The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-04-12
Time to Believe in Signs.

| they put up themselves and they are
about as forgetful of the fact that
their ne;ghbors have rights worthy of
respect as the average spring robin is
foolish in tempting fate by believing
that the first warm day in March is
the beginning of spring and the end
of the cold weather. When property
owner who takes pride in how his own
property looks and puts up sign
Keep Off the Grass the sign is
about as valuable for protective pur
poses as the waving of red rag at a
bull in bull pit. No one seems to
think that the fellow really means it..
The real good citizen is the fellow who
believes that the other fellow has
rights. Property rights are vague and
uncertain in the spring weather and
the violation of them, while general, is
none the less annoying. From now I'M
til the middle Of June. when the earth
takes on something Of summer firm
ness, lot of people are going to de-
light in stopping their way across the
budding lawns of other people. Of
course they are going to swear at every
man who walks over their property,
but they are not going to pay any at
tention to yours. The fact that the
ground is soft and the law under cul-
tivation is going to be a sort of an
invitation to men to cut corners with a
bicycle and undo all the work you have
done to keep your lawn looking like a
real lawn. People in Kenosha never
learned that the place for bicycles
was in the street. They feel that when
a fellow goes out and spends his good
| money to build sidewalk in front of
his house that he is building sort of
| speedway for their benefit. The worst
of it is they are not even satisfied with
the speedway. They have an idea that
it is sort Of vested right for taem
| to ride over onto the lawn and crease
it UP like pair Of creased trousers
just returned from the tailor. It
seems to be a pleasure for these fell
lows to blaze trail which may be
followed by every other bicycle rider
who comes along The spring tramp
leaves mark on the fence post for the
other hobos who come after him and
the man who cares nothing about
the rights Of others leaves just
as distinct a mark.
Children in Kenosha seem to be
natural trespassers. IF a man has his
lawn all fixed up for spring planting
they seem to take delight in playing
two old cat In the mud of the new soil.
| They would walk hundred feet out of
their way in lot of the sections Of the
city just to spoil law. One Of
the real chances for the schools is
to put in course against trespassing.
The railway companies have fought a
lot of people off the tracks by making
arrests. The neigborly spirit which
prevails in Kenosha deters the owners
Of property from going to court to
punish the neigbor's children, but at
that, there should be some way to stop
the eternal trespassing which costs
property owner who wants to have
things look good, lot Of work
and considerable money.
The man who owns property is en-
titled to the legal enjoyment of that
property without the nuisance of tres
passers. Parents should preach to their
children the fact that the public side
walks were made for their use in
order to obviate the necessity of run
ming over the lawns. The police de-
partment should put on real crusade
against riding bicycles on the sidewalk
and against "cutting the corners
and they should demand the limit
Of the law for the first fellow
who seeks to make bicycle track out
of the corner of lawn
The city beautiful can never be re-
allied until the people be brought to
see the necessity of recognizing the
rights of others. Kenosha has never
been able to teach this lesson. It is
not only the children who are thought
less, but grown up men who act in
many capacities seem to entirely disre-
gard the rights of another. The early
morning milk man, the delivery man,
the peddler, all seem to think that they
have a perfect right to walk where
they will so long as they are reducing
the number of steps they must take to
properly carry out their work. Proper
ty rights never weigh much against the
convenience of the men who invade
them. Half of the beautiful lawns of
the city Of Kenosha will be made
unbeautiful during half of the early
summer on account of the thoughtless-
ness of these people.
| The police can not watch your lawn
and mine The matter must be one
cared for by the education of the peo-
pie to the rights of others. The only
way is for you and me to teach our
children the fact that the lawns are
worthy of protection and then take the
lesson right home for ourselves. It is
one of the best ways to make Kenosha
a more beautiful city and one of the
ways to stimulate this sort of improve
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