The Punta Gorda herald., 1920-04-01
FOR HOME CONSUMPTION.

Within the past few weeks we
have endeayored to impress upon the
town authorities and citizens OF Pun
ia Gorda the fact that if we expect
! the town to attract the attention of
desirable prospective settlers 1t must
be kept clean. We should keep the
town clean for this reason if for no
other, but there are other reasons
equally as important. AS self
respecting people we should have
enough pride to keep the town clean
for our own satisfaction and as q
protection to our health, even if
lstrangers never entered our gates.
We place responsibility for the
towns disgraceful condition upon
these holding offices, and side-step-
ping and excuses will not shift the
responsibility or satisfy those who
demand that the town be cleaned up
and kept clean. The fact that these
officers receive but small pay for
their services does not relieve them
of the responsibility. They accepted
the offices and the responsibility and
swore to perform the duties delegat-
ed to them. Keeping the town clean,
sanitary and slightly is one of these
duties.
Below we reproduce a article
written by J. S. Sellars and printed in
the last issue of the Farm and Live
Stock Record, of Jacksonville. we
hope that all concerned will read TINS
and give it thought. We direct the
attention of the town officers to those
portions set in blackface type, espec-
tally the last paragraph:
Keeping a town clean and attrac-
tive is one tf the ambitions and
achievements of Floridians that IS
more than pleasure-it's a source
of health and wealth. You notice
that l put health first. 1t belongs
there. for what good is wealth with
health lacking? And no city or
town in Florida, or anywhere else
for that matter, can amount to any
thing in the way of attracting or
promoting wealth that is not first of
all, a healthy place to live in and to
do business in. This is being realt-
zed as never before in Florida.
Just travel over the state and see
the worthily am mbtous efforts that
are being made, and quite successful
ly, in the direction of clean towns
and cities-clean as to streets, al
leys and back yards; clean as to man
ners and morals; clean as applied to
communicable diseases. There can't
be too much of this sort of clean
ness and where there is town or
} community that doesn't believe in
and constantly practice habits of
cleanliness all along the line ! can
show You a good place to keep away
, from. II doesn't grow and prosper
as it would if cleanliness prevailed,
not only as to streets and backyards
| but in every other sort of cleanliness
of the kind that is not only for day
but continuously.
THE foregoing observations are in
duced, perhaps, in this instance by
: re2ding in recent issue of the Punta
Gorda Herald this paragraph:
Tuesday was the second clean
up' day within a period of four
months. 1t was a far bigger failure
than success. If possible it was an
even greater farce than the one pre-
ceding it. Everyone who gave the
matter a second thought knew be-
forehand that it was going to be a
failure and they know that the next
cleanup day" is going to be a
failure if it is conducted along the
same lines, for if every man, woman
and child in tie town spent day In
| cleaning up. the town would still be
= far from clean. This ncr any other
= town that has not been kept clear
= by a systematic effort can be cleaned
up,in day
1 Unfortunately, Punta Gorda is
: not the only Florida town where
e cleanup day is a farce, as the Her
d AIDS editor has the courage to say
S A town that needs a cleanup da!
t is never clean. 1t is something like
d the boy who when told by his mothe
e to wash his face, replied: What's tn
J. use; it will only get dirty again.
It The fault wasn't SO much with tn
G. boy as with his mother who had no
er properly impressed the need of clean
e IinesS on her youthful offspring. Th
lie town that is dirty needs {
i'd learn something. Fortunately ther
are few such towns in Florida"
as Our sense of duty compels u
la to again refer TO this matter and W
e, will continue to refer to it until tn
W town is cleaned up and kept clean
t. No one regrets the necessity for air
n ing it in print more than we, but tn
n town MUST be cleaned up and KEEP
le clean. 1t is a matter of vital inter
E. est to every resident and propert
s. owner in the town.
ut 1t must be an unpleasant situation
I'd for those responsible. There is jus
re one way for them to relieve them
le selves of embarassment-and tha
Is ic-CT. .FAN TIP THE THNyN on,