The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1915-09-17
ENGAGED TO DOCTOR
UP THE TOWN

lply the remedy. With customary will
ingness the town put up its goot
money, some $50 or $50 or so, to pay
the visitor to give his observations
in three lectures last Friday. II
some local man had made the same
offer 1t would have been ignored, OIL
If he had offered to do 1t free of cost
he could not have gotten a hearing
There are number of persons who
could have given as good addresses
on the subject, but no advice, how.
lever good, will cut weeds or remove
trash from the streets and alleys
The $50 expended for the three ad.
dresses would have paid for hauling
away much of the ashes and tin cans
jobstructing streets and alleys, or II
would have paid for ten days work
with team and mower; enough to
NOW about all the weed strips in the
town.
The greater part of the town is
very weedy and growing worse each
year. Many finely kept lots and lawns
are bordered on one or both sides
by wilderness of weeds and Russian
thistles, and the owners of the we'll
kept property have no protection
from the others. Streets and alleys
are used by many good citizens as a
dumping ground for brush, weeds
and trash from the lots, and many
who keep their lawns spotless dump
the trash just over the pavement in
to the street, presenting a striking
contrast. The feeble efforts being
made by the city and the citizens
to keep the weeds down only empha-
size their acknowledgment that they
are unwilling to go in for success and
make thorough job of it, When
one hears people deploring the weed
pest and the trash conditions. and
asking why they" don't do some
thing about it, it is a safe venture
that if his or her own premises and
the adjacent streets and alleys are
they will be found as bad
as the average.
1t is easy and inexpensive to build
a town on site like Blackfoot. There
is no timber to clear off, no rock to
blast, no natural difficulties to over
come, not even any hills to trim down
nor terraces to construct, and yet the
town is gradually yielding to the con-
ffquest of weeds, when industry or
slight expense on the part of each
Individual would make it a very
beautiful landscape.
If all. the lecturers in America
came to town and told us how bad
the conditions are, they would not
tell us anything that is new, for it
apparent to everybody. Lecturers
will not correct the trouble, it takes
some work and perspiration at regu-
lar intervals, and the populace have
the habit of dreading the job and
putting it off until tomorrow In
the meantime their senses are grow
Ing dulled to the unfitness of the
whole situation. 1t is like dressing
a person in mixture of dainty silks
and soiled calico.
Last Thursday, A. F. Marsh deliv-
cred three lectures in town accord
ing to schedule. He had been en-
ployed to talk on community i'm
provement, cleaning up the town and
subjects. At the High school.
his lecture was of 20 minutes dura-
ton, making use of some illustra-
tions, contrasting poorly built and
poorly kept homes and grounds with
others of equal cost but planned for
greater comfort and beauty. The
pupils gave close attention to the lee
.ure.
At the afternoon tour of inspec-
lion only eight or nine persons ap-
peared, and after touring the streets
and alleys and viewing the weeds and |
rash and the well kept places, they
'eturned to the City hall for the lee
,ure. There were only 10 or II per-
IONS present besides the speaker, and
ie went over the subject of laying I
he town out in districts or streets
,r blocks for the cleanup and beau
flying process, and told how such
hings are done in number of diff
'erent places.
At the mass meeting advertised for
he Court House in the evening, there
we're about 20 persons, and he talked
rom the illustrations used at the
ichool house in the morning. At the |,
opening Of his address he said he
,ould understand why Blackfoot has
70 many weeds and why the lots and
streets are so badly kept, since the
inhabitants were 30 Indifferent they
would not turn out to hear a discus
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