The Newtown bee., 1879-11-26
PUBLIC VOICE.
A Lively Letter From Observer.


whose position and means enable them
TO bring this matter to success. In one
of your editorials, last week, an allusion
was made to the fact, that therich equal
ly with the poor should be interested in
any move which would result in starting
must be patent to any one who has the
4 least pretense to the possession ofeyen a
i shadow of the reasoning faculty. For a
quarter OF a century the bane of this re-
public has been that rich MEN have been
crushing their SONS into learned profess
IONS, for which neither natures nor cir
stances Lad prepared them; conse-
quently, in our day there is hardly any
commodity i'll our midst SO abundant as
! quackery and incompetence; these are
running the fair fame of America, and
renderinl her a synonym of contempt in
other countries.
Had most of these same young men
embraced manufacturing position many
of them to-day would be miliionalres
themselves, and would have conferred
untold benefits on that most important
4 element of our population-the working
classes. American manufacture would
ere now have forced all others out of the
/ worlds market, and would themselves
perpetuallv remain. Another considera-
ton is the fact, that New England is
| specially adapted fer the production Of
manufactured articles, and that as a
1 u, c,i, n
the wall by the imprecedently fertile
| Western States, SO that ii the Eastern
| States are to remain in their present
status IN this republic it behooves them
] to turn all their attention to manufactor.
| les. Then again it requires no very great
amount of capital to commence at once;
many are the suggestions we have heard
within a few weeks, and suppose we now
give our own.
First. then, let us suppose that meet
ing is called in the Town Hall for the
purpose we have been speaking Of, and
| that the notice is signed by such men as
William n. Northrop, Aaron Sanford,
Henry Sanford, L. b. Booth, Rev. Messrs.
Haskins. Hoyt and McCartan, ETC., etc.
Then taking the liberties of an Observer
we enter as the meeting is being organ
lied. 1t is moved and carried that Mr..
Hawley takes the chair and Mr.. Booth
he secretary; afterwards a motion is
male by Rev. Mr.. McCartan and second
ed by Mr.. Aaron Sanford, that COM
nlittee of five be appointed to ascertain
what would be the best manufacturing
business in which Newtown could be en-
gagged. Messrs. Booth, Hawley, Sanford,
Vile and A. Prindle are appointed such
committee Another motion is put at
the suggestion of Mr.. Hawley that list
for the purpose of subscribing capital be
forthwith produced, and heads the list
with his name opposite, which he places
the figures of l and three 0. Messrs.
Booth, the Sanfords. Northrop, S. Peck
and the Prindles follow in the same man
ner; capital to the amount of twelve
thousand has been subscribed, and after
a motion is made to adjourn the meeting
to that night week, all disperse.
Now Mr. Edifnr,x-ma asl,~i lie +hore4
anything impracticable about this? A
month afterwards as we arise at
with the shrill noise of two steam wins
ties, aud we see men repairing to two
shops With all the hustle and anxiety of
persons who know that time is money.
This state OF things is but the counter
part of what has taken place in Sandy
Hook. We drop the curtain now, and let
three years pass by, and again revisit
Newtown the manufactures now nu,hber
ten all available building lots from New
town Street to Sandy Hook are occupied
with neat, trim cottages; this street is
one Of the most lively thoroughfares in
Connecticut; two more churches have
been erected and the Academy has given
way to one of the best colleges in the
State, and there are two high schools
where the children OF the mechanic are
gratuitously prepared for mechanical or
commercial pursuits. 6 Yes, indeed, do
do we hear native of Newtown exclaini,
after a.sojourn abroad, " Newtown has,
phoenix Ike. arisen from its ashes, the
habilments of its stagnation have
been forever cast aside; all honor
to the men whose energy was Newtowns
angel OF transformation" Men of New
York and elsewhere who formerly visited
us like migratory birds, now have bust
ness interests in Newtown, and have pur-
chased residences i'll Newtown that look
down upon the main streets from the ad-
joining beautiful hills; while their places
are permanently occupied in our hotels
by refined and gentlemanly mechanics,
who make Newtown the centre of attrac-
ton along the Housatonic and New Eng
land Railroads.
Mr.. Editor, with manufactures such as
we can have here, ask is this an over
drawn picture of the future All we have
to say is, we have seen such progress de-
veloped in places where the resources
could not be for Il moment compared
with those Of our viilagei
| Again we ask what are the laboring
classes doing ? Shall they remain mac
tive? We repeat what we once affirmed,
that of themselves they can start at least
one such manufactory as we have men
toned. The writer not long ago asked a
| few persons with whom he CHANGED to De
talking on this matter if they would take
any stock if any business was started, and
they at once put down their names for
three hundred and fifty dollars Zone Of
them was youth who has not yet seen
his twentieth summer; hence, we con-
Guided that enough such persons lived in
| town to make this undertaking success.
Let some one in the rubber shop take up
a subscription list, and in the next num-