Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-11-27
For Good Old Vermont,
THE VACANT FARMs.
Paper read by Geo. Hammond at the
Barnard Farmers Meeting.

mont can read the early history of the
state, and the achievements of the
Green Mountain Boys without feeling
a sense Of satisfaction that he also is a
Vermonter and at the same time a
sense Of regret that the time should
have come when the question of re-
peopling the farms of the state with
Swedes, should be a question for state
legislation.
1t was that distinguished Vt. poet,
John G. SAKE, who at banquet on
being called upon to respond to the
toast, Vermont, said,
Vermont is famous for men, women, hors-
es and maple sugar,
The first are strong, the third are fleet,
The second and fourth are very sweet
And all remarkably hard TO beat.
The first settlement made in Barn
ard was think, in 1875. 80 years
later the limit to the growth of the
town had been reached, its population
then numbering 1881. Since then the
decrease has been steady, its present
population numbering but 9l2. In
1889 there were in this town four
churches at which there was regular
preaching, four doctors, the trades
were wen represented and there was
the usual number Of stores and gro
ceries to be found in towns of that size.
School houses that now are closed for
lack of pupils were then filled with
large and prosperous schools and it
was rare that an unoccupied dwelling
house could be found. In the district
in which live there are seven places
not all of them farms, or which no
longer than 25 years ago lived fami-
lies, that to-day are deserted. In three
of these cases the cellars and fcunda-
tions alone remain, in four the houses
are still standing but are uDoecupied
This is true not only Of that part OF
the town but OF all parts aud when we
consider that il is true not only of this
town but to a greater or less extent o.
quite proportion of the towns of the
state, we have some idea of the extent
!, TO which this abandonment Of Vt.
farms and homes has extended. That
this has been a damage to the state nc
one win dispute. That it would be
an advantage to the towns in which
they are situated and to the state i
these places could be re-occupied does
not need TO be argued. The question
then is, how shall we prevent this a
abandonment OF farms and how shall W,
repeople the places already deserted
If | were sick and should call 1
physician, ! suppose the first thing HI
would do would be to endeaver to re
move the causes of the disease. b,
the same law if we could remove th'
cause of the desertion of Vi. farms
the question would be more than hal
solved and we would have very littl'
need of.an immigration bureau to pro
mote foreign immigration. ] would lik'
then, briefly to notice some of the caus
es that have led so many to leave Vt
10 make their homes elsewhere. 1t il
claimed by seme that the young mel
OF the state have been and are bein;
educated away from the farm, tina
high schools, academies and semina.
ries have been so multiplied that the,
have practically been brought within
the reach of all and that rs conse
quence farmers sons are receiving bet
ter educations than their needs require
that they get the false idea that farm
ing is beneath them and leave th,
farms to join the ranks of the already
overcrewded professions. That this
\ may be true Ia some instances | have
no doubt but that it is true in any gen
eral sense | do no9 believe. Where
one yoHng man leases the farm foi
this reason, nine young men by the
lunattractiveness of their homes and
the unpleasantness of their surround
( ings become dissatisfied with their con-
dition IN life and take the earliest OD-
portunity to change il | suppose the
principal reason why so many leave
the East for the West as because they
believe that they viii succeed better
there than here. They are taught
this from their earliest recollection.
We are accustomed always to hear the
advantages of the West extolled and
''praises sung while the East is
.'cried down." 1t is as natural for a
man under those circumstances to have
the western tever as it was for him
during his boyhood to catch the mea-
sles or the whooping cough. If man
goes West and succeeds we always
hear of il but of the great number who
90 there and do not succeed, whose
whole lives are struggle to obtain
means to support their families and
pay the interest on eight or ten per
cent mortgages, of these we hear moth
ing. If people would take less pains
to detract from the merits of their own
section and try more to make its mer-
its known, if they would follow tile
example Of Moses f. Cheney in the