The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1916-05-12

town. But property owners as q rule
are indolent, and those who rent are
determined not to improve the other
mans property even tho 1t would
rebound to their own benefit by CIV
ing them better surroundings. There
are people who live for years in the
same piece of property and leave
their surroundings the most squalid.
II they would improve the premises
in leisure hours and make the place
a more desirable place to live they
would be the gamers and the average
landlord would feel grateful to them
for 1t and list them as desirable ten
ants. Even II he took advantage of
them and raised the price Of the rent
in consequence of their improvements
they would hardly be the losers, for
1t would be worth as much to them
as to the others altho it is discourag-.
ing to make improvements and have
to pay for them twice. This does
not often happen. What more fire.
quently happens is for man
VINO works indoors and needs physi-
cal exercise in the evening, Is for
him to go to a bowling alley or some
other game and work hard and pay
out his money for exercise, when the
same amount of energy expended in
putting his premises In order would
become a substantial asset to his
home. Last week we spoke Of the
women of the town who have social
ambitions and who entertain lavishly
neglecting to put the rear of their
premises into any sort of harmony
with the front, or even to have things
sanitary about their property when
they are expanding money lavishly on
their guests. AS much might be said
of the men of the town in regard to
their sports There are men and boys
in town who make all kinds of sacri-
fees of time and money for base
ball and other games whose grounds
about home look like beggar or
cripple lived there. When you go to
ball game, look them over and
make note of who are the active fell
lows that spare no energy or expense
on the game, and on your way home
go by their homes and see If they
have failed utterly to keep their
premises clean, safe and sanitary.
Then check UP in the same way with
the fellows who give themselves GER
tain hours for recreation at other ex-
pensive games and see IL they could
not by putting the same amount OF
time and money into their home sur
roundings, get healthy exercise and
create environments to be proud OF.
Character and Personality Needed
The man who makes a nice home
and improves 1t in every way he can,
adding to its usefulness and beauty,
adds to the value of the home and
makes the town more desirable
place In which to live. AS he puts
himself into his work he values the
product more. 1t bears the stamp OF
his own personality and he prizes 1t
and protects and preserves it with
more vigor. When a hundred fami-
lies follow such a course, they culti-
vate a town spirit that .harmonizes
with the home spirit. When the
whole town or the majority of it's
people follow such a course the town
comes to have a distince character.
Blackfoot has that character in spots
and it ought to become contagious. |
There are certain blocks in town |
that show such spirit both in large
well-kept places and in small ones.
Their personality is stamped upon
their work. A man loves according
to what he has made of thing. II
he has made failure he may des-
pise it. If he has made part of 1t
good he prizes that part most. The
man who does most for his town
loves it most. The man who Is
Indifferent about it is the one who
has done little to make it what 1t
Dupht to be. Any man loves his town
some IL he has done anything to
make 1t good or better. 1t may have
him, it may have perse-
,uted him or it may showered favors
upon him, and thru it all he Is pref
y sure to be attached to 1t in pro-
portion as he has done something for
Z; in proportion as he has put his
,wn personality into it,, 1t
s only when all the people of the
own get the habit of trying to make
he town better that they will be
United in any effort to bring it up to
he full measure of its possibilities.
The condition Of Blackfoot shows to
What extent the people have been liv-
ng up to the measure of their OPP