New Britain herald., 1916-07-08

the safe and sane Fourth propagan-
 da began. George M. Landers was | beginning ais frs term as mayor. 1 Although due notice had been given
 that all ,boisterousness would be
 suppressed, Young America did not
 relish the idea and were prepared to i buck it. The night of July 8 was a 1 damp, drizzily one. Chief Rawlings had detailed many plain clothes men to patrol the center and they did 1 their work well. Promptly ct mid night Young America biazed forth and just as promptly did the many , arms of the law reach forth and ar rest the celebTators- On Main street alone there were ten arrests in five minutes. Then a meciful rain fell, dampening the ardor of youth and materially assisting the police. Each succeeding year the safe and sane idea has been getting a strong CT hold on the public until this year, when the safest and sanest ever was recorded.
 But the old days were glorious ones, though fraught with danger for it was then considered only a mild form of joke to throw a lighted fife crack
 
 revolver in d similar way or to make the hapless pedestrian jump by the thunderous detonation of a dynamite cane at his feet. But those were the days and the younger generation does not know what a real Fourth of July celebration is
 It seems somewhat strange that New Britain, always quick to adopt things of merit that have proven their worth elsewhere as well as not helng at all backward in innovations of her own, should never have had, or never made any preparations for, an old home week. Our much smaller sister city of Ansonia is the first Connectl- cut city this year to make such pre- parations Why not an old home week in New Britain? It would not neces- sarily be such a prchibitiNely eNpen- sive venture It's returns would be commensurate It would boom the city, stimulate trade, stimulate civic pride and be a source of pleasure for thousands.
 An old home week affords for the members cf the community an op- portunitv to welcome back to their home town members of their families, former friends and old acquaintances long since moved away and other Vls- itors long identified with the town. Happy days of former years would De discussed, surprise would be expressed at the rapid growth of the city and thoe who had moved elsewhere would be brought to realize what their old home town :eally means to them.
 Some cities have had such elaborate and costly home week programs that it proved a failure but such would not be necessary lere. Just an ObserNa- ton would be sufficient, one that would leave a mind fielled with pleas ant, personal memories, rather that the hustle and hustle and lavish dis play so offensive in msny respects to the refined tastes.
 What is so rare as a day in June. If the writer of the we'll known verse, could but have lived through the month of June, 1916, how he would have blushed. He might have re- tained the first line, but he certainly wuld have changed the text of the re- mainder of the poem in some manner that would have clearly explained just how rare one of his poetical rare June'' days are The month was all most continuously cloudy, except the final days when we had a hint of what might have been This has caused an excellent hay and grain crop, but all other vegetation is very backward. Weather records show that from June to twentieth, seventeen days there but two clear.
 Considerable adverse comment is heard in reference to action of the safety board in appointing a woman as permanent janitress at the police station. In the first place it is not thought in keeping with the proper dignity of a woman to have her work ing alone in a place where there are none but men. In the second place as janitress she will have to keep the cell rom clean and oftimes will be compelled to enter when some drunk en sot is making such a nauseating disturbance that even a man might rebel, Then too it is not infrequent that crazed men are locked up. Hard ly fitting that a woman should saunter into the cell room and be greeted with other shocking sights. Also she will be subjected to more or less vulgar and insulting remarks from some of the prisoners. Hardly the place for woman, although she did seek the job. Then too oftimes unruly prisoners are brought in when only the desk man is at headquarters with a man as janitOr the officer would have ample assistance in lodg ing his man behind the bars. It does not seem in keeping with good taste or good judgment to leave this janitor tn
 People who have occasion to visit l city hall. and there are hundreds ! daily. wonder why 1t is that although 1 a water cooler Is provided there is | nothing provided from which to drink. | )nly on council meeting nights are l