Connecticut western news., 1896-04-02
WHY THIS IS THUS,
OR WHY IS THIS THUS?

go great way toward convincing those who do not hold this opinion. This is what the majority of its inhabitants do not do. They are too intensely satisfied with their meals, their means and the monotones to pay any heed to the ques ton of progress. Canaan. the village, Is "looking backward without turning around We have come to worse than 8 standstill and on account of what? Why is this thus?
 The one great reason of it's decaying stagnation has been it's lack of seizing opportunities. Its neighboring towns on the east, west and north are pushing ahead of it, and the one on the south does not because it is of the same fam lily, and has suffered unavoidable crush ing circumstances. The fossil asks. What opportunities have we missedf We have missed the opportunity of To- eating manufacturing here. Whyp Be. cause real estate prices are as high as in the cities. and the inhabitants of the village-some of them-don't want to be awakened from their morning dreams by factory bells or disturbed from their monday maps by shop whistles, or be obliged to meet on the street and in public the society that manufacturing brings to town. Why are rents and real estate so highf Simply because the owners are we'll to-do, are not in the real estate business and will get their price or not sell at all. The railroad shops might have been located here, but the town did not hold out sufficient encour- agement. Diff-rent manufacturing in- dustries might have been located here, but were frightened away. Any of these things would tend to build up business, but we will not have them.
 Norfolk is fast becoming big sum- mer town and Lskeville and Sheffield are also doing large business with city people and pocketing good deal of city money, but we want no city people here. They will set too fast pace for us and >our young people will initiate their ways and we shall have commu- nifty of golf players and bon bon eaters who will be good for nothing else. De- liver us from the contaminating influ- ence of the city folks is the cry of the | fossil.
 We are to have professional road maker this season and it is to be hoped that he will not make tho roads out of native sand, heaped up in the center, but we-transferring ourself to the ma jority for time-care very little about our roads and are confident that Canaan can draw trade from the surroundings over the present pikes without spending money to permanently improve them when as matter of fact it is easier to drive from Ashley Falls or Clayton or that northeast country to Great Barring ton than 1t is to drive to Canaan, and yet the mileage is considerably greater to Great Harrington. We are expecting people of means to come here and build pretty places because our scenery is beautiful and to buy Norman horses to drag their vehicles through our sand because it is healthy as an absorbent of malaria, but they are not doing it.
 Why are we SO content? Is it be- cause the older generation have plenty to cloth their forms and fill their bellies? But that granted, what are the younger ones to do? Or have we no contemplating young people. and shall the town pass away with it's present older inhabitants? We have got an enterprising generation of young peo- pie but it is a singular fact that they have not the business capital to control any thing that tends to reform and have to accept the conditions as they find them which are not conducive to their obtaining that business capital, and they will go from hence where things look better.
 Another point on which Canaan is 'tslow" is it's educational facilities. Peo. pie have to go elsewhere for higher education of their children or else send the children elsewhere. This would be absolutely unnecessary were good academy properly sustained, which could be done. The price of their tui- tion. their board and probably theil clothing is taken out of the handling of our business men. There is room for 6 higher education even at our public school and Canaan makes big mistake that 1t is not provided. It is no fault oi the present teachers that it is not done but the fourth grade should be added and our public school at least advance { scholar as far as the old "deestrick schule" used to.
 Oar present tax rate is considered very high, due to large number o
 paupers and insane we are obliged tt support, but even if half the money 1T town could be confscated and uset rightly in improvements. in less thar ten years it would all return to it's lega owners. Another step out of the mirt of retrogression would be the passing of village ordinance fixing penalty for the dumping of shingles, plaster and cellar refuse in the rosds or wher, it is unsightly. A more liberal support of the V. A. would be move in tho right direction, enabling them tt double the strset lighting over the terri
 tory they now cover, and also put then in position to better care for the side walks and street cleaning. We nigh
 have had street sprinkler. but like al the other good things that cost none, l ua didn't oet if Tho f3 re district aOita