Editor MNH: 8/9/03
The eye is not proprietary. It knows nothing of a Platt book which registers borders thereby separating what is yours from what’s mine. It only sees beauty or ugliness, caring maintenance or irresponsible neglect. The beautiful garden you have created and maintain (unless you have walled it off) is mine to enjoy. My eye sees a neglected property, sends a message to the calculating mind, which automatically lowers the real estate value of the whole neighborhood. They eye also does not distinguish between private property and public domain. I therefore do not understand why so many people treat public places as garbage dumps. I have seen a women beautifully turned out flinging her cigarette butt in front of the back entrance to the Penny court building. She would have been outraged if I likewise would have littered her private drive way.
I have also seen business owners using blowers to blow the cigarette butts away from their entrance which then wind up at the entrance of their neighbors. Just because the litter is a few feet away from their property line does not make their property look any better. It does not take much longer to use a specially designed shovel and a broom to sweep up the butts. Better yet. Parents, teachers and public officials should create a bandwagon effect: Don’t litter! It can be done just like the positive momentum I am noticing to beautify Marshfield. The little city gardens on Main Street and parking lot gardens are lovely, businesses are landscaping and cleaning up their entrances and parking lots. Beauty is profitable. “…trinkt, o Augen was die Wimper haelt, von dem goldnen Ueberfluss der Welt. (Gottfried Keller).” Lets give our eyes as much beauty to drink as the lash will hold.