Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1900-09-05
LYNN'S FIFTY YEARS.
LIFE IS PLEASANT IN THIS NEW ENG
LAND TOWN.

An Industrial City That II Not Too
Busy to Neglect the Beautiful.
Splendid Public Library and n
Wonderful Forest ark
The iftieth anniversary Of the city
OF Lynn, which was incorporated In
May, 1870, has recently been cclebrat-
ed. Lyon is a very frank and COM
tlete product of modern American in
,lustrlalism. Before the manufacture
Of shoes was begun there In a system
attic way, after the invention Of the
sewing machine, between 1910 and
1850, IL was no more than n country
village, surrounded with great tracts
OF forest, marsh and rocky fell country.
Ii was practically nc more than a rus
tic calling station on the road between
Boston and Salem.
Elias uowe's machine and the es-
tabliShment Of shoe factories soon
changed all that. The town was built
up almost wholly on the factory sys-
TEN aud has become as complete n
product as may he Of that factory sys.
TEN Of which II has been said by a
popular economist that II Is ugly, dis
agreeable, mechanical, injurious TO
public health and a danger to the ma
tionnl existence"
This application Of the factory sys-
ten, indeed, has resulted in some
things which are highly desirable and
which tend to make the life Of a poor
man, aud particularly the life OF the
poor mans child. more agreeable and
fortunate than that Of tie vast major
ity Of the poor people Of the world. III,
for instance, the poor boy Of Lynn,
coming from his barely possible tene-
ment house home-thcrc are few tcne-
ment houses In Lynn-tO n public
school. Is sent out TO obtain statistics
rs to the comparative cost Of his edu-
cation, he goes TO a sumptuous public
library for the purpose. There, sitting
ut q massive oak table, an original
work of art, especially designed and
| carved to suit the architecture of the
hall, he turns the leaves of documents
which are placed before him 10y an at
tendant and ascertains that lie is ia
vored among all the school children in
the world In point of the annual ex-
penditurc for his education.
lie Chances up AT n beautiful decora.
ton, painted by n gifted artist tof New
York, by the way, nj a large cost, rep
%resenting the awakening OF lgno-
rance" and representing the angel OF
universal enlightenment pointing some
astonishcd primitive harbarlans 10 the
Ideal modern city looming above the
clouds. The child. impressed 10y these
things. goes back TO the school where
lac is being so admirably educated, but
If he is a healthy boy his mind proba
bly, will turn away from the expensive
instruction which Is being bestowed
upon him to the uncxamplcl facilities
for open air recreation with which this
badly industrialized community has
provided him. His mind waudcrs TO
the great Lynn woods. that noble pub
lie forest, or. If the weather is warm,
TO the farreaching Lynn beach, which
is really a very remarkable ocean side
terrace. where the municipality has
provided him with free bathing and
general recreation facilities.
This beach quite equals that at Co.
ney Island. and it Is rounded out at
either extremity lay n much finer nat.
ural prospect. The Lynn woods are
worthy of a letter by themselves. just
behind the city, within half n mile OF
some of its most important structures,
there stretches a great cXpanse of nat.
ural and rocky woodland more than
1000 acres in extent. Within II the
sites Of former swamps are occupied
by pretty lakes. There are evergreen
glcns, fUotuaths winding along rocky
slopes ana smooth drives, where, II
the poor boy possesses a wheel, as
most of the poor boys Of Lynn do, ht
may ride IL amid sylvan sOlitudcs fol
hours.
To provide this great recreation
ground for the people and preserve
forever the natural beauty of the for
est, where the ancient wolf pits of til,
early settlers still exist intact, the cit!
| gave a vast sum outright. but decide,
| TO forcgn the opportunity for expan
( sion and its well TO do citizens TIL
, chance Of profitable real estate invest
!, ments and dedicate the whole spac
to the people. There is not n noble
or more beautiful public park in th
United States than this one provides
by an enlightened public policy in thi
highly 'industrialized' city of $500
Inhabitants.
; Between the municipal ocean sid
terrace in front aud the municipal pull
! lie forest behind this little city o
Lynn extends in n thin gray red lin,
!, 1t is not at all remarkable for til
beauty of its architecture, but IL Is +,
V markable for what we are not suppo'
4 ed to expect In Il factory town-th
number of its modest and thrift
homes. The tenement house systel
is practically abandoned. AS for tbs
matter, il Is abandoned throughoI
New England. | may remark, parel
thetically, that in Fall River, whic
has been In the past one of the wori
examples in America of the factor
and tenement house system, the mi
corporations are tearing down the
tenements for the ease that the
cannot get anybody to live in ther
The operatives have acquired hom'
OF their own, and the little houses
the poor are stretching far eastwal
and northward into the region whic
8 ten years ago, was a continuous WOO
=. At Lynn there is still, owing to th
determination Of the people TO III
=, in such little houses of their own, nut
of the appearance of n big country V