Young Lady Suggests Danbury Clean Up, May 9, 1923

Interesting Paper by Danbury Young Lady

The article below was written by a Danbury young lady who is away at school, when she was asked to write a paper on “Home Sanitation” or “How to Improve the Town.”

Is our courthouse too pretty for Danbury? Visitors, comparing it with the rest of the town, sometimes say so. But why? Danbury is a naturally beautiful place, set at the foot of the mountains. There is no reason why we, who live here, should not make the most of our opportunity. Civic pride in our town has fine chances.

Did you know some of our sidewalks are actually dangerous, with rough stones sticking up for pedestrians to stumble over? This kind of sidewalks marks a town, or part of a town, as plainly as a signpost to those who pass thru.

And why must we throw banana peelings and all sorts of garbage into the streets? We don’t care to have people think we are pigs or chickens or that we know no better. The garbage can is an invention of man to be used by men.

Garbage thrown ither and you surely boost the flies, but flies are not discriminant. They attack meat, candy or anything the kind grocers leave open on the counters. The number of bacteria distributed would be decillious(? deterious?) for every person in town. A few screens placed in stores, churches, and houses would lessen the disease ratio so that we would not recognize it.

Paint ads decorate the daily papers, but sad to relate, paint does not decorate numerous buildings, residences, garages. In fact, face paint sells much better than house paint. A little of the (paint?) applied with discretion would turn us into a fresh young beauty of a town, and folks in automobiles would look out and say “how lonely.” (sure she meant lovely)

But to make the grounds to match our houses Bermuda grass seed can be had at a little price for yards, churches, and sidewalks’ edges, to hide the red gullies which gash the streets in places. Flowers and trees naturally accompany the grass. We may have Van Lindley envying us yet.

While we are occupied with the living, let’s not forget our cemetery. Weeds seem to have full sway in holloweel (hallowed) ground. The red clay sticks and slides in rainy weather. Isn’t there a way to beautify the last sleep of our own?

Danbury clean up week is in order with confederation of the clubs and townsmen. Danbury can peel off her ugly places, polish up the rough ones, and make tourists who pass thru on the new State highway gaze and stop, buy a home and set up housekeeping.

From the front page of the Danbury Reporter, May 9, 1923. Unfortunately, the author is never named.