The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-03-25
North POWnal.

Thanks; Mr.. Charles Northup, whose
wife, now recovering, has been SICK Tor
a number of weeks, wishes to make a
public acknowledgement of grateful OBJ
LEGATION to his neighbors for their friend
ly assistance during this time of his
trial.
Town Meeting: If you would ascertain
the culture andintelligence of cOmmu-
nifty sof people, observe how they act
when in masses. In deliberative bodies
men will group themselves according to
their idea of things, and their conduct
on these occasions will express either
thought or the absence of it, broad or
very narrow views, much as their private
life is selfish or public spirited. The
question usually considered in town
meeting are simple ones, with few com
plicatiOns. In the choice of officers 1t is
not difficult to find men to fill the places
of trust. Especially in the lower ranks
there are plenty of men who seek office,
some Of them conscientious enough to
try to do their duty, according to their
conception of it, but the mischief is that
in such hands public affairs will get badly
into ruts, so that no progress or i'm
provement can be realized in these i'm
portant matters, until a new spirit of
Moreover, demagogues, like tOadstools
or decoying stumps, who are the legiti-
mate products of the deceased condition
of the popular taste, encourage it mostly,
in oder that they may carry out some
petty scheme or plan which it is their
ambition vainly to realize; and the great
est injury in the administration of town
business, when this class of men hold
office results from disposition to sacrl-
flee every real public interest, outside of
what is usual, and every private right
which accident may create, to the prelu-
dices of those with whom they assocla-
ate. A common policy is to make small
expenditures, no matter what may be
the public needs and convenience. The
immediate effect of such policy is poor
roads and poorer schools, and total
disregard of claims or demands which
individuals may justly have against the
public. Unfortunately, some OF our
best citizens never go to town meeting.
The evil of this is not that we always
elect bad men to the town offices, but
that the public sentiment, which gives to
the town it's policy and character, is mar
row and selfish, outside of our own door
yard. The next thing in which we
should be interested are the highways.
Outside of our families the next thing of
equal concern should be our public
schools. and if every intelligent citizen
would come out when these great ques-
tions are agitaIed it would not be long
before the present low sentiment in these
respects would be cOrrectedand exalted,
so that improvement and reform shall
occupy and govern all our public places
and direct and control all our highest in
InY
port itself depends much upon the intel
iigence and dignity of him who presides.
A rabble can easily be reduced to order
if he WHO is moderator be not only one
who knows how to preside, but is also
one who possesses himself. A meeting
will be demoralized when the moderator
quarrels with the crowd, when the pro-
ceedings thereby becomes mixed and con-
fused, when contradictory votes are sue
cessively taken and q motion that pre-
walls is Immediately rescinded by a sub
Sequent one, without a reconsideration
of the former no one is TO blame for
such muddle but the moderator. He
alone is responsible. Now, finally, it
should be obserned that these reflections
in no wise concern or apply to Pownal.
They might, perhaps, reach as TAR as
SALISBURY. Probably we as town new
er experienced a more orderly meeting
than the one holden on the LIST instant.
The moderator was remarkably success
full. A more dignifed assembly never
gathered before in Pownal. Never was
the business dispatched with more i'll
telligence and precision. Never was so
much enthusiasm manifested for good
roads and good schools as on this occa-
sion.