The Harrison times., 1916-03-25
CIVIC Improvement
Address Delivered Before Cnle Improve
ment League by Rev r. NJ. Cummings

Il
the good and the beautiful denotes a
high degree of human development.
II a community manifeSts its inner
life by institutions which collect and
diffuse scientific knowledge and other
institutions which are sources of
moral influence and development
and adds to these that art which pro-
duces symmetry, proportion and
adaptation in public buildings and
private residences, in its parks and
streets and which transforms
even natural or constructive uglineSs
into beauty, it gives unmistakeable
expression to a high grade of intel
lectual, moral and social life on the
part of its citizenship and commends
itself to enlightened public under
standing as a tood community to
tarry in transiently or to stop in per
manently.
Harrison has been at some pains to
advertise itself to the world at
large as the Pearl of the Ozarks"
and is not without grounds for a just
claim to that title, and has felt the i'm
pulse of an inflow of home-seekers
who have doubled its population in
five years and added to the aggregate
of its prosperity.
And the whole of Boone county has
shared in the benefits of this immigra-
tion and in justice to the new citizen
ship and their wellbeing should
not, and will not, hesitate to recipro-
cate favors bestowed.
The obligation of Harrison and
Boone to new comerS and old residents
alike is not limited to furnishing the
opportunities for labor and skill to
secure the necessaries of physical life,
to the housing, feeding and clothing
the population it is not discharged by
the schools and churches and courts
and post offices, but there still remains
that ministration to one of the highest
and most refining sentiments of
human life-the perception and love
of the beautiful and ornamental.
A citizenship which is satisfied with
surroundings which serve only the
elemental brute necessities of life is in
urgent need of the missionary minis
try of those who know the value of
the aesthetic in human life from early
childhood on to the final departure
for the abode of celestial beauty.
| 1t would certainly be the height of
illmanners for me, mere sojourner
in your midst to intimate that there
is such lack of the perception and
appreciation of the beautiful on the
part of the people of Harrison as to
require such a missionary effort, but
including mysel fwith all the others
we might proftably endure word of
friendly admonition to the effect that
our talents in that direction are in
danger of remaining unused in the
napkin Of neglect.
Some months in the past | was one
of a committee appointed to investi-
gate sanitary conditions in the chief
residence portion of this city and we
then received a vivid impression
through the avenues of two of our
senses that there was wide room for
improvement in respect of both clean
illness and neatness of surroundings.
We noted an absence of flowers in
the surroundings of manN homes
which gave to some a sordid barren
ness in appearance which certainly is
not good for the morals of the people,
nor does it heighten the admiration
of the traveller for our city as the
home of the lovers of the beautiful
within or without.
That flowers will grow in profusion
and great perfection with very little
care was demonstrated by us at our
home in Gordon Park last year.
Where there is lack of spontaneous
action on the part of community at
large to put the surrounding into that
condition which is best for the public
health and general happiness then
souls who are moved to create public
sentiment in this regard must join
forces in efficiently organized and
wisely directed efforts which may
take, in part, the placing of object
lessons before the eyes of the public in
places conspicuous and impressive.
Without any definite knowledge of
the plans and purposes of the ladies
clubs, at whose request | contribute
my mite of persuasion to good
cause, a mere inkling of their purpose
to make the court park the stage of
some such object lesson setting, |
bespeak for them the hearty support
! of oil GOOD citi,ane nf Horrico, in tba