Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 15 May 1949 — Page 13

Editorials... 14 Records.... 18 Politics..... 15 Radio...... 22

Features...., 17 Movies.. 24, 28 SUNDAY, MAY

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The courthouse with sliced-off cupola is a city eyesore.

E. H. Fowler... "The City could clean-up, fix-up, paint-up, too" | I. : :

HE Times receives many letters on myriad subjects in its mailbag. Once in a while one arrives that seems unusual in perspective. Such a letter is the one reproduced here. Its writer is Edward H. Fowler, an ex-Air Force major who came to Indianapolis three years ago and settled down in N. Riley Ave. Mr. Fowler traveled extensively as an Air Force officer, has made Indianapolis his home. He is proud of his Forest Manor neighborhood and says he is trying to match the efforts of his neighbors in Riley Ave. in beautifying his own home. " Mr. Fowler wrote the letter which follows to the Chamber of Commerce, and sent a copy to The Times. As the expression of one citizen on Our Fair City, The Times has seldom seen it equaled. Me. Fowler is married and the father of three daughters, He is purchasing agent for Thomas & Skinner Steel Products Co.

Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce Chamber of Commerce Bldg. Indianapolis, Ind THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ig performing a service for the city of Indianapolis in publishing and distributing questionnaires about improvement and cleanup of private property. I believe most home owners do their best to comply with the spirit of spring building and grounds cleanup, No doubt the goal of the Chamber of Commerce is that of making Indianapolis a better city, a better city in which to live, conduct our business and to rear our children. The project is worthwhile but certainly not in itself complete. Asking the citizens for their individual home cleanup and asking nothing of the city of Indianapolis is like dressing up without first taking a bath. Can persons driving over our city streets observe clean buildings and grounds whem their entire attention is required in dodging chuckholes? Can persons enjoy seeing and smelling freshly cut grass or flowers if less than 50 feet away lie septic tanks or open ditches?

» - # » # DOES THE Chamber of Commerce have a program designed to stir the city of Indianapolis as well as its citizenry into action? 1 have completed filling in the questionnaire relative to home improvements and cleanup. The improvements made on my home during the past year have cost $2000. The improvements on the yard have cost several hundred dollars. Yard improvements include dirt fill to protect the grounds from water which drains in from unguarded .Indianapolis streets, and septic tank clean-out necessary because the city of Indianapoli§ does not provide sewers. Our city tax rate is high. I feel that I personally can do little more than the above cited action, the paying of taxes and the writing of letters such as this. Surely there are thousands of home owners and taxpayers who feel ‘much the same way. It's time for those who hpld public office to see that the city government discharges some of ts responsibility.

o ~ » » ” » DURING MY 12 years’ service as a professional soldier with the Army Air Forces I lived ia many cities, Never have I lived in a city which took so much and gave so little. Never have I seen public buildings so unkept, and such an air of resignation of those who work in them. Where is the pride of the city government? It would appear that the city of Indianapolis has a good heritage. Back in the past public servants have provided for parks, riverside landscaping, and luxuries not enjoyed by many cities. The public buildings were not always so unkept, Is Indiin less anapolis a city of the past now in final stages of degradation? &-foot “ 5 Money and effort are required for individual action whether 3 © 3 : it be in building, landscaping, cleanup or letter writing. Results <1] x RHEE i : J of personal action are readily seen. Nothing could be more gratifying than seeing some action resulting from this letter. F Sincerely, a ) (Signed) E. H. Fowler ra pb CB

RL Nee River . . . flood control and iy planting. * To Ros niley Vandalism has gone unchecked at the Thomas Taggart Memorial in Riverside Park.

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SA SPD Ve iy HE fr "® Nine tractors driven by churchmen [e113 "disc-plow" nd plant the fields for the Mt. Auburn Methodist Church FHOLOS BY HENRY GLESING IR Times Staff Photographer

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4 By EMMA RIVERS MILNER, Times Church Fditer Farmers of the Stone's Crossing community are cutlivating 0.73 | hic father the Rev. Charles 8 de eight rented fields to raise money for their parsonage next door | ! Dv S L Mart I ; to the Mt. Auburn Methodist Church, dable 4 loimes (right) ang Uhr Jil CARLIE Sra / v . In addition to leasing and tilling these fields, some of the i " ow La he i Fi members have dedicated parts of their own lands as “God's Acres.” roller, iy y ' j , Proceeds from the crops from God's Acres, as the phrase implies, will go to the church. Stone's ~~ . Mire Hoar Crossing lies amidst rich, rolling| Parsonage where they live ac country 12 miles south of Indian- Dickie, their 2-year-old son. They 4 yf |are hoping the farming project apolis on State Rd. 135,

yD Four of the chiirch-rented flelds| 1} liquidate the debt.

/ 2 4 ~ ” “ / = EN Lay PIN IPR SAR WITS PAPI are planted in corn; three in s0y-| ON ONE of the warm, June-

an Lo] <8 Holm: S pauses

! ; p beans, and one, in oats. like days recently, the elder Rev. ¥ es and others cook a big dinner for * 5» Holmes and Dr. Sumner L. Marhusbands in the Harrell home. . ROBERT HOLMES, popularlyitin, Methodist district superin- Hi ] : called “Bob,” is pastor of ‘heitendent, drove out to Stone's 48 Mt. Auburn Church and son Crossing to watch the co-opera- % of the Rev. Charles Holmes, min-|tive farming project. John Wilister of the East Tenth Street|ljams and Everett Harrell are | Church, Indianapolis. The Mt. |project foreman for the entire Auburn pastor enjoys putting onleight fields totaling 40 acres, old clothes and driving a tractor! Five of the tractors working j along with his parishioners. Ithat day were plowing. Three of He and his wife, Mrs. Martha them were preparing the soll for Holmes, have converted the par- the seed. One was planting corn. sonage basement into a recrea- At noon, (CBT), all the workers tion room for the church young gathered around the tahle at the people, Mrs. Holmes teaches in/Harrell's and ate a bountiful Jee Er y 4 " the consolidated school, dinner, prepared by their wives. 3 L4,0 vf I hii BYE CLLR ELLE) NI; car Stone's Crossing The pastor and his wife are It included hot biscuits dripping CHINES orrell drives the corn-plante ITT coolina drir = OF the mew, while frame with puter, TT | Do drives the corn-planter, Harrell a cooling drink