ridding homes and yards of rubbish and waste that had accumulated during
the winter months. Later the campaigns were spread over a week or a
longer period, and now not only is an effort made to collect and cart
away the winter’s accumulation of waste, but the city also undertakes to
educate its citizens in fire prevention work, fly and mosquito
extermination, the beautifying of homes and yards, and the elimination
of every unsanitary condition. Cellars, garrets, back-yards, vacant
lots, alleys, public streets—in fact, every spot in the city, whether on
public or private property, does not escape the scrutiny of the public
officials and citizens’ committees.
The movement spread rapidly until practically every city had at least a
spring campaign. Some repeated the effort in the fall. After two or
three annual campaigns several municipalities, particularly the larger
ones, thought that instead of making a limited intensive effort to clean
house, a continuous campaign should be conducted. The advocates of this
plan claimed that any periodical effort had a tendency to make the
average citizen clean up only during the campaign, and that during the
rest of the year he lapsed into his usual indifference. Within the last
few years, therefore, some cities have abandoned the clean-up campaigns
and have made greater efforts during the entire year to rid the
community of all unsanitary conditions.
The clean-up campaign, however, has become a permanent municipal
activity in America. It has taught the citizen not only his
responsibility in and about his home, but also the need for greater
activity by governmental agencies to eliminate general unsanitary
conditions.
Initiating a Campaign
In order to initiate a clean-up campaign, an agitation for it must first
be started. The press, civic organizations and industrial life insurance
companies have been the principal agitators.
The industrial life insurance companies reach the individual citizen and
endeavor to get his cooperation in the movement for more sanitary laws
and conditions. Unlike the press they reach the foreigner and the class
of people who do not read the newspapers, or at most only the Sunday
editions.
Some idea of the possibility for individual and community good which
these agencies hold in their power may be gained when one considers that
one company alone has millions of policy holders in the United States
and Canada. The collectors making their weekly or monthly calls
distribute leaflets and circulars disseminating sound ideas in regard to
public and private health.
It is not possible to over-rate the press as a factor in the clean-up
movement. The work of the newspaper does not stop with the spreading of
information both before and during the campaign—in some instances it
takes part in the activities. The columns of the newspapers are open to
everything of a news nature that will materially assist—news stories,
special articles, editorials, daily programs, cartoons and
advertisements.
While the removal of rubbish is essentially a municipal affair, in many
instances it was not until civic organizations, such as chambers of
commerce, women’s clubs and school clubs, started an agitation for
community effort that cities realized their responsibility and
inaugurated campaigns.
The Organization
In planning the organization of the campaign, the Mayor usually appoints
a Clean-up Week Committee, consisting of one representative each from
the Department of Public Works or Street Cleaning, Health and Fire. This
committee outlines the plan and scope of the work. Usually the physical
work is performed by or under the supervision of the Bureau of Street
Cleaning, although in some cities the health officials have had charge
of the work. After a plan has been adopted to interest every man, woman
and child in the community, a proclamation by the Mayor starts the ball
rolling and the campaign is on.
As it is only through local organization that cooperative specific
community steps can be taken, an effort is first made to secure district
organization. The industrial insurance companies with their already well
organized plans on clean-up, baby welfare, health, fly and mosquito
campaigns, are important agencies for such steps in most cities. The aid
of public school principals, the clergy and others is also sought. Very
effective organization is secured also through the help of the various
welfare and civic organizations.
The official Clean-Up Week Committee usually appoints a Citizens’
Committee, representing the leaders of the financial, educational,
business and religious life of the city. The members of this committee
offer their time and services free. The Citizens’ Committee is
subdivided, sometimes into as many as twelve committees, consisting, as
in Philadelphia, of finance, press, poster and printed matter, trade
associations, community associations, charitable and benevolent
associations, schools and school children, churches, retail stores,
street cars, vacant lots and fire prevention.
The following is the plan of organization that has been used by many
small cities:
One man and one woman as directors of the general movement.
A committee on public buildings, factories and stores.
A committee on residences and outbuildings.
A committee on streets and alleys.
A committee on parking and planting.
A committee on painting and repair work.
A committee to interest school children.
A committee to supply the teams and remove the rubbish.
Captains for working crews for each day of the campaign.
The plan of Cincinnati is a representative one where the campaign is
initiated and carried on by a civic organization with the assistance of
public officials.
The President of the Chamber of Commerce of that city suggested it might
be worth while to start a clean-up movement, and, accordingly, a number
of letters were sent to prominent people informing them of the proposed
movement, and asking, if they thought the idea worthy of merit, to meet
at the Chamber of Commerce on a certain evening. Thirty-five persons,
representatives of organizations and the city government, all
enthusiastic over the idea, met as suggested. A committee, consisting of
the Superintendent of Schools, Superintendent of Salvage Corps,
Executive Secretary of the Chamber, and the Chief of Police, was
appointed to plan the organization and name officers and members of
committees. This committee submitted a report laying out a plan along
the following lines:
1. Organization by districts coextensive with public school
districts.
2. These district organizations to be uniform in character as far as
possible.
3. The work in each district to be done by the people in that
district.
4. General committees, the members to form the General Council in
charge of the campaign.
5. An Executive Committee to be composed of the chairmen of the
General Committees, and to be in immediate charge of the campaign.
6. The campaign to extend over a number of weeks and to be followed
by a general inspection of the buildings of that city.
The report of this Committee, including its selection of the
Superintendent of Schools as General Chairman and the Manager of the
Civic and Industrial Department of the Chamber of Commerce as General
Secretary, was submitted to a large meeting attended by representatives
of the civic organizations, the State Fire Marshal, the schools, the
Fire Prevention Bureau, the Salvage Corps and others. Its plan of
organization was adopted and its selection of members of the committees
approved. The Mayor promised the cooperation of all city departments.
Publicity Plans
The keystone in the arch of any successful campaign is effective
publicity. This is obtained through newspapers, bulletins, circulars,
buttons, rubber stamps, placards, posters, motion pictures, banners,
trolley cars, bill boards and private advertising.
Cincinnati reports that no other factor contributed more to the success
of its campaign than the newspapers. By giving daily reports of the
progress of the work during clean-up week the press created a rivalry
among the various wards.
In the Philadelphia campaign the total space devoted to newspaper
publicity amounted to 14,225 lines, or 88 full length columns of printed
matter, of one column a day for eleven days in each of the Philadelphia
newspapers. For the benefit of the foreign born the same information was
printed in every foreign newspaper published in that city. Cartoonists
depicted Clean-up Week as a family affair and showed it to be a real
pleasure as well as a necessity. The editorial writers in a more serious
vein urged the necessity of cooperation and pointed the way to communal
benefits to follow.
Bulletins, properly distributed, are effective in arousing civic pride
and procuring the cooperation of householders. The first should be the
official proclamation by the Mayor. The Mayor of Kirkville, Illinois,
gave this advice in his proclamation:
If your store is dingy—paint it.
If your awning is ragged and old, get a new one.
If your walk is an eyesore to those traveling over it, repair it or
have a new one.
If there are unsightly traps in front of your property, or broken
limbs, burn them.
If in your back yard there are old, tumble-down sheds, tear them
down. The ground is too valuable, and such things detract from the
beauty of the home—and the town.
Clean out all barnyards and stables at once. Don’t give the flies a
chance to breed.
Clean out the alleys back of your homes.
Take all rubbish and ashes from your back yard immediately.
By all means do your part to make Kirkville a cleaner and more
beautiful city.
Some cities have obtained good results with circular letters signed by
some public official. These are usually sent to the various
organizations, ministers and physicians, asking them to urge the
cooperation of their members, congregations or the households they
visit.
A few cities have adopted the plan of sending letters to all advertisers
and every concern known to manufacture, advertise or sell any kind of an
article used for cleaning purposes, requesting them to increase the
amount of local publicity.
New York City in one campaign used four million circulars printed in
five languages. One circular reads as follows:
“To every owner, occupant, representative of any building, apartment,
room, yard or vacant lot: You are hereby notified to prepare and place
within the stoop line for removal all rubbish and waste material, from
lots, lofts, fire escapes, cellars, yards, alleys, air shafts, rooms and
apartments. Old bedding, rugs, paper, furniture, broken-up boxes, and
barrels; glassware should be placed in barrels, boxes and bundles. It is
against the law to throw materials in the streets. Neglect to comply
with this notice will result in prosecution. The wagons will call at 8
A. M. Wednesday, May 20.”
Placards bearing the silhouette figure of William Penn majestically
swinging a broom over the city from his dizzy perch on top of the City
Hall appeared in every one of the 3200 trolley cars during a
Philadelphia campaign. These were placed in the front and rear entrances
in such a way that only the figure was visible from the outside. The
appearance of the black and white sketch minus title or descriptive
matter of any kind was perplexing to the passengers on entering the car,
and they immediately looked at the reverse side for an explanation. They
got it in the form of an announcement for the annual Clean-up Week, with
just enough information and advice to be profitable, and most effective.
This same figure was also distributed among the schools, libraries,
railroad stations and other prominent places.
In various cities buttons are distributed bearing such inscriptions as
“Clean Up and Paint Up. I Will, Will You?” and “Scoot Home and Scrub.”
Slogans are usually selected after competition for a prize by the school
children.
Among the most effective posters used are window signs to call rubbish
carts, and cards to be placed in the windows of homes. One house poster
announced “We are Assisting in the Clean-Up and Paint-Up Campaign. Are
You?” Posters have also been used in street cars, and on wagons and
motor trucks. Fire warning cards have been sent by some cities to cigar
stores, fireproof material manufacturers, and gas companies.
Rochester, New York, was one of the first cities to have fire warnings
printed on caps for milk bottles. Others have used the backs of transfer
tickets issued by street railway companies. One of the most effective
fire warnings read: “See that your good cigar or cigarette does not
cause a bad fire.” Philadelphia distributed blotters among the school
children. In Toledo the school children, dressed as little White Wings,
carried banners bearing the inscription “B-R-I-G-H-T-E-N U-P.” The bill
posting companies, in some instances, donate space for the use of large
posters. Street cars and station platforms are also utilized in an
effort to attract the attention of citizens to do their duty cleaning
their premises. The delivery forces of department stores and milk
companies are pressed into service, each wagon being supplied with
pamphlets and cards to be left with each package or bottle of milk.
Motion pictures and lantern slides showing the ravages of the fly, and
actual conditions existing from dirt are an important factor in bringing
the necessity for cleanliness before citizens and school children. By
way of stimulating effort in the school children of Kewanee, Illinois,
motion pictures were shown depicting the success of children in
beautifying their school grounds and gardens in other cities. The
members of the New York Street Cleaning Department gave illustrated
lectures during the Clean-Up Campaigns. On the screens of 205 motion
picture theaters in Philadelphia were shown nightly for four weeks
attractively arranged slides telling the audience what to do and how to
do it. The “Before” and “After” clean-up pictures proved very popular
and instructive. Because of the great popularity of motion pictures this
form of advertising is especially effective. The general secretary of
the campaign in Cincinnati had prepared a set of lantern slides from
photographs one year and these were used to illustrate addresses given
the next year.
In all large cities there is much private advertising during these
campaigns. In some, the regular advertising pages of the newspapers for
weeks have individual advertisements of department stores, calling
attention to the reduced prices of articles used for cleaning purposes.
The more enterprising managers try to outrival each other in the amount
of space covered.
Rochester, New York, one of the pioneer cities in the organization of
the clean-up movement, arranged its publicity for one of its recent
campaigns thus:
The cooperation of the daily press.
The exhibition of slides in motion picture theaters.
Sending letters to all lodges and orders asking for cooperation.
Asking the light companies to print fire warnings on the backs of
their bills, and the railway companies to do the same on their
transfers. The light companies also displayed similar information
on their electric signs.
Use of the Boy Scouts to distribute dodgers to householders.
The cooperation of the clergy in preaching proper sermon.
Cooperation of the real estate exchange in cleaning up and keeping
clean all buildings, of which the exchange has charge.
Inducing manufacturers to print suitable copy on pay envelopes.
Sending fire warnings in printed form to cigar stores.
Arrange that all caps for milk bottles during clean-up week be
printed with a fire warning.
Secure the cooperation of all concerns selling fireproof materials
such as cement, asbestos, fireproof paint and roofing, by asking
them to advertise heavily during the week.
The Commissioner of Public Works consented to allow posters to be
placed on the back of rubbish wagons, and the Commissioner of
Public Safety offered the use of the big fire engines for the same
purpose.
The Cooperating Forces
The greater the number of cooperating forces and agencies the more
successful will be the campaign. All contribute to make the city more
livable.
The greatest factor in the clean-up movement is the children. Nothing
that is done can be accomplished without their help. Of the hundreds of
cities interested in clean-up campaigns very few can be found where the
school children have not been actively identified with the work. No
stone has been left unturned to encourage the teachers to give the
children the clean-up spirit. One of the best means of reaching adults
is through their children, and the education of the children themselves
along these lines will contribute materially to their sense of proper
community conditions when they become men and women. It is acknowledged
that what is most needed in a boy nowadays is the right spirit, to
insure him a clean life in talk, habits and associates; keeping the
city’s streets clean is a certain responsibility that makes him more
careful in his own habits.
Children are pressed into service in many ways,—through clubs composed
of boys and girls, Boy Scouts, Camp Fire Girls, City Clubs, Junior
League Clubs and Junior Civic Clubs. Cleveland, Chicago, New York,
Spokane, Paterson, N. J.; Salt Lake City, Dallas, Texas; Toledo, Ohio;
Denver, Colo.; Cincinnati, Pensacola, Fla.; Bay City, Oregon; Antlers,
Okla.; Denison, Texas, are only a few of the cities where children have
been active.
There are various ways of rewarding the children for their work. Some
cities believe that money prizes appeal to children more than medals,
badges, etc., and so have created special funds for that purpose,
usually collected by some civic organization. Other cities give medals,
buttons, puzzles, school equipment—stereopticon with lantern slides,
maps, pictures, plans;—sporting equipment—baseball and football masks,
balls and bats, cameras, free tickets to moving picture theaters.
In some instances the school children have become enthusiastic to the
point of organizing magazines in the schools, devoted entirely to the
Clean-Up Campaign. The children of the Clifton School in Cincinnati
issued a magazine called _The School Circle_.
In some cities packets of flower and garden seeds are distributed among
the children, and all vacant lots, back yards and stretches of ground
not utilized are cleared of rubbish and dug up and seeded.
Under the direction of a Captain, school boys of Spokane, Washington,
were organized into corps which cleaned up the residence section, then
hauled the refuse away to the public dumps in wheelbarrows and express
wagons.
Another method used to good advantage by Salt Lake City was to get the
boys of each district bordering on dirty vacant lots to clean them up
and prepare them for baseball grounds. After this had been done the
Inspector of Public Health gave the boys baseball bats, balls and
equipment.
At the suggestion of Mayor Cochran of Antlers, Oklahoma, the Progressive
Club and the Ladies’ Civic Club combined in a program that was very
successful. The boys of the city gathered up all the rubbish and placed
it on the curbs, and the city wagons removed it. A committee appointed
by the club solicited funds to reward the boys.
As a preliminary to the general clean-up movement in Bay City, Oregon,
the Commercial Clubs, in conjunction with the Ladies’ Civic League,
offered three prizes to the boys collecting the greatest number of sacks
of rubbish by April 5.
One city in Ohio gave each child collecting one hundred tin cans a free
ticket to a motion picture theater.
Judge Albert Besson of Chelsea, Mass., found a novel use for six boys,
averaging fifteen years old, brought before him for sentence for
entering freight cars and stealing candy. He sentenced them to keep a
certain city street clear of waste for six months. The street in
question is a long one, and friends of the boys living on it made things
interesting for the culprits keeping the cigarette stubs, tin cans,
papers and milk bottles picked up. The boys were supervised by two
policemen.
The children of the sixth and seventh grades in one school in Inchester,
Pa., started a tin can crusade, which aroused every citizen in the city.
With two days of the contest still to run, the children had gathered
37,000 tin cans.
In accordance with the proclamation of the Governor, the Mayor of
Montpelier, Vermont, observed April 25 as Arbor Day and Clean-Up Day.
Outdoor exercises were held, including an address by the Mayor. The
children were not required to attend school in the afternoon provided
they spent two hours cleaning up the streets and grounds about their
homes.
Toledo school children were divided into squads and to each was given a
section of a ward. Each day a ward was cleaned and the results were
printed in the next day’s papers, thus creating rivalry among the
children.
Everywhere the Boy Scout has found his level in the Clean-Up Campaign.
It is a Scout law that he must be clean. Almost every troop of Scouts
has done its full quota in civic, local or county clean-ups. In patrol
or by troop they care for school grounds, public grounds, make
systematic campaigns against flies and mosquitoes, destroy their
breeding places; plant trees, bushes and shrubs; in general, keep the
streets free of litter and waste of all kinds. Divided into squads, they
do much for city betterment. Vacant lots, waste property, fields and
streets are rid of tin cans, milk bottles, scrap iron, weeds, and in
their places flowers, vegetables and shrubbery planted; unsightly
billboards removed. Sometimes they are paid for their work by the Civic
Leagues, as in the case of Cornwall, N. Y., and St. Paul, Minnesota.
In many cities the Scouts have done splendid work in inspection duty,
reporting all unsanitary conditions. In patrols, troops or companies
they are assigned to investigate and report to the superintendent of
streets or the organization having charge of the clean-up. The
inspection is done day by day as the clean-up progresses, and any
oversight or unsanitary condition reported at once.
Another method of interesting children is the organization of boys and
girls into what is known as City Clubs, whose duty it is to keep the
streets clean. The clubs are limited to 25 members each. The members
wear buttons and each one is provided with blanks on which to report. In
some instances these clubs work throughout the year but usually their
work is confined to the spring clean-up, in which event they attend to
the general clearing up of vacant lots, back yards, school property, and
cart it to the curbs for the city dump wagons to haul away.
In Boston, under the auspices of the Women’s Municipal League, the
Junior Municipal League, loaded with posters reading “Do you have pride
in your city? Then Clean It Up,” and armed with brooms, shovels and
rakes, proceeded to clean up. “Little Italy” was no small job. How the
children first became interested in cleaning up this district is told
about a little Italian girl who persuaded her merchant father to put
covers on his barrels because the papers blew about and littered the
back yard. This so improved the appearance that the child decided to
sweep the back porch every morning before going to school. One morning a
policeman saw her doing this and remarked on the improvement and gave
her a button; immediately all the children in the neighborhood became
industrious.