St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-10-29
A WORD FOR ST. JoHNsBURY.

"St. JOhnsbury Is all very nice In
SUMNER said bilious looking man
yesterday, as he stood glOomily watch
ing the falling leaves, "but wait until
winter comes. You'll wish yourself
thousand miles from here when the
thermometer registers 4O0 below zero"
And the bilious man fairly shivered at
the thought. But one SILVER doesn't
make a winter any more than one
swallow makes a summer, and before
cold weather fairly sets in we desire to
give our solemn friend a cheering
word. Such frigid thoughts as his
hasten winters coming before its time.
There are two sides to every shield.
The law of compensation prevails up
here in Vermont as well as in the sun
ny South. st. Johnsbury would not
be One-half as attractive in summer if
it were not for it's good solid winters.
The people from the benighted regions
of lower New England pay the Yer
mont railroads five cents mile that
tell us all this. Our jaundiced friend
knows very well, Gndeed, he admitted
as much), that he wouldn't exchange
Vermont's green mountains for all the
sand plains of Florida. We wouldn't,
anyhow and we have climbed the one
and waded through the other.
This complaining brother recalls the
Oft-repeated story of that other Yer
mOnter who was also afflicted with a
liver trouble. He decided to try Il
change of climate for his difficulty.
To this end he bought health map
and began his search for an absolutely
unObjectiOnable locality. But he soon
found that malaria prevailed in the
West, yellow fever and cholera in the
South and smallpox in Montreal. Go
where he would lie found some malady,
but none for which he cared to eX-
change his own. Distempers and con
siderable prospective grief everywhere
prevailed. Being a VermOnter he was
sensible man and closed his map with
the remark that he was too old to
fight it out on this line if it took all
winter. With cOntented mind came
health and happiness, and to-day he is
a hale and hearty old man, and he
must be very old if he antedates this
story.
We commend this mans experience
! to the thoughtful consideration of our
discOnsOlate friend. If he will stop
and think a moment he will conclude
that there is not another place in New
England that offers so many attractions
for home as this same st. JOhnsbury.
Its pure air, its slightly location, its I'M
surpassed schools and educational ad-
vantages, its churches and social life,
all go to make up very pleasant list
of "attractiOns." To be sure it is not
perfect. If it was there wouldn't be
anything for the grumblers to talk
about or for the good folks to do. But,
after all, it is as near the ideal town rs
this year of our Lord 1885 can produce,
and we suggest to our friend that, if
still discontinued, he try the health
map experiment and when lie finds a
better state than Vermont, or a better
county than Caledonia, or better
town than st. JOhnsbury, he report at
The CaledOnian office. Meanwhile, let
is not apt to put higher estimate on
his own town, whether it be st. Johns
bury or some other place, than he HIM
self gives it. In fine, stand by your
home town. While recognizing and
labOring to overcome its deficiencies,
BE to it's faults little blind,
Be TO its virtues very kind"