The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1893-09-08
THE
Beautiful and Useful.

II you hvedin a poor little place where
there were swampy commons around
the town. stony hillside back of it, and
IN the midst of it miserable, smoky
railway station, with piles of ashes, ci.
gar stumps, banana skins and old news
papers lying all around II under the
very noses Of the town marshal, the min
lister, the doctor and the postmaster,
and 1t suddenly occurred to you that
this Kind OF town would not tempt
people to 1t as summer resort and
would not tend to make the children Of
the natives want to stay there any long
er than they could help or make them
wish to GOMEZ back there after they had
got big enough to get away, neither
would such spot have tendency to
develop great poets, preachers, artists
and inventors among the young ones
whom adverse fate condemned to be
born there, but would rather tend to
make them mnatics, what would YOU
do to change this forlorn condition?
That was question discussed lately
at one of the Worlds fair congresses.
Plainly, in these times when organiza-
ton is all and the individual moth
ing, the first thing to do would be to
form village improvement society.
Such societies it is in every town of con-
siderable size in California that have
transformed almost that whole state into
resort for travellers. These go to the
Pacific state from the uttermost parts of
the earth, lured there by the parks, the
gardens, the fruits and the excellent no.
tells and beautiful private homes. This
whole country might be made as attract
i've outwardly as California, and it can
be done by the village improvement So
ciety and the awakening of decent pub
lie spirit among local rich people.
The village improvement society
should have small initiation fee and
annual dues That will be working
capital on which to begin. Start with
draining the malarious mudholes around
the town and in the yards. Next clean
up the railway station and cover the
patch of ground about it with turf, trees
and flower beds. Create such public
spirit that not even the small boy will
throw paper or rubbish into the streets.
Then begin to work on the private
homes and cause residents to tear down |
the ugly front fences and make their |
grounds beautiful for all. Rest not till |
you have secured good streets, a first |
class public library, literary society and |
reading club and have turned the sickly |
green marshes and stony hillside into a |
ovely town park. The rich men and
women Of your community will help |
'ou in every case, if properly approached. |
every step toward giving village good /
treets and good roads leading into it. L
done to benefit its health and |;
morals and please the aesthetic sense |?
makes property Whereabouts more valu-
bile. |
Some of the towns and small cities
hat have thus been beautifed and their ID
eople refined and elevated in conse- i
uence are well known. North Easton.
lass, was thus helped into beauty and
lme by Oliver and Cakes Ames and
leir sons. The Fairbanks family spent
uch OF the money received from the L
'mous scales of their make in improv-
g the sanitation and appearance of St. as
'hnsbury, vt. Faribault is pronounced t 1a'
10 model town of Minnesota because cry
r ~ years Bishop Whipple has resided ", wit
ere and thrown all his knowledge and frie
thusiasm into making his home town and
tractive to himself and others. Some. e and
mes the good work is done by single THU
dlvidual or family-as in the cases Tue
Occasionally town coun. din,
s are enlightened enough to under
ke it, and again the village improve n
ent society does all.