The Republican journal., 1878-10-17
Village Improvement Associations

buildings, and the identifying OF towns
and villages. Scribners Monthly contain
ed a series Of articles on the subject, and
several volumes, more or less practical in
their teachings, have been published with
| in the few past months. Among the more
recent of these volumes is a collection OF
pleasant essays on rural life as it is and
rs it should be, written by Mr.. \. II
| Egleston, and published by the llarpcrS
under the title of villages and Village
! Life Mr.. EgleSton regards the various
organizations and associations which have
l.ren Sprngng up within the past few
I Years, usually under the name Of village
! hopeful agencies for the amelioration OF
| iliage life. Perhaps the most interest
| ing chapter in this book is devoted to the
most successful of these, already some
What widely known as the Laurel Hill
| Association Of Stockbrdge. Mass. II any
| one WOuld measure we are told, what
steady and udjcious work can DO, though
neither large numbers nor large capital
ot engaged III IT, itt ii'lh NlSlt me bilh-
Shire Hills, ana after looking down upon
their .uo,t beautiful village, and thread
/ linz its clean and shaded streets, let him
ASK some OF Its dehHenS 10 describe 'I'e
| place rs X was Il score of years ago.
iAe Laurel li'il ASSOCIATION had mod
eHt Beginning enough ana ItS experience
dttcstS that Suth societies need not pc
! launched with any great lormdilty, or
any plan oi Immediate great effects The
| Ntoc hhri0-c organization started, Il seems.
| with the enNeaNor on the part "i lew
sensible persons to preserve well wood
81 M.i .}in- nearly IN tle centre 81 the
VILLAGE, and which, stripped of its foliage,
would have become an mSiGhty object.
The rocky and trce-croWned emlncnce
was purchased and subsequently given in
titus, II 4 s,uaI company formed tor the
| purpose. and. uS the hill aoounded in the
| kalmia or laurel, this naturally gave 2
name IL the association Now the buy
inL Of this land. purely as a matter OF
taste. and not because il was good for 50
much coruWood. seems to have acted a.
tonic upon the aesthetic sense OF the
proplirtors. and presently put them upon
dong somtthu. more in the same direc-
ton They began by takng in hand the
cemetery which, like most Of the village
buryin1 grounds in the United States,
Had been neglected. The accumulated
rubbish was now removed old walks
were cleaned and new one, laid ont: the
fallen htadstoncs were made to stand
erect again. Bv and by. through the ill.,
t1urnce Of the association. the town was
induced ID make an appropriation sutti-
iron fence, within which was planted a
belt of eyergreens. Thus the work went
on. until The shabby and overgroNn God
Acre lad become place Of beauty. which,
although il lies in the heart of the village,
has long ceased to be deemed an objec
tionable presence. From this point the
transition was easy for the association to
undertake the Improvement of the streets
and walks. Beginning at the centre,
where the Post Office, churches, and
stores We're clustered the inequalities
and Inconvenience Of the principle street
were corrected bv proper grading and
drainage. while ample gravel walks on
either side displaced the narrow, devious
trails which had hitherto served the
Ntockblidge Waylarer. Next followed the
planting Of trees near the roadside wher-
ever they We're lacking, and it is worth
noting that the children. who are accus-
toned to treat Young Slips sOmeW What
rudclv. were III this case made auXiliaries
by Il compact (probably suggested by
Mark Twain thai any bow who wonId an
naon to care for = narticular tree dnrinr
Two wears should he entitled fl hestow on
if his name. Other children we're naid q
few pennies from time 70 time for the loose
nauers ana other unsiohtIv thinos thev
might pjc[ mn and remove from the streot
Gradually This model association ev
handed IT'S field of worl, npshing ire
walks our from the yillaoe centre to the
remoter points. and EXTENDING IFS lines ot
trees wear after year. In the winter sea-
son and early sprino the association oath :
cred in famiIiarand freonent consultations
from house to bouse vould consider
what further imnroramants wara most
needed or nerhans vote an annronrat;on
for the embellshment Of = narticnlar L.
caIity. on condition that the dwellers in
the vicinity should furnish a like sum in
money or labor. Thus, directly or indi-