The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-06-06
CVIC LEAGUE REPORT.
PRESIDENT of Civic Organization Sub
mits Annual Report.

The following report Of the work.
ings of the Civic League during the
past year was presented to the men,
bers Of the league by it's president,
Miss Armida Moses, at the last meet
ing:
Members Of the Civic League Of Sum-
ter:
l beg to submit this, my third an
nual report to you as your president
During the past year we have held
our nine regular meetings at seven
OF which I have presided. Whereas
the attendance has not been what it
should have, it has been decidedly
better than for several years.
In reviewing the work Of the Civic
League during the twelve years of it's
existence, I find that we have taken
q definite place in the life OF the
town, that as small as or organiza-
ton still Is, 1t has sufficint force to
60 on Of itself. We could not drop
the work even If we so wished. One
OF the most important things the
League has done has been the mould
Ing Of public opinion, consciously and
unconsciously. Because we have
stood for better and cleaner con-
ditions and have taken our work sc.
riously, because our leage members
have Improved their own property
and have discussed doing so with
others, the subject has received much
thought from the community in gen.
eral and property all over the town
has been improved. The appearance
Of the home lots of Sumter people
can compare favorably with those of
any place in the State; and the town,
though there Is much to be desired
in this line. is often complimcnted on
Its clean appearance.
The other big work-and feel that
the two stand together-has been
one that has absorbed much of our
attention for the past six years--our
visiting nurse. 1t has been all along
and still Is struggle to keep this
work going, but those Of us who
have given SO much Of our time to
this may feel repaid by the results
that have actually been accomplished.
We find but a minimum number OF
cases OF the dread tuberculosis, ty-
phOid promising to disappear alto
gether, and the better care and un-
derstanding of the feeding Of babies
reducing the mortality among them
enormously. The people Of Sumter
should feel very grateful to our for
mer president. Mrs. H. w. Beall, for
introducing what seemed then by far
too great an undertaking for so small
a city. This work should mot be
classed as philanthropy; it is for
health, for the conservation of hu-
man life, 1t is Of the highest among
civic work. The good work Of our
City Health Department is a great
aid to our nurse.
The least encouraging Of our ac-
tivities has been our library, for we
have not yet been able 10 turn this
into a free library and enlarge it. AS
soon as the League can increase it's
funds this can be opened to the pub
lie without charge; but until there is
q tax levied to support it, Sumter
can not have the library a place as
thriving should possess. AS it Is the
small subscription price can not sup
port anything worthy to be called
library" The library is not self
supporting, being domiciled at the
Nurses headquarters and the librar-
ian often paid out Of the Leagues
general fund. We still hold one
travelling library subject to the call
Of the Federation Library Depart
ment, library extension having been
from the formation Of the club one Of
Its aims. Along this line we presented
the State Boys Industrial school at
Florence with nineteen we'll selected
books last fall.
This year our chief work has been
towards establishing Fairgrounds. BY
means Of our Dog and Pony show we
have raised about $4,000 to this end
and have had tho offer of two lots
for this purpose, but we are trying
to obtain more desirable ones.
We have given due Importance to-
wards interesting children in Civic
work, having an address made them
by the Rev. ID. Nj. Mcleod at our Oc
tober meeting and giving out thirteen
prizes in their garden contest which
closed then. One hundred and forty
children have entered this, the fourth
year of the contest. To further inter-