Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-05-23
HOW STANDS OUR COMMUNITY
IN COMPETITION OF CITIES?
-Four Million Young Americans, Who Have Seen the World.
Are Coming Back-Comparisons Are Inevitabe-Have We
Cleaned Up and Painted Up"

| Cleanliness can appropriately
enough be called The American ma
lienal trait.
| BathtubE, toothbrushes, shlned
shoes. macadam roads, whItewash,
plumbing, sanitation are American
| inventions and landmarks Of Ameri-
| can life.
| Europeans notice and comment
| a6rnirinsiy on our weu-kept cities
| sl-d homes.
Visitors notice these things. You
are not the fair judge Of your own
! self your own family. your own home
or city. You are accustomed TO
them all The ash-pile In the side
yard doesn't seem SO hideous 10 you,
who are used To II, as II does to your
guest, VINO IS first making its ac-
q 1airtance
Getting Used to Disorder.
Consider the case of the man who
ives IN a Town that has run down az
heels. become neglected. What was
eve-ybody's business mas becor-e no.
bedy's business. The entrance to the
town mas become uakeTnpt, The main
street is unndy Uttered with rubbish.
ideas. IRE Il ees need trimming. So
nd-so hasn't painted his house for
ter wears. Clean Up and Paint p
has been just phrase and not
slogan OF action.
That man has let his mind drift
with the town. He sees the faults
every day and gradualiys they don /
m like faults. The town is good
! enough. He can stand It.
| lei the stranger whe has been
| around a lit, the man who has visited
and noticed towns from coast Id
! coast, II 4 dozen states, come 70 that
/ town Every fault Is ciarlnc TO him.
! The ugiy entrance Is offensive. the
! siip-shod stores d joke, the ding!
houses hideoUs.
. You couldn't talk that man into
staying IT thai Town. Not ne ne
knows Z th,c- Or TWO about towns
He mas seen some real towns
Granted he could ra~ more money
there H. wouldn't move 10 that town
from the trim. uide-awake CITY II
which ne has his home. It is worth
money 10 hin 70 stay away.
TINS isn't our town thFt We have
. dcscr5F.aG. But things nave run
. down l.rtle haven't they Money
W. none 100 plentiful when the wal
y..a u ana Tncle Sam wanted the
..,,-r dollars for Liberty Bonds and
"'a..tr ,lrarnps Labor was scarce
Too. ana the incentive TO spruce Up
f,dn't cEactly seem the thing II
.ook too weii-kept when Europe Wa
ravaged4 and our boys were dying
uvn, mere.
ms i not now the case. The gov
n.r.--1crlT urges uE tc spruce Up, 1c
help me IL ncr situation ~ making
woih for tlt jnoiess man.
4. Everybody viii ne doing =. Can
We 1ard IL he OUT Of tna game
No more imam We could afford . he
j 7,an.rr during the wa
II y NOS 100 nluuh TO say that the
f..ture III ,44I community is a. stahe
- l.
TAKE a look al the situation. -Four
>. million ArnerIcans--of the young
he III questionable. the restless class
are coming home.
They have been travelling, they
have seen other places, they have De
come men and women Of the world
They Viii Make Comparisons.
They have grown Up in FRwtuckef
and kaukakee and Springfield, but
-hev have been around a BIZ nov.
They have seen main street IN
Paris and London and New York and
in scores q large and small prosper
Gus cities and towns in the United
States
They viii look at what untidy
Yards We have and contrast them
with the residence section OF clean :
er town they knew
4 They Will look at home and. after
the first thrill Of homecoming Is
over. they will wonder why the house
ism, painted. why the fence is al
lowed to sag, why the yard is in dis
( order.
1 They have got the idea that one
place is BE good as another to live
IL. N such matters as wages con-