The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-03-21
THE Y. N. A.
ANNUAL MEETING AND REPORTS


The Presidents Annual Address aud Rec
ommendations.-Rep0rts of Onacers-Ths
New Board.
The annual meeting was held Monday
afternoon. There was but one ticket in
the tleld and consequently no contest
with very. few votes polled. In fact it
could hardly be said that the new board
all voted for themselves, yet an excellent
choice was made as will be seen below.
THE PRESIDENTS ADDRESS.
Mr.. EDITOR AS president of the
Young Mems Association | will endeav-
or 10 state to you the situation and work
done by the board of 1888.
Upon our election to Office we took
prompt action in regard to altering the
Library Hall into an Opera House,
which should make it benefit to the
town. A special village meeting was
called and the matter brought before
the pub ic, and there was voted a sum
of money by the village to help the mat
ter along. Our next move was to try
and get the public in general interested
and to raise by subscription an amount
sufficient to cover the cost of fixing said
hall, but the manufacturers and citizens
did not seem willing to do so and
the matter was dropped for the
time being. There is one thing that
should be mentioned, and that is this :
this property cannot be mortgaged in
any way nor any money raised on il
whatever, so if anything is done il must
be done by private enterprise, and in no
case can the property, as it now st nds,
be encum bered in any way, and the as
ISOLATION is not rich enough to guaran-
tee large expenditure on their part.
and the officers themselves did not feel
as though they wanted TO shoulder the
matter themselves. And here things
rest. Something must be done. In the
first place our library is too small and
being on the second floor is detrimental
and is probably not patronized as much
by the public as If it were on the ground
hoor where it would be more accessible.
There are two ways that can be done
providing the money can be raised, and
an interest taken in it by the estate that
donated the property together with the
public which | think they would.
This property could be made into an
opera house by moving the library from
where it now is down into where the
postoflice formerly was and then use
the present library to enlarge the hall.
and by putting in horseshoe gallery,
large and convenient stage, boxes, OPP
era chairs, and so on, there could be
made very neat and small opera house.
But now project is on foot for the
erection of an opera house more sub
stantial and modern, and as the money.
as we understand it, is practically raised,
it seems unadvisable for the association
to look further in that matter.
But this is what could be done and
think a profitable move on the part OF
the association, and the public be bene
fitted by the same. This property is a
public property and should be so used as
to accommodate the public. By moving
the library down stairs and using the
store now occupied by Mr.. Sibley these
could be made into rooms where, for in.
stance, gentlemen could go and read and
enjoy good smoke another room
where ladies could go, and also con.
versation room for both ladies and gen.
tlemen, the general reading and library
room to be where the postoffice was 10.
Gated. This seems to me, in my estima.
ton, to be most advisable, and | would
recommend it to the new board. In
'hio way Uhe upper sIOry COulu Oe ma ue
a large, spacious hall, for town or vii.
lage purposes, and would make an ele-
CANT ball room and splendid place for
our churches to hold fairs and other en-
tertainments. As it now is it is toe
small.
The association was never in so good
condition as it is at present. The re-
ceipts are larger than any previous year,
having received from hall rent alone
SOFA, other years having only netted
about $500 or $500 from s ore rent
$500, making total of Sl4l4 and still
due on store rent $66.66. Total expen-
ditures, S537.2O.
What we want is larger library and
more and later publications of books,
and to do this we must have more room,
and the above statement or suggestion
is what would fix matters.
Below find the seperate reports of the
committees and treasurer.
+. NJ. TIFFANY, President.
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