Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1903-12-26
GOOD OLD BARNARD
A Correspondent Thinks II Is
Going Down Hill.

Going Down Hill.
Editor of The Age:
The grave charge is brought
against me that am trying to wreck
the good old town of Barnard and
destroy what little life and business
there is lett in it. In self defence
would say that we consider Barnard
as being one of the best towns in
Vermont if properly developed, us
there are very Jew towns in the state
that nature has done more for than
for Barnard, by placing beautiful
Silver Lake in the center, with II
lovely grove of various kinds OF
shade trees at the head; also about
Il dozen Of everlasting springs OF
pure cold water as good rs can be
found in the world, and all SUR
rounded by farming land that is
hard to beat (by nature | mcan) 4,
which is saying but very little of
what might be said in its favor.
And | regret very much to see it
going to decay in the way it is, and
dying by inches. If it has got to
60, it might go by one fell stroke.
while there is enough life left to
give it a decent burial.
Now | will endeavor as well as |
can in my poor way to give your
readers u little of an idea of the
Barnard of 90 years ago or more,
when there were more than double
the inhabitants of today, and the
town supported three preachers who
delivered two sermons day each
for 81 days in year, besides doing
vast amount of other work, visit
ing parishioners, giving temperance
lectures, etc. And by the way, we
were not required to double up with
East Barnard, which had a way of
doing all these things Independent
OF outside help. The writer re-
members when the late Rev. Zcll
Twitchell and Hon. Moses L. Che
ney, rival music teachers, both had
schools at the village and had q
hearty support, having from so to
Is pupils each. And the way they
used to sing! wish could hear
something of the same kind again,
but never expect to, yet that old
time music still is pleasant to think
OF. Those pupils are few and fan
between now, and soon perhaps
there will be no one left who will
have any personal knowledge oil
what Barnard was in our school boy
days.
But l have just discovered that
we are off the track, and will gel
back as quickly us possible.
From one to three doctors were
located in town. Two lawyers die
the business by calling in one occa
sionally from Woodstock or Bethe
for counsel. Two first class hotel.
were run on full time at the hub
besides various other institutions o
similar kind were located in diff
terent parts of the town. Grist
mills, saw.mills, blacksmith shops
and various other industries wer'
too numerous to mention.
Now there is nothing that would
give us greater pleasure than to wit
ness Ba, nard as one Of the tOremos
towns of the state. But we have
got to infusc some life into our tow
before it will ever begin to approach
its standing of 100 years ago.
Now the question arises, what i
to be done' The only solution o
the problem is, give us rural FREE
delivery, which will certainly leat
to higher degree OF intelligence il
the out OF the way places. and WI
will not need to depend on the tall
we hear in postoffices by such a
have nothing to do but stay arount
such places and tell us the new
when we chance to go in for on
weekly mail We need more dali,
papers. But what is Il daily wortl
to us, if we can't get one more thar
once week? 1t would be lik'
fasting for week, then devourins
so much food we could not diges
any part of our dinner.
But let us stop right here and con
slider. We are told that our schema
would knock the stage business on
at once, and that would kill Barnard
village as quick as if an earthquake
had opened cavity and all Of Bar
nard had dropped out of sight for
ever. Well, such talk put out b,
several important citizens near sucl
Office, of course settles the bushes
with great many. But am happ,
to say that the sentiment IN favo
of r. F. ID is gaining in favor, ant
we have high hopes that Barnard
will soon be on the high road tt
prosperity again.
S. d. PUTNAM.