Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1902-06-13
WOMEN BOOM A TOWN
HOW TIE FAIR SEX is IMPROVING
NORTHFlELO, VT.


The women of Mortified, Vt, are en-
gagged in one of the most remarkable
campaigns for public Improvement
ever attempted by women anywhere,
says the Boston Globe. Not satisfied
with the progress already made by the
men, who have walked the place out
of a twenty-five year sleep and made
this settlement of 5000 souls into
miniature city among the hills by form
ing board of trade" getting new in
dustries, beating other villages of the
same size in the race for modern pub
lie utilities and in general putting
Mortified back on the map, the ladies
got together last year and said they
guessed the situation needed the fine
aesthetic hand of woman to give it
taste, if not also a little organized hen
pecking to give it persistency.
They banded together in a village
improvement society. This at first
confined its enthusiasm to making the
streets beautiful to look at. Then the
conversation, wherever there were
pervaded by them in the interest of
ornamental architecture. Recently they
gave a dinner, at which the after cof-
fee oratory disclosed plans more rad
ical. There are to be drinking foun-
tain, granite chip embankment of
the now unsightly Dog river and an
observatory on Paines mountain.
hn . hoc
it was a committee of ladies calling on
Secretary Smith of the board of trade
that induced the board to make its
present effort toward getting a new in
dustry for women and also that the la
dies are about to set their bonnets at
Andrew Carnegie.
But the latest is that the village i'm
provement society is going to earn,
beg. levy and magnetic a fund where
with to buy steam fire engine. North
field has a paid fire department, but no
hydrants or steamer Other villages
have had ladies' improvement societies,
but Mortified is out with a claim that
this is the first woman's voluntary
board of municipal hustle.
HC SONlSlH DcSuu uIOQGSllN, SINluS
no sign of the ambitious vigor which
has since come over it. As Mrs. Ed
gerton said at the dinner: ITO build
parks, to plant trees and keep them in
healthy condition, to fight the sign
board and waste paper nuisances, to
clear the streets of rubbish and to
plant vines and 1owers-all these are
f1,n -C,.l- ,c 10, 81
provement society. If we succeed. as
others have, in arousing pride and
carefulness among the people, these
will find expression in the desire
among neighbOrhoods to rank highest
for clean streets, well kept lawns and
neatness in everything pertaining to
out of door housekeeping"
Of course the money to q large eX-
tent comes from the men, and it was
men who were hired to go about with
carts picking up, but it isn't men that
tend the public flower beds. One of the
early maneuvcrs Of the society was to
invite q landscape architect to come
up from Boston. look the town over
and tell the ladies in an address what
effect it had on his artful eye and what
ought to be done to render it really
good and beautiful. One of the numbers
on his programme was parklets at
street corners planted with flower beds
These have been put in and are under
the personal supervision of Miss John
ston and Miss ingalls,.
Miss Johnston, the president. thus
a.
what remains to come:
1.-THE plots of low, uncouth ground at
the corners of our streets and also the
sandy and barren waste about our de-
pot were graded and the ground pre-
pared for cultivation and We're made
most attractive spots. The grounds are
now all ready for cultivation again
when spring opens. We are ready with
money to go on with this good work,
and many things will be done, such as
walling our river on both sides with the
waste Of granite chips from one Of our
manufactures and covered with
growth of vines and Il public drinking
fountain erected on or near the COM
mon.
Baskets are placed at intervals along
our streets, where paper or any article
that tends to litter our walks may be
placed. Seats are to be placed in con-
veniert spots for travellers, and in the
near future we shall see an observatory
with . well kept road leading to it,
which will give to us here and our
summer friends one of the most beau
tiful views in our Green Mountain
State"
1t would be ineXact to say that the
luxurious side of life thus so vigorous
ly cultivated by the ladies has had no
effect upon the gentlemen. The latter
spent many anxious moments in quest
of an activity worthy OF the high stand
ard set by the more sentimental sex.
Many distinct results followed this
mental exercise. One was u splendid
piece of medieval chivalry. In order
to understand it thoroughly one should
know that Mortified ladies wear par
ticularly fetching frocks. Now, the