
ACCOMPLISHES BIG RESULTS.

The Rev. Caroline Bartlett Crane Made
Kalamazoo, Mich, a Spotless 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 Hampton's Maga-
zine. 1t is her theory, put effectively
into practice, that large part of city
government is merely housekeeping on
big scale, very badly done, because
men do not know how to keep house.
1--WE have waited long tlme," 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 shut
their eyes and everything will be done
for them. If the home is women's
sphere surely the filthy streets through
which they must walk in order to
reach their homes are a 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 a 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 a 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 pastorate
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
ly 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 institut-
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-
mazoo had been expending $3.50. Mrs.
Tronn oIaonA1 hn
and handed the extra $3.50 back to
the department. Before her three
months had elapsed the city had adopt,
| ed her plan.
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 appetite. The result
| of the leagues exposures was law
| providing for municipal inspection of
meat, milk and all market products
| All the public institutions in the vicin-
| ity of Kalamazoo were next brought
| under the inspection of the league
| The almshouse was found to be in q
shocking condition of neglect. The
women cleaned it up. Other institu-
tions were examined and found lack
ing. The women supplied their 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 housekeeper to tell them their own
| shortcomings.
| The most valuable part of Mrs
Cranes work is that it has proved III
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 heI
visit to Kentucky the legislature pass
ed state health laws that were a gen
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 a year from
a mining camp into a modern town
with parks, good streets and an organ