The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1894-04-19

ENCOURAGE HOME TALENT.
Il. w. Howe's Very Pertinent Story Of the
Man and the Wooden Mill.
The citizens Of great many good
towns work hard to induce new indus
tries to locate within the corporate linn
Its and wholly neglect to give proper
encouragement to home talent The IA
nous western novelist Mr.. E. W.
Howe, hits this nail exactly on its verv
head In his novel 1.-The Story Of a Coun-
Fry Town" which made a great hit a
few years ago and received the enthusi-
astic praise Of such eminent literary
men as W. D. Howells and Mark Twain.
In chapter headed 1.-THE Peculiafities
OF a Country Town. Mr.. Howe says:
There was one thing I noticed of
Twin Mounds which is probably true Of
every other country town-it was con-
stantly threatened either with great
prosperity or great danger, but whether
the event threatening the prosperity or
the danger came to pass the town pro-
crossed about the same There was no
perceptihe effect from any of the events
the people were certain would prove
either very disastrous or Of great benefit,
from which am led to believe that no
one is familiar with the art of town
building, although I have never known
man who did not profess to know all
there Is worth knowing about the sci
ence.
Towns seem to be tho natural accre-
ton Of years, and although the people in
Twin Mounds often related how desper-
ate We're their struggles with adversely
the facts probably are that the place
would have been fully as large without
the great number Of public meetings for
public purposes and the endless worry
OF individuals with reference to it.
There was very general impression
that manufactures were needed, and
this was talked about SO much, and so
many Inducements were offered, that
the people became discouraged, believing
that the average manufacturer had a
wicked heart and hollow head to thus
wrong Twin Mounds in the face of his
own interest. Therefore we were very
much surprised to learn once, after all
hope had been abandoned, that quiet
man was building wooden mill down
the river, which he completed and after
ward operated without the help Of the
committees which had been appointed to
aid in such matters of public veal.
The trouble was that the man lived
in Twin Mounds, whereas we had been
expecting a man and money to come
from distant point for that purpose and
had never thought of looking about
home, but spent great deal Of money
in sending committees away to make
arrangements for wooden mill. This
circumstance, though humiliating,
proved good thing, for it taught the
people that if the town were to be built
up at all it must be by its own citizens,
which knowledge was afterward used to
good advantage
1.-The people were always miserable
by reason Of predictions that unless i'm
possible amounts Of money were given
to certain enterprises the town would be
ruined, and, although they always gave,
no sooner was one fund exhausted than
it became necessary to raise another It
was said during the collection of each
amount that it would never be necessary
again to give to this sort of charity, as
| the enterprise then in hand would in
sure the fortune Of Twin Mounds, but
| there was never an end to the ridiculous
business, and we were always in state
OF dreariness on this account, as the
men demanding the charity for insig-
nifcant enterprises threatened to 20 to
the rival towns and permit the grass to
grow in our streets.
In thinking of the matter since
have thought that Twin Mounds would
have been much better town but for
the fact that it was always expecting
improbable disaster, but which never
came, for the people were thus prevent
ed from exercising their energy, if they
had any,
Although the above excerpt is from a
work Of fiction, it is SO true to life that
it's wisdom is apparent Three good
points to remember are the following:
Always encourage home talent when
it stands ready to establish an enterprise
that will build up the town.
Never attempt to raise more money to
secure new enterprises than the town
can afford to part with.
Always look on the bright side of the
towns outlook. Never predict ything
but prosperity. Well men often die be-
cause they believe they are suffering
from some wholly imaginary ailment,
and good town sometimes retrogrades
simply because Of the croaking Of calam-
ity howlers. Say nothing if you cannot
say a good word for the town, but keep
on saving the towns wood.
Maxims to Remember.
Every towns success depends upon
the success of its people.
Extravaganza in school expenditures
is commemorate virtue.
Driven to the wall by wealth, the
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