Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-04-01
What This City Can Be.


turing center, nor a commercial
metropolis, but the rapidly increas-
ing millions of this nation must Ire
somewhere, and a town that lacks
other stimulating agencies can make
itself a desirable place of residence.
This thought may provoke a smile,
but it is quite as important "to live"
as it is "to do" or to get. The rap
idly increasing number of summer
resorts suggests the inquiry: Can
there not be places made desirable
to live in the whole year?
We Americans are almost as mi
gratory as the Arabs. Our ceaseless
hunger after more dollars, and the
opportunities offered in newer sec
tions, keep the American families
moving on. 1t is difficult to find an
American who doesn't want to sell
out, and will decide to do so in ten
minutes. Americans need German
izing quite as much as the Germans
need Americanizing, at least in the
love for home and the ambition that
attaches him to the spot The Ger
man buys out a rundown place,
stays on it, sticks to it, lives within
his means, raises a large family, and
in old age is comfortable because
his life ambition has been to sta}
somewhere long enough to get the
home feeling. But to the average
American it is money first, second,
third, lastly a home. Wife and
children are moved from place to
place until the Methodist ministry is
now about as permanently settled as
the average citizen.
There are exceptions to the rule,
and men with families say, ] want
to live somewhere, where ! can have
a good home, good society, good
schools, good physicians, good
churches, and newspapers, and a
fair chance to buy life's necessaries,
and the places where these things
can be had for the least expenditure
OF money will be chosen. Some
people who have seen little Of the
world are always saying any other
place is better than home, and that is
true here. Some laugh at this city and
call it slow and poky; they want to
live in fast town like Chicago
But not everybody can live in
Chicago; and a small, fast town
means reckless business, and reck-
less morals. This town, while slow,
is strong in an elevated moral char
acter Business honor is respected,
the social virtues are held sacred,
home is what it ought to be, while
schools will average with our best
neighbors, and the churches take
the lead. With honest, fair dealing
merchants, and as able men as are
needed in the professions, Mineral
Point with its excellent drainage
ought to become popular as a place
of residence,
Some commercial travellers on
good salaries live here; earning their
money elsewhere they spend it here.
With generous, open-hearted,
"gIad-to-see you, you've come to a
good place to live there is no
reason why more wilInot come. of
the $500 to 1000 farmers who are
trading here many an one is think
ing what he is going to do when be
gets tired Of farming. He is going
somewhere. He would like to 50
to town; but it costs 50 much and
taxes are SO high. If he could af-
ford it he would like to live in town,
but what town? He is acquainted
here and would like TO come here TO
live. Now don't make fun Of him.
It has been known that a man whose
open-handed liberality many have
often witnessed, moved to Massa-
chusctts to get rid Of being assessed
to death. Men move out Of New
York and Chicago into smaller
towns to save heavy taxes on homes.
If the old and successful farmers
Of this region could know that they
would be welcomed here, and that
their own statement Of values would
be accented by the authorities. there