Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1876-09-12
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Uiltage improvement Societies.

village improvement Societies.
There are just about four months in
which an ordinary country village is q
pleasant place to dwell in. viz; from May
to September. The muddy streets and
sidewalks OF autumn aud spring. and the
icy and snowy ways OF winter. render it
uncomfortable for walking or driving.
The foliage and heritage of summer
cover up the ugly spots, and the green
cry of the growing m>nths transforms
the homeicst details into tho pleasant
and picturesque. The moment the
greenery disappears. dilapidated fences,
broken-down sheds. unkept commons.
neglected trees, and all the tolerated ug-
! Illnesses OF the village assert themselves.
| The village is beautiful no longer.
There are thousands OF villages scattered
over the country in which there has new
er been public spirited attempt made
| 10 reduce their disorder TO order, their
/ ugllness 10 beauty. their discomlorts TO
comfort Every man takes care. or
does not take care, of his own. There is
no organic or sympathetic unity. and
the villages, instead OF being beautiful
wholes. are inharmonious aggregations.
Some paint and some DO not paint. Some
keep their grounds well. and others do
not keep their grounds at all. Unsightly
wrecks OF vehicles. offensive piles OF
rubbish. are exposed here and there, and
every man apparently leels at liberty 10
make his belongings as unpleasant to his
neighbor As il pleases him. No public
sentiment OF order is developed; no
local pride is lostered; there is apparent
/ ly no desire for beauty or convenience
that goes ore step beyond ones home in
any case.
IL is. therefore, with great Qualification
that We notice here and there the organ
izaiiou OF Village Improvement Societies,
aud the beautiful work which they are
accomplishing. Wherever they have
been in existence long enough to accom-
plish anything, shade trees are planted
by the side of the highways; Old. neg
ected commons are fenced in, graded
and planted; sidewalk are laid in all
the streets, and public interest in order
and beauty is developed, which makes
every man more careful OF his own
Two villages. oil which we happened to
know. have been quite transformed with
in two or three years by the operations
OF these organizations; and their benef-
cent and beautiful work, already done,
will insure TO their localities a certain
amount OF beauty and convenience for
the next hundred years. They have not
been met by the public apathy that they
anticipated. and they have been enabled
by subscriptions. fairs and festivals. to
raise sufficient money Tor The work they
have instituted, while individual citizens
have co-operated with them in their
schemes.
There is no good reason why every
considerable village of the country
should not be made convenient. health.
ful. and beautiful, by the operations OF
such societies as these. There is no
good reason why public feeling Of
pride should not be engendered by them.
and an earnest purpose developed TO
make each village more attractive than
its neighbor. Selfish interest is all on
the side of the societies; for improve.
ment in beauty and comfort means
improvement in value Emmulation be-
tween neighbors and between villages is
excited. and niggardly property-holders
are shamed into efforts to contribute to
the popular desire for harmony. This is
not theory; it is experience; for,
wherever they have been tried, these
societies have done the work and exer
cised the influence we have stated.
Again, these societies are agencies of
culture. Developing public spirit
and feeling Of local pride, they cannot
fail 10 bear fruit in other and higher di
rections. Public and domestic architec-
ture will be the first to feel the effect of
the new sentiment. Men will build
pretty houses. in tone with the new
order of things. New ambition will be
developed with relation 10 public build
ings and their surroundings. The new
town hall will bs better than the old.
The new chnrch will be an ornament and