St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1891-12-03

worth But your copy of the Angelus or
Madonna, or of any other masterpiece, is
undoubtedly worth more to you than it
cost. In engraving and photograph, the
worlds galleries are hung in our little
rooms-besides a good deal else that
hangs there.
But / imagine as interesting an item as
any in your belongings will be the book
case-just the books that you own,
What have you to say concerning the
worth thereof" The old books in worn
covers and quaint type that may have
come down with the spinning wheel and
warming pan in the family; the fresh
books that you carefully saved money to
| buy which have let you into broad realms
of thought, imagination, romance, learn
ing, pathos, history and song-what
would YOU take for your library in money,
considering that you have therein the
| spoi1s of the worlds best fields of
| thought, the fine treasures of intellectual
| gold, frankincense, myrrh, poured out by
the wise men of the ages That one
volume Library of Poetry and Song
cost about days wages, the Cyclopedla
| that answers the peoples questions
about everything under the sun doesn't
swallow up much money and there's
| shelf full of masters of romance, criticism,
polite literature, at half a dollar each; you
have in Webster's dictionary 1000 engrav-
/ ings; at cent each that would be $4,000,
but your dictionary, with all the rest IN 1T,
did not begin to cost that, neither did
your Bible, whether Oxford or Bagster,
orr plain American Bible society. But the
time was when an EngliShman of average
rank would have to spend the savings of
1S years to buy a Bible, and all the
money in the realm wouldn't furnish him
concordance; or tables of maps,
chronology, animals, reptiles, weights,
measures and obsolete words, which
things in our time are furnished for moth
ing, if you buy good Bible, being ap-
propriately attached to it, as the tender
to an engine.
AS touching the matter of books with
al it is not to be forgotten that in this
village 10000 volumes besides period
icals are open to all for the asking, with
out their being asked in turn to pay
$4,000 costs a year for running an
| Athen9um.
Now as regards education, which in its
various departments is no small item.
1t becomes even more difficult to speak
concerning the worth thereof on any
basis of cash paid.
1t costs for tuition in our Academy,
$50 year. Thirty dollarsl That does
not begin to cover the actual expense;
$40, 900 are in swallowed up in build
ing; 500, 900 more are funded in endow
ment, the interest of which two sums,
viz, $4,000, is the unnoted part of the
annual cost of education here. The
student pays the $50 tuition according to
catalogue but besides that the invested
capital pays $50 more each year on an
average of 800 students, so that a
year in the Academy costs $50, instead
of $50, not including room in South
hall. Anyway, the pupil gets his
years course in the Academy at
considerably less than one-half price,
which he would call bargain if it were
pair of boots. And this is no wise
exceptional. In our states more than
$1O,OOO,OOO are invested in Academy
plants, not to speak of endowments. |
suppose nearly every college or seminary
in the United States furnishes its training
for an average of less than one-half price.
All the provisions for higher education
cost money, but the bulk of the money
was put in before ever the pupil came,
most of it before he was born.
So when he comes up to the Academy
or college, and says, 81 want an educa-
ton and am ready to pay the cost there
off, he isn't asked half the true cost.
And concerning the worth thereof to
himself personally he can figure that
better when, in after years, he takes his
seat on the bench or finds himself in
demand for responsible, lucrative posts
anywhere-or when, in any sequested
vale of life, he regales himself with the
enrichments of a liberal culture.
But it is not everyone who goes
through school or college. So all this is
wide of their case. I will now come to
that which is common to us all, namely
community life. In any well-regulated
village all will agree that life costs some
thing for what it gets. In the combina-
!, ton there are the justly assessed taxes
which must be paid besides the tax
:. public spirit requires on various p
scription lists; besides the tax of so>
conformity, since it will not do to go
against the prevailing mode or usages
Yet so greatly does the worth of life seem
to preponderate over its cost that more
people want to live in St. Johnsbury vii
1age, for example, than can find housing
and the average citizen is more than con
tent to remain even though the stranger
within the gates should rise up and say
that his taxes are high" Indeed, l car
!; picture to myself how the citizen, survey
: ing the whole case, is surprised that any
one could think so, and when the time
comes around l see him going briskly
over to the tax gatherer, and he says tC
} him. "Sir, l am profoundly impressed
t with the worth of my advantages, living
f in this village. l am part of an orderly
f community. walk the streets any hou1
5 of the "a without fear of being knocked
I down and robbed. l have the illumina
5 ton of electric lights-except on a darl
r night when they're out. walk on pave
a ments of concrete or brick, and drive Owe
i road-machine-made streets and avenues
t postal free-dehvery comes to my door
S the public main takes off my sewage, ano
g if my house catch afre, the alarm i
II handy, and so is Passumpsic river; m,
S children have the benefit of graded
), schools; my guests going round abou
S her mark well the model village of Hep
l worth Dixon; myself and family sit unde
l. our vine and rooftree restful and happ,
e in the care of the village fathers, of tn
n county judges, the state executive, tn
Y army and navy of the United States
u Sir, all this is worth to me imcomparabl
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