The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-09-29
Unpopular Lectures
Pretty is as Pretty Does"

1t has been intimated that 1t re-
quires beautiful people to make city
beautiful. Ugly people make an ugly
city and vice versa. do not speak of
that style of beauty that is only skin
deep, but the lovely, substantial kind
that extends to the exterior and per-
imeates heart and soul. There
are some people as handsome as
clean shave fresh haircut and tai
lor made clothes can make them, not
Ito speak of cosmetics and picture
hats and yet if you put them to a
strict test they are as ugly as sin.
What happy and truthful old saying
that is, Pretty is as pretty does"
That is what the good old fashioned
mothers used to tell their sons and
daughters.
Nowadays mothers do not have the
love and respect of their girls and
boys that they used to have. There
Twas tender wire of reverence ex-
tending from daughter to mother in
1.-THE older and better days. Now the
mothers in many cities instead of say
ing, Pretty is as pretty does" they
Twill say to that daughter making
ready for a street stroll, my dear
daughter, put little more rouge on
the right cheek; 1t is not tinted SO
we'll as the left, and, you know, / want
you to appear perfectly lovely when
l you go out" and then the daughter,
with look of scorn and irreverence,
will very likely admonish that doting
mother with whitening look Of dis
pleasure and words something like
these:
Mind your own business; I'm do
ing this stunt"
Now who could think that young
lady was beautiful, with all her paint
and frills, except that vain, proud
mother who only views things from the
surface and cares for no commenda-
ton except the plaudits of the vainest
and the proudest of the world. !.
In the midst of these conditions on
the one hand and all-manner of incon-
sistencies of another nature on the
other hand, how expect to build up a
city beautiful.
Men and women with fads and a
struggle for popular favor and ap-
llause will talk till they are hoarse
and write until their fingers are numb
for a city beautiful, all to gain favor
and applause and it falls like goose
down on Lake Keokuk, with just as
| little effect People know and see and
I they are prone to follow sincere lead
ers and pay little heed to the false.
We all remember the enthusiast c
and helpful campaign made last spring
to clean up the city in preparation for
6. city beautiful The citizens gener-
ally responded nobly But it was in
many cases spasmodic and the dream
soon passed out of many people g
r.inds. In one case there was an indi-
iyidual working as a captain of clean
1up squad in one of the wards and was
mentioned and lauded perhaps more
than any other person engaged in
] the cleanup Now, this individual
owns or controls vacant lot in a
neighboring ward. In front of this lot
iOr large poftlOH Oh Tie llI1e ldSN
summer the weeds and burdock grew
so rank and high that they more than
half way covered the sidewalk, so
/ that women and children wearing
white clothing. which was very
fashionable last summer, could
scarcely pass that way without soil
ing their clothes from the morning
dew or the dust settled on the weeds
It was a nuisance nearly the entire
summer. The people in the neighbor-
hood and m.~rv others passing that
way ssed about it and Stunned IT.
but Z owner was not beautiful and
how could you expect an ugly proper
/ ty-holder to have beautiful city LOT
so far away from his own environ.
ments, even though that property
holder was receiving so much praise
as the captain of cleanup squad III
another ward. He got the praise