The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-08-20

plelsanter pretter spot in which to locate. The
drives about the country beautiful the roads
perfection, unquesonaby the superior of the roads
Of any town in the State Unlike the course usually pur.
sued in building roads, they have here been Systematically
and carefully made little by little they have been built
up with solid foundation their top being covered with
marble chips which rapidly down fine, until to day
they will bear favorable comparison with any of the
famous shell roads OF the country. The old New Eng
land town system of government modified in many States
but still retained in Vermont works most admirably here
and the affairs of the town and village are conducted in
careful and economical manner.
general impression prevails that in any manufacture
g or mining town the population is lawess illiterate
and turbulent The town of Proctor stands to-day as a
refutaon OF any such theory Its citizens although
many Of them foreigners ale Industrious SOBER ntel
gent people, and it is of the few places in the State
where prohibition does indeed prohibit there not being
single saloon in the town where Intoxicating liquor is
sold. flee circulating library of five thousand
volumes has been established for years. and reading
and museum connected with it largely patron
lied, especially during the winter evenings.
That education is the foundation stone Of good citizen
ship has always been advocated here, and it's schools
which have always been carefully looked after will bear
favorable comparison with any in tie State There are
now ten in operation, having daily attendance of three
hundred and fifty scholars. -Four churches. a Union
church, two Swedish and Catholic minister to the
spiritual needs of the people, and are all well attended
The past year vey handome Union church was built
of blue marble at cost of thirty thousand dollars
Many OF the wolkmen their places the others live
In cottages or in double tenements of from six to EIGHT
rooms each renting at from three to six dollars per
month They all have Their gardens, and an air OF thrift
cleanliness and contentment is noted on every hand
year ago or the State papers had much to say
about the failure of an attempt at Swedish colonization
That it can be done and successfully has been fully de-
monstated at Proctor. Years ago the Vermont Marble
Company adopted the policy of employing Swedish help
and their numbers have been constantly increasing
They make very desirable class of citizens and are GOOD
workmen
In its business, the Vermont Marble COMPANY. of
which Mr. Fletcher d. Proctor is President emnlovs
about fifteen hundred men, and pays for wages six
hundred thousand dollars annually Sutherland Falls
with fall of one hundred twenty-five feet furnish the
necessary power for running the bulk of the machinery
used at Proctor Just above the falls the stream is
spanned by cable foot bridge.
In addition to its works at Proctor the Vermont
MAJ BILE Company operates many quarries at West Rut
land where all Of their Rutland marble is ouarred IT.
has also sixty four gangs of constantly at work at
Centre Rutland, and in its entire business is operano
two hundred gangs of yet the business is showing
such an increase that the Company now putting up an
additional mill at Proctor of forty gangs railroad of
fourteen miles has been constructed connecting the
different points Of the Companys business