The daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Leflore Co., Miss.) 1916-1919, 1917-04-05
CLEAN UP'AN
ANCIENT
IDEA
Hercules Cleaned the Augean
Stables by Using River as
Broom, Long, Long Ago.
Nowadays Health and Beauty Demand
Sanitation In Home and Town
Mere Than 6,0o0 Communities
Are Busy This Year.
By HAROLD G.

BY HAROLD G. BLoDeETT.
"Clean-up" effort Is of prehistoric
origin. Ask the school children anG
they will tell you that in Greek
mythology they read Of a Cleanup
day" that for colossal endeavor and
results probably beats any renovatine
job Of the rapid-fre sort undertaken
since. 1t is not a pretty story. but
here 1t is: Augeas, the king Of Ellis
was not strong on sanitation.
For decades he had permitted filth tn
accumulate. He didn't care much about
his people or his health, but he had a
little herd Of some 5000 oxen of which
he was considerably proud. For 80
years the stable which housed the herd
had not been cleaned, when suddenly
old Augeas aw0ke. he wanted the
stable cleaned.
The job was so stupendous that or
binary mortals could make no head
way against the piles of refuse, until
Hercules, who had never before been
famed as a %sanitarian, stepped up and
said he would clean 1t up. Two rivers,
the Alpheus and the Peneus, flowed
near by. Hercules changed the course
Of the rivers until they flowed through
the Augean stables, and in a day the
Cleanup" task was accomplished.
Hercules Emulated. as
Since that day cleanup" has had its
place in the worlds vernacular. With
the spring the desire to refurbish
comes sqb%consciously into the hearts
of men and women, and communities.
But without direction and sustained eff
fort the expression Of that desire, in
the form Of the ordinary "clean-up
day" or week." has resulted In such
q superficial sally against filth that
the more experienced and earnest civic
workers have for long held such days"
In d%isrepute.
Hercules was Of the gods. If he
wanted to Cleanup" in a day the
heavens backed him and he did 1t.
Since that day men and women, mere
mortals, have sought to emulate the
original Cleanup" expert In speed,
and they have failed. Communities for
years have conducted Cleanup days"
of the annual-bath order, only to find
that the next day there was filth "be-
hind the ears and "between the toes"
And a week later conditions generally
were as bad as ever.
It remained for Allen ". Clark, pub
Usher Of a St. Louis trade paper, to
turn the "spring cleanup" interests
into permanent and constructive chan
nels. Years ago Mr.. Clark made up
his mind that this could be done; that
real campaigns, working toward def.
mite ideals and accomplishing real re.
suits, could be organized everywhere
to take the place Of the old hlt.or-miss
cleanup" methods.
In May, 1912, he founded a "clean-
up" and "paint-up" organization. He
hoped that a thorough-going movement,
national in its scope and practical in
Its principles, might take the place
Of the annual bath" idea as ex-
pressed in the old-time Cleanup day"
Or "week."
Movement Growing.
For four years the scope of this move
ment has been rapidly extended until
Ibis year It is cooperating with more
than 5000 local communities In the
and direction Of real
cleanup and paint-up" campaigns, not
or "weeks."
Continuous campaigns for homes and
home towns beautiful, sanitary and
,afe, conducted by permanent commit
ices, and involving the cooperation OF
,ity and town officials, clubwomen,
commercial organizations, the school
children, ara prevention interests, all
business men and property owners and
he press, and the goal aimed at by all
# the cleanup" propaganda. And
his solid success is being achieved in
thousands Of cities and towns through.
tut the country today. In fact, requests
or Cleanup" assistance have come
rom South America, the Philippines,