Connecticut western news., 1885-07-01
Canaan and It. Artractson..n
A COMPOSITION BY MISS MARY ROOT oT
 CANAAN HIGH SCHOOL.

COMPOSITION BY MISS MARY ROOT Ot'
 CANAAN HIGH SCHOOL.
 Canaan is a well-to-do village in the
 northwestern part of the state of Con-
 necticut and is bounded on the west by
 the Housatonic river. am told it was
 called by the Indians ''Wangum' which,
 when translated is Canaan. It IS at the
 and Connecticut Western railroads and
 is nearly, if not entirely, surrounded by
 hills.
 One attraction is that, unlike numer-
 ous other villages, the houses are nicely
 kept up. The views cannot escape our
 notice, for what more could you ask for
 to make these than mountains covered
 with foliage, green valleys and streams, all placed in the incest position; besides numerous things placed by man to beau tify this earth. Surely to one who ad- mires scenery Canaan must be very at- tractive, especially at this season of the year, when Mother Nature is exerting all her numerous charms to attract our attention. Are there not beauties to be seen from nearly every window in this hall, which we are so much accustomed to look at that we underrate them?
 I remember finding an attraction flor me at least) cne day in May. The schools went to the top of Canaan mountain, which is in a southeasterly direction from here, and by the time we had re- turned to the foot again I began to feel that certain tea table held quite an at traction for me. And here I wish to re- mark that the good housewives of this village are justly celebrated in the art of concocting many things pleasing to the eye and grateful to the palate of half starved mortals, as we can all testify | who have attended the numerous socia- | bles, reunions and bean-bakes held at | " l. A. hall, another institution of our little village.
 The air is very pure and we are quite free from that insect, the mosquito, | which one of our schoolmates once spoke of as ''preferring darkness to light, because its deeds were evil" If | this is so, I wish it would take darkness instead of bothering one in either dark ness or light.
 Other attractions which I must not neglect to mention are the churches, good society and the educational privi- leges. A few years ago more modern building took the place of the "Old as it was called in former days. We who enjoy the comforts and of this latter building know very little of the old one, with its arched roof we'll decorated with ink spots, the table whose drawer contained the treasures confscated from the bad little children, who were as plenty in the ''good old days" as now. The water pail occupied an honorable position un- Ter a window. The desks were inscrib- ed with autographs of many generations of schoolboys and girls. The rusty stove, with its pipe ready to fall down; great being the joy of the scholars and great the disgust of the teacher when it lid come down. Above the black board lung the whips, waiting for the finding 'f an evil doer. But perhaps as many good scholars were found within its walls as we can now boast of If our privileges are so much greater we should trive to make as good use of them as 
 In the warm weather the soda foun- aims receive Q great amount of atten- ion as well as the numerous stores at all easons of the year.
 Some time ago correspondent of one 'f our local papers in description of he Housatonic valley spoke of Canaan IS "a little village 20 years behind the imes." I differ from him, for have we lot the telegraph, telephone, water from reservoir about half mile above here, besides what was once started for a park? Can it be all of these things were 20 years old before we had them? think the person who wrote that guess d as to what Canaan was by the size of he letters on the map.
 One might write much larger num- per of attractions, but with my very mall amount you can gain little idea 'f Canaan and Its Attractions.