The Newtown bee., 1902-02-28
The NeWtOWn Bee
Ten Pages.
LITCHFlELD COUNTY.
NEW MILFORD.

| NEW MlLFORD.
THE SCHOOL QUESTION IN NEW MIL
FORD.
After a careful study of the loca
school situation The BEE is of the
opinion that the best interests of the
town demand the addition being built
on to the Center school building fol
high school purposes. The able and
talented editor of The Gazette advo'
Gates taking broad look on the local
situation, and if one does take COM
prehensive survey of the situation, he
will conclude the best interests of the
town will be conserved by voting the
$4,000 more or less for this improve
ment. New Milford is not in an i'm.
poverished condition. Its debt of
$780, 900 is mere bagatelle when it is
considered that the grand list foots up
a total of $2,O32, 4O5. 1t is said that
149 towns in Connecticut pay more for
educational purposes than does the
town of New Milford. 1t should be
considered that this move is one en-
phatically in favor of the poor man,
whose pocketbook may not be able to
stand the strain of tuition..for his child
at the excellent Weantinaug and In
gleside schools. BY establishing a
high school the man in moderate cir
cumstances will be able to give his son
and daughter the best school advan-
tages. The project then ought to have
the support of every laboring man and
farmer in town. In taking this posi-
ton, we are aware that some of the
best men in town are committed
against the project, such level-headed
and practical business men as Hon J.
Leroy Buck and Hon A. M. Booth,
who have been, and are now, cordial
friends of the writer. There are some
convincing arguments on both sides,
but all things considered we believe it
is for the best interests of the tax
payers to support the progressive
measure. Another significant thing
is the solid support given the plan by
the school board. They are a unit in
the matter, and earnest in the support
Of the plan which they believe will
materially advance the real prosperity
of the town. So far as the GaylOrdS-
vile end of the matter is concerned
we take different view Don't close
any of your outside schools where it is
practicable to keep them open. Make
some slight repairs on the existing
buildings and they doubtless will be
good for dozen years. The writer
knows full we'll the muss which has
been stirred up in other towns by
closing back district schools: Close
the back district schools and you dete-
riorate the value of the back district
farms. The writer understands the
people of Charlottesville are divided on
this school consolidation question. Is
this not the truth?
AN ORGAN WITH HISTORY.
What is undoubtedly the most val
liable organ in this country from a
historical standpoint is standing ir
the store Of A. L. Conkey & Son, the
enterprising piano and organ dealers
of Bank street. The organ in question
is the property of Miss M. M. Johnston
of Salisbury. 1t is pipe organ BULL
in 1851 by John Snetzler. 1t wa!
| brought to this country before the
Revolution and stored in building ir
South Amboy until after the end O.
hoStilities. The gilded pipes have
been removed and piece of silk il
now used as a cover. The doors have
also been removed and the keyboard
has been changed from black ant
white to white and black. Knowing
of Mr. Conkey's skill as an organist an6
his ability to repair them, Chickerine
& Son entered into a contract with Nj
Conkey to repair the organ and ship il
to Boston for their great Historical
Musical exhibition. Mr. Conkey be
gan work on it in October. In 1901
the house where it was stored burned
to tie ground, and the organ wa
hastily removed and packed in a barr
where it was removed when Mr. Con
key got trace of it. After it was re
paired Mr. Conkey shipped it to Boston
and on January went there and Sc
it up. The musical exhibition referred
to was the largest and most notable O
the kind ever held in the world, whe1
it is borne in mind that the Insurance.
alone carried on the exhibits amount
ed to 100000. On January p, afte
the exhibition, Mr. Conkey again pack
ed up the organ and shipped it t.
New Milford. The value of the organ
is placed at $4,000, as it is PRACTICAL.
the only complete organ of it's kind il
this country to-day. After the Revo
luton this organ in question was pur
chased by DR. Bard of Philadelphia
founder of the New York Cityhospita
and president of the New York Medi
cal college. 1t always remained in tn
Bard family, except for period of 2
years, when it was used in church a
Hyde Park, n. Y, Miss Susanna Bar
being the organist. The instrumen
contains over 800 pipes, two complet
sets of modern pipes and three sets Q
metal pipes. The makers autograph
is in the wind chest and there can b
no doubt of it's genuineness. In re
pairing the organ Mr. Conkey only ado
ed five small metal pipes. John Sneti
Ter also built the organ used at Chris
church, Cambridge, Mass, in 176=
The pipes of this organ were molde
} into bullets by the Continental soldier
and used in the battle of Bunker Hill
On the organ in Mr. Conkey's store b'
low Snetzler's autograph was this sci