Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-07-24

| nO"oS, viii q ioCh W Tue uoOT. 1Dl
bit of history have mentioned fo
the dual purpose of shedding ligh
on former bathing facilities in Eas
Aurora, and more especially to shoy
that once we had the hoodlum witt
us. Hoodlumism is born of idleness
it is useful energy gone to seed. L,
small towns hoodlumism is rife, an.
the hoodlums sre usually the children
OF the best citizens. Hoodlumism il
the first step in the direction Of
crime. The hoodlum is very often
good boy who does not know what I,
do; and so he does the wrong thing
He bombards with tomatoes the goot
man taking bath, puts tick-tacki
on windows, ties tin can to tn.
dogs tail, takes the burrs off your
carriage wheels, steals your chickens
annexes your horse-blankets ant
scares old ladies into fits by appear
ing at windows wrapped in whit.
sheet. To wear mask, walk in and
demand the money in the famil,
ginger-jar ia the next and natura
evolution. The penitentiary yawns
for the hoodlum.
Very naturally the Oldest Inhabi.
taut will deny what ! have said
about East Aurora--he will tell YOU
that the order, cleanliness and beauty
of the place have always existed. The
change has come about so naturally
and so entirely without his assistance
that he knows nothing about it.
Truth when first presented is always
denied, but later there comes stage
when the man says, 81 always be-
lieyed it." And so the good old cit.
izens are induced to say these things
have always been, or else they gently
pooh-pooh them. However, the
truth remains that l introduced the
first heatipg-furnace into the town
bought the first lawn mower; was
among the first to use electricity for
lights and natural gas for fuel and,
so far. am the only one in town to
use natural gas for power.
Until the starting of the Roycroft
Shop there were no industries here,
aside from the regulation country
store, grocery, tavern, blacksmith
shop and saw-mill--none of which
enterprises attempted to supply more
than local wants. There was Ham,
Inns stock-farm, devoted to raising
trotting-horses, that gave employ
ment 10 some of the boys; but for
the girls there was nothing. They
got married at the first chance some
became SHRED girls" or if they had
ambitions, they fixed their hearts OH
the Buffalo Normal School, raised
turkeys, picked berries, and turned
every honest penny toward the desire
to get an education so as to become
teachers. Comparatively, this class
was small in number. Most of the
others simply followed that unde-
lined desire to get away out of the
dull, monotonous, gossiping village !;
aud 80, craving excitement, they went
away TO the cities, and the cities
swallowed them. A wise man has
said that God made the country, man
the city and the devil the small
towns.
The country supplies the city its
best and worst. We hear of the few
who succeed, but of the many who
are lost in the maelstrom we know
nothing. Sometimes in country
homes it is even forbidden to mention
certain names. "She went to the
city"-you ere told, aud there the
history abruptly stops.
And 80, to swing back to the place
of beginning, think the chief reason
many good folks are interested in the
Roycroft Shops is because here
country boys and girls are given
work at which they can not only earn
their living, but get an education
while doing il. Next to this is the
natural curiosity to know how large
and successful business can be built
up in plain, humdrum village by
simply using the talents and mate
rials that are at hand. Aud so / am
going to tell now how the Roycroft
Shop came to start; q little about
what it has done; what it is trying to
do; and what it hopes to become.
And since modesty is only egotism
turned wrong-side out, l viii make
no special endeavor to conceal the
fact that ! have had something to do
with the venture. From about 1860
to 1890 in London, Samuel and
Thomas Roycroft printed and made
very beautiful books. In choosing
the name "Roycrof." for our shop we
had these men in mind, but beyond
this the word has special signifi-
canoe, meaning Kings Craft-King's
craftsmen being term used in the
Guilds of the olden time for men
who had achieved certain high
degree of skill--men who made
things for the King. So, we like to
believe, Roycrofter is q person who
makes beautiful things, aud makes
them as we'll as he can.
In the month of December, 1894,
| printed the first "LittIe Journeys'
in booklet form, at the local print
ing-office, having become discouraged
in trying to fad a publisher. But
before offering the publications to
the public / decided to lay the mat
ter again before G.. Z. Putnam's Sons,
although they had declined the mat
term manuscript form. Mr.. George
Haven Putnam rather liked the mat
ter and was induced to issue the
periodical at venture for one year.
The scheme seemed to meet with
success, the novel form of the pub
iication being in its favor. The sub
scription reached nearly thousand
in six months; the newspapers were
kindly and the success of the plan
suggested printing pamphlet
modelled on similar lines, telling what
we thought about things in general,
and publishers and magazine editors