Americus times-recorder., 1915-05-10
Club Women Work to
C.ean Up and Paint Up
Five Thousand Cities
CIVIC LEADERS PUT BAN ON
PINK TEAS.
Clean Yards, a Few Shrubs and
Flowers, and a Little Paint,
Wfor Better Hometown"-
Mrs. Clarence Baxter.

THAT the club women Of America
i are not waiting for full suffrage
before taking an active part in
civic betterment work is proven by
the earnest efforts of thousands Of
women in local Clean Up and Paint
Up" campaigns in practically every
state in the Union. THE men are too
busy, or too chesty," said one of these
women, ito see thu need of or to do
simple Identification and sanitation
work. And yet that work is vital to
the health Of thousands and to the
progress Of the community in better
living conditions to keep pace with
increasing population"
There was a time" she continued,
when pink teas and gossip character
lied our local club meetings. But that
time is past. There are a million
things for the betterment of the town
that we are able to do, and we are
trying TO do them as fast as we can
get to them. The Clean Up and
Paint Up campaign, in which we are
Working shoulder TO shoulder with the
men, embodies a big batch of i'm
provement9 we have had in mind.
This campaign seems to be a for
tunate combination of ideals, Clean
Up and Paint Up 1t gives us work
to do now, with a definite program to
start things off, and with absolutely
no end of possibilities in permanent
constructive effort. And the best Of
1t is that this campaign simply forces
the men to work with us. A success
tul campaign means an increased de-
mand for many kinds of merchandise,
means conservation of property. means
increased realty values-it means a
better business town and better
home town. Why shouldn't the men
lend a hand?'
And this woman is not alone in her
enthusiasm. Mrs. Clarence Baxter,
chairman of the Women's Committee
OF the National Clean Up and Paint
Up" Campaign Bureau, St. Louis, has
seen her home town, Kirksville, Mo-,
refurbished from the city hall to cor
poration limits entirely through the
earnest work of a group of women. AS
chairman of the civic and health de-
partment of the Missouri Federation
of Women's Clubs, and as vice cha.--
man of the civics department of the
General Federation of Women's Clubs,
''AA - A1t'<NtSA - MS lJS dlil duN ISIIlS
thousands of club women in similar
work. She will be glad to write to
and advise others.
Mrs. George Zimmerman, of FTe-
mont, O., chairman of the civics de-
partment of the General Federation
OF Women's Clubs, heartily endorses
the national Clean Up and Paint up
movement, and is a member of the
advisory committee of the National
Bureau.
The civics departments of several
state declarations of womens clubs
have already arranged for statewide
"Clean Up and Paint Up campaigns
this year, with definite weeks pro-
gram to start the ball rolling.
One man who always was harping
on the old saw, "Womans place is in
the home" has not been heard from
since year ago when his wife led
In Clean Up and Paint Up" cam
palgn which practically regenerated
the town. The good woman repaired
and painted piece of vacant prop
erty belonging to her husband, prop
erty that had been a drain on his purse
for ten years. She had to fix the
place up, she said, because she was
preaching Clean Up, Paint Up, Re-
pair to others, and she believed in
practicing what she preached. After
critcising his wife for her public ac-
tvity, and especially for spending real
money on that old shack" the hus-
band was sorely chagrined one day
to receive an offer of 5000 more for
the property than his former valua-
ton, He made the sale, and shut up.
This year he is the heaviest contrib
utor to that local Clean Up and Paint
Up campaign fund.