Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-06-04

Park. When it was proposed by
Mayor Morey to have these flower
beds there was protest that the
children would destroy the flowers
and it would prove waste of money
The flowers are there and are not
disturbed.
Twenty-Five years ago the same ar
gument against putting out flowers
on cemeteries and parks was made in
Bath. The late John ii. Ramsay
was superintendent of cemeteries and
parks al that time and was ac-
dHainted with conditions in the parks
of Scotland and England He in
sisted that the public would always
take care Of its own and planted beds
without number almost in the public
grounds of Bath. Children and
grownups left the beds to bloom in
peace. Any city can re;y on Super
intendent Ramsay's philosophy in this
matter. While the kids and maturcr
citizens of both sexes will steal flow
crs from private grounds they will as
"A rule. take good care of what they
know belongs TO themselves.
The lower end of the Lewiston Park
is given UP as a playground for the
children and thereon several games of
baseball may be observed going on at
the same time.
Maine Statesman on Unrest.
one of the foremost Statesmen of
Maine said to me with regard to
present conditions of the people; I'VE
are living in remarkable age
Within n comparatively short time we
have seen the greater development of
steam and electricity; we have seen
evolved the commercial, telephone the
trolley car, the flying machine, the
sowing machine, the automobile and
the other thousand and one marvels
of our day. We are able 20 live bet
ter in better sanitary conditions. bet
ter and longer in our cities and our
homes: we live through more expert
ence nowadays in one year than did
our grandfathers IN fourteen. The
lahorer today lives better in many
ways, by having more conveniences
and even luXuries than did the rich
Loo years ago The country has in
creased vastly in population and
prosperity in the century Just gone.
Yet We have far greater spirit of
unrest. People seem all dissatisfied
WIN tHtff lbt6 anu places III HE,
What is the cause"
THE antomoble?' queried the
Traveller
The statesman smiled. Possibly
the motor car may have produced
some envy he replied, and longing
to possess a car, but in my mind and
am not elasscd exactly as re-
ligipus man, the chief reason for So
ctalisnl. labor troubles and tie entire
trend of this great unrest is because
we have 10 50 large an extent, de-
parted from the guidance of the
church. Those last few years with
Increasing scientific knowledge md
increasing liberality in Thought of the
nation. possibly Too because of the
great influx of Immigrants from for
|eisn lands, the Sabbath day has
lar@oN gone by the board the peo-
pie chasing after pleasure instead of
heaithfnl rest upon that Day Of Rest.
Men as rule. leave church matters
to their women folks and children.
The apathy of the people toward
church and churchly matters $ seen
by the dwindling congregations and
the union of congregations. why in
one Maine city | read of the amalea-
nation Of a JTniversalist with q Bap-
fist society," What would our faith
ers have thought of that? The great
Methodist denomination last year
increased only two per cent. The
people are not growing in fidelity so
much as in agnosticism But the
result is moral and religious apathy.
We are chasing the dollar at the risk
of our souls. We are seeking pleas
ure at the cost of unrest"
And the statesman concluded by