Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-08-07
Letter from an Old Resident.


"A GOOD LETTER.
Editor Rutland Herald II am graft
fled to see as much as / do in the HER
AID on our local interests and local in
dustries All of the newspapers of the
State seem to regard it as important to
pick up local items, and their editors are
constantly on the alert to do so. This
is well, and their readers are benefited
by it. But Vermonters should be in
formed beyond incidents and accidents
as they occur from day to day; they
should be informed in regard to the In
dustries of the State, its resources and
wealth, and especially as to the compar-
alive merits of the State with other
States. ..'..-. .-.. -.
In one respect our education has been
defective We have been educated as
though there was nothing athome worth
knowing. Go into some of our schools
and the pupils in geography will tell you
about the Mississippi river, where it
rises, the direction it runs, where it
empties its waters, and all about it bnt
ask them about Otter Creek, and they
will stare you in the face and ask in
their looks, if not by their speech, what
has that to do with geography? Only a
few days since, | met an ambitious
Young man, who said he should go west,
that there was nothing doing in Yer
mont. no enterprise here, nor ever
would be-" This young man has good
mind, but few minutes conversation
! brought out the truth that he knew but
little of his own State, nor had he learn
ed that success is in general only to be
attained by long-continued and well-di-
rected industry, live where you will.
The silly idea had got possession of his
mind that there was a place out west
where a single bold strike would make
him rich at once, and that if he remain
ed in Vermont he could only plod on
and on, and barely sustain life.
| 1t is about time such young men (and
old men to) were educated out of such
errors, and to do this, they should learn
what there is in their own State, county,
and town, what there is at their own
| DOORS Vermont has not grown as
rapidly as some other States, and still it
has grown. Let us look at Rutland
| County, since about the time its rail
roads commenced running, say since
| 1850, the wealth of the county has more
than doubled. In this | know | am
right, and in the increase | would not
include railroad property, nor the gem
eral rise on property, which the late
war produced; but / would include the
marble, slate and manufacturing inter
ests that have grown up in the county
in the time, the additions to our villages,
building and improvement, and the adj
vance in real estate throughout the
county, produced by this growth of
business. Compared with the growth
of some places at the West, it is true,
our growth has been slow, and not
large in the whole Yet, it has been a
healthy growth, and is as firm as our
own hills and mountains. 1t has been
sufficient to demand attention and re-
spect, and to encourage every Vermonter.
Every we'll informed man knows, or
should know, that in Rutland county, as
well as throughout the State, we have
made very considerable advance in the
last twenty years. They should know,
too, that no State in the Union has a
more promising future than the little
State of Vermont. True. it is a small
State--it is inland, but in Its mineral re-
sources, developed, and undeveloped, it
is second to none; in the productive
capacity of its soil it IS hardly inferior
to any, all the cant about its rockey,
barren hills, and worn out soils, to the
contrary, notwithstanding
/ will not stop to argue this subject
now, but simply state what is an unde-
niable fact, that there is at this time no
| State in the Great West in which the
farmers are so generally prosperous as
| the Vermont farmers are. Hard times
with the farmers is the universal cry at
| the West. Their condition will doubt
| lessly improve as that country grows
| older in settlement, but the time never
will come $50 think when the Western
! farmer will be any more happy or pros
porous than the Vermont farmer.
Entertaining these views honestly, as
l do, I am pleased to see the HERALD
giving its readers information in regard
to home interests. That one may do
well in going West, or South, do not
deny, but for his own good he should
not go away with the idea that 'Xer-
mont is agood State to emmigrate from, y
for he can never be a wise man until that
false and silly notion is out of his
! head.
l am happy to say that some progress
has been made in dispelling the illusion
| that Vermont offers no encouragement
for talent, enterprise or the investment
of capital That work however, is Just
begun, and let US vigorously push it on.
We have any amount of excellent water
power lying Idle, vast amount of min
eral wealth under our soil, as yet unde-
veloped, and nearly all our farm lands
could be doubled or trebled in their pro-
ductive capacity. would say then, to
the Vermont press, educate the people,
learn them what there is in Vermont!