Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-06-27
+thEA.E @TsSTfJt'siN AEtHE.I6 m ~ J
I. Administrative honesty.
3. ProsresGiveneas.
/ 10. MininnaSv,e nroanArS$S, 81

10. Minimum prosperity.
The health and beauty listed
would not NEAR the health and beau
" due to natural advantages, but the
EFFORTS made by the town to improve
In these matters.
Civic virtue and public spirit
might perhaps, 90 under one head.
measuring the proportion of citizens
activity interested In the affairs OF
he community. and the quality OF
their service. For instance, any one
working in any store. shop, school.
mill, or other form Of public service,
and not doing honest work, lacks CIV
ic virtue Just as much a. II he were
n An Somcials position. We live and
die by the services of our fellows,
whether elected or not. "A man who
builds dark tenements or who owns
and rents such tenements lacks civic
virtue. So does the packer who sells
bad meat. the worker who does poor
work. or the selfish and ignorant who
rob the public by stealing flowers in
the parks.
I'VE are already proud Of our ed
ucatonal facilities, and we should see
to it that the next generation can be
Thar prouder. We are but beginning
to awaken to the need for providing
0c a SAVAS y1NllNS4O1ls
Keeping Tabs on ERi1ency
I'VE a keep tabs on administra-
tive efficiency as soon as there is COM
right to expect. As to administrative
honesty think what a healthy thing
1t. will be when we Ear learn from our
city book which town has the worst
record and which the best, and where
we stand at home. Think Of the eager
committee on improvement sending
for the competent civic examiner. and
having their town records exposed to
public knowledge in clear and simple
unblemished record II there is one!
How deservedly ashamed the citizens
Of h worst town!
Minimum prosperity means the op-
posite OF our present system Of boast
ing Of first citizens; it NEAR boast
ing Of the last one Of the poorest.
We now exult in a millionaire more or
less. and pass over without notice the
mass of poor. What a town should be
proud of, is not the height Of its maxi
mum. in wealth. but of its minimum;
not We have three millionaires in THE
town. but There Is not a family in
this town with Al income below a
thousand dollars A thousand dollars
is only twenty dollars a week, with
a fortnight's vacation. Little enough
for any family today.
when we have studied our existing
towns, generalizing. from numbers and
showing the best we have done 80 far
when we have taken hold with a will
to make such improvements as we car
in u stubborn. old-established towns
a great new social service can be done
by developing a sample town."
Develop a nmpfe Town
THAT should not be a difficult thinl
in our country, for we start new towns
year by year: the only trouble is thai
the new ones are no improvement or
the old This sample town should
appear to be a perfectly ordinary in.
dustrial town, some new factory will
it's employees. placed where 1t could
with the rest of US. It should have
an agricultural base in the surround
ing country, as m town does after
fashion. Then the problem to b
worked 'out would be the economi,
balance between local supplies. which
save in transportation. and such I'M
ported supplies Is might save in 9th
in New York for instance. is gros
economic waste. and eggs are bette,
when produced nearby and not storet
long. This sample town could es
tablish the minimum number require.
for civilized living somewhat in thi
way.
"A good kindergarten and schoo
ought to have twenty children 1T least
properly to use two first-class teach
ers. To keep up that average numbe
Of children requires about two hun
dred women. since about ten womel
Is the average number required t
supply one child a year. Two hun
dred families means about a thous
and persons. a good number to has
our calculations upon; and two hun
dred houses. grouped about thei
necessary public buildings. form
very pleasant little village.
What civic activities are necessar
to such a group? BY this l do no
mean merely governmental activitie,
which would require only room in tn
community building and one or tw