Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1917-04-26
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.
More Than 5000 Communities
Are Busy This Year.
BY HAROLD c. GLOOGETT.

ny HAROED y. EEODGE |
"Clean-I1p" effort is Of prehistoric
origin. ASK the school children and
they will tell YOU that in Greek
mythology they read Of "clean-np
day that for colossal endeayOr and
results probably beats any renoVatlng
Job OF the rapld-1Ire sort undertaken
since 1t IS not pretty story, but
here 1t IS: Augeas, the king Of Ellis,
was not strong on sanitation.
For decades ne had permitted filth to
accumulate. lie dldnt care much about
ms people or MS health, but he mad
little herd Or some 3,OOO oxen OF which
ne was considerably. proud. For 30
years the stable winch housed the herd
had not been cleaned when suddenly
old AugeaS aWoke. lie 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 q Sanltarlan, stepped up and
said he would clean it 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 day the
"clean-up' task was accomplished.
Hercules Emulatcd.
since that dov "cloan-,1n, hos had IFS
Mace in The worId,s vernacular With
fhe snrine fine desire tn refurhish
comes subconeciousIv into the hearts
Of mon ana women and communities
Rut without direction and Sustained Of
fort thc EXPRESSION of that desire in
the form Of tho ordinary "clean-un
dav, o.. ",voo,, " has rosujtnd in such
q eunorfciaI eoIIv aoainst fifth that
+ha moro axnorionced,ond earnest civic
workors bo,lo for Iono hold o,,cb "dovs,,
in disrnnrto
unrcnIos, ,,,oo of Tho GODS rf no
wontod "a ..cloor-u,, in dov tho
heavens hocl,od hin, and bo did II
sine tbot dov MOI, ord woman mara
noortoIs b,vn eouoht n nn,nloto tho
o,.;cino1 .cIoon,,,,,, o,,,or+ !, e,,ooa
ond thnv have foilod Communities for
haNa pnnnnptna Il
If tho onnnoI-hotb orda,. on1,v to find
+hot thn noxt dov tboro 1vae fiItb .shn-
hind tho oorc,, ana .shotu-oon tho tonc %"
And = wool, Iotor conditions oonorollv
were as had as eyer
II remained fo,, AIlan " Cgorl, NH
1isbor If i. 81 louis +rodo nonor +o
tprn tho "snrina cleon-nno intorasts
into ncrmonent ana constructive chan
nels Years aoo Mr. Clark nodo nm
his mind that tbis cou]d no donn. that
real comnafons ,vorI,ino toward dafi-
mite ideals and accomnlishino rnaI rn-
suits, could be organizpd everywhere
IN take tbo nIocn Of tho old hit-or-n,iss
"clean-up" methods
Tn NTov 1919 no foundod . "cIoon-
nm, ana ssnoint-,n,, croani1otion TIn
h0nod thar > tho~ouob- GOING movement
nationaI in its scono and practical j.,
its nrincinlns MIGHT toln tba n}acn
of tbo "onnuaI bath" idna as ex-
nrnssnd in tho oId-tino "cIoan-,7n dov"
~, ..ynnlzo
Movement Gro,uino
For four ve,rs the sconn Of tbis move
mant has hpnn ranidIv extended until
this voor il is co-onaratjnp With more
than G 600 Iocol communities in tho
orr,niyotion and direction of real
"cIcao-up and naint-un'' comnoians not
"do,.s,, or "vaol-s ;,
Con+in,,oro oop,no;st,r fo,, bon,oe o,d
safe, conducted by permanent commit