Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1901-07-10
Village Improvement Society.

hnoii berryvllie, Va, July 9Th:
Dear OoURIER-Can you find me
any Oldest inhabitant who will saw
that the village of Bsttletown needs
no improvement? You cannot?
Well! l am glad to hear it, for now
we can go right away without vast
ing any time arguing with him.
Secondly-can you find anyone to
affirm that we have no need to ssso-
clate together to consider and recon-
slider the improvement of our village?
Not for the love of money; but for
the patriotic love of our little Bat
tletown, which we would make a
cleaner village, sweeter smelling
village, more comfortable village
and more beautiful village than
any other village in Virginia. We
must be satisfied with this for our
ideal IN this generation; for / have
already seen villages that would
love to see the like of in heaven.
have also seen villages in Geor-
gis In the year 1884, such that |
could not describe in this paper the
losthsome things that | saw-not
anything wicked but just nasty.
IT'S true, tits pity; It's pity, tbs, tits true"
This neighborhood has many nat
ursl advantages to assist us in our
effort, which can be pointed out at a
later date. L do not want to saw too
much at first. but rather start Won
all thinking how you can begin to
make a tiny heaven on earth for
your children's children, who will
live IN the times when, as Edward
Bethany wrote In Cooking Back
ward" money will have been done
away with and all the plague take-it
worry of it. Do l hear you say amen,
brother: Does the shoe have a nail
just under your heel with a hole in
your stocking that your wife cannot
mend?
We must prepare things little for
our children. expect to live again
in my children and can imagine my
self in spirit hearing one saying
my grandfather planted these
trees"
L have no scheme to spend your
money and make another hole in
your heel. The annual fee could be
nominal, say 20 cents for each fam
lily or bachelor.
My idea is to associate ourselves
together in large groups with CEN
trail organization or headquarters.
2nd-That our ideal shall be
the sweetening and Identification of
Berryyille and vicinity.
3rd-That we shall talk over
details at our meetings and ny let
tiers in the weekly Refresher."
4th-That we shall not poke
our noses into other folks back yards.
do not wish to propose any date
for our first meeting, but for the
present merely to take you into my
confidence that you may not be un-
duly surprised and think that you
were not consulted.
l will not have anything to do
with a movement that belongs to a
clique; but it ought to include all
churches, all classes, no cliques. The
reason | mention churches is be-
cause it is my idet that each church
could have its special branch of the
Battletown Village Improvement
Association, while all could consider
themselves members of the central
association, for it would be too big
thing to handle the whole mass in
one meeting.
Another reason why l mention
churches is because in this way we
gather in the country people who
live along the roads or avenues
which we wish to improve by beau
tifying them.
l have been urged by a few
friends to open up this movement of
progress, which l foresee will have
farreaching effect upon this town,
which will put new life into those
who are discouraged and give you
that enthusiasm which is "the voice
of king"
If this letter meets with warm APP
probation and l am encouraged to go
on, it is my hope to have an open air
mass meeting on my lawn some dry
moonlight night little later in the |
season.
l shall be glad to hear from any
brother who feels moved, as 1 have |
felt tonight, to tell us what he has
in his sonl in this matter. shall |
be still more pleased to hear from |
the sisters, because they have usual
ly more and better ideas on beauti-
fication than the ordinary common
or garden" man, and may know
better how to heavenize Berryville
than do. am yours TO order,
II. B. WARDE.
Buy and Try Box Tonight.