Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-05-07
RuRAL IMPROVEMENT,
Suggestions for n Pleasant and Prc'Ataoie
Reform In the Country.


suggestions for n Pleasant and ProAtablf
Reform in the Country.
Tbs ordinary rural village is dreary
and distressing to any person OF 'e-
fined taste. Improvements within
easy reach not only satisfy the resi-
dents and the public, but add substan-
tial value to the property SO adorned.
Many of the old New England hamlets
have boen regcnerated, and there n
| elsewhere "village Improvement socle-
I ties'' are happily not uacommon. The
system is simple; the improvers .tart
with their own propcrtyTIall the better
il adjacent n be Interested, as it
makes n more conspicuous beginning.
TMnbledown fences are femoved, and
LOIS thro~n open so as to add width 70
streets ard roads. OF COINS this la
vol YES, the: enforced absence of stray
oowssand Wigs. Sidewalks sre plantea
%unifsrmly with shade tress1 %surfacen
levelsdt down, or up. to grade, and
soddsl: flower borders and small flow
ering shrubsplapted; streets put into
the ncatestaklnd OF order and kept SO;
~divisiou,lines between lots ns,rkcd by
neat p,Hts andipcrhaps a single wire,
or the posts clone suffice. Neighbors
are thell wrestled with to follow the
lead. l1,someroases the reformers get
permission to rcnovate the premises of
Stubborn, conservatives, and in, every
lease kno rsn these people have very
soon com,afouadt and scttleda up the.
bill voluntarily.
Nothing isa nrure' contagious THAN
s,ych an example, and it soon spreads
tts4he neal shy farms, which arc put in
gsei ORDER and the improvea3 roads
furnish pleasing dtivcs for the villagers
ard attract tho notice OF strangers. and
visitors whop are seeking homes OF
summer board; a1.sl1 this of corrse, in
creascs the value Of property The
furas for these,purposes are raisedi by
subscription, but sle- work is mainly
done by the lrformers at their lsisume.
Sore money is needed. to carry cut the
full purpose. This is raised by enter
tairments given bM the leadess-as
readings, festivals. concerts, lectures
by popular mon whu'agr easily induced
to make very reasonable terms, :snsl, an
other ways as may he found praotica-
BILE. But this. is in. itself one of, the
moss profitable parts of the whole
plar a:for q literary society, a ladies'
sewiagcircle and.otter social gather
ings tend very mucha To- the improve
men1of the village. A farmers club
to meet in the village one afternco0,nn
juncaGo the association, and this might
lead to Il cooperative union offs tals
men bcrs for business purposes.
Tfa~end in view being PLAIN and
siml ill., nothinglnore.is required than
a dc h~ar1ninatioEa to, 1erry it oUG' by
gradual consecutive steps; and these
advances are evolved one from another
as tfa,work goes.on.. The main point
is to make a beginning and the pleas
ing result of the first efforts is usually
such.as to insuxeeconainuance. By tive
asso station of soveral persons, seeds,
shru as and treos~are. purchased cheap
ly, :3ad in one EerY successful instance
a n arsery of cheap evergrccns, and
towering shruass wsss made at aasnaall
cost@and the profit from the sale of
these after two, years furnished the
means for planting, the village streets
witashade trees. One needed uurt of
the work is to auf ap, or induce,others
to put up, hiselling posts to secure
the horses SO that they may not Be tied
to she n~ewly-paanted trees by thought
less strangers. In cases where this
happens members of the association on
tia watch for such accidents; gently
suggest to the. stranger the propriety
of using the pest and saving the trees.
There will ba. no drawbacks and re-
bluffs, but a pleasant persuasive pres
sure on public opinion soon Leads it in
tho way it should go, and in, a short
time the Whole community become in
terested and help in the work, or at
the least passively acquiesce, in it and
are soon infected with the spirit of it,
Cor. N. Y. Tribune.