Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1905-11-22

| TO feel an interest in and responsibility
for every detail Of the common life One
OF the master workmen Of Rose Valley
made for pure love Of It two carved
gatepos;s for the entrance TO the shops
lie took two massive logs and carved the
end Of each Into bear and set them
whore the lane leafs III the main road.
They were one of the joys and prides OF
the village. But one morn lg the people
awokr to ind the bears gone; sawed or
the logs by vandals The whole COM
munity was stirred 10 indignation by this
ruthless theft. A vigorous search WAS
inStigate,l aud the bears were finally To-
, cated Swaithmore college is Just over
! the hill from Rose Valley. Some rutiians
| OF the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity had
I stolen The bears and had them In their
! onhroems. where they were found by
/ the constable. The bears came back, but
! not To their posts; they are now tn the
4 Guild Hall as monuments TO the refining
1 Influences Of college fraternlties
BUT the negative phase Of the Rose Val
/ ley spirit which WIS expressed IN protest
/ at this vulgar outrage ends its contrast
1 aud verfeatIon IN the enthusiasm over
! the Guild Hall. which Is but another OF
/ the old stone mills converted by archi-
/ tecturai magic aud cOnsecratcd labor Into
! most beautiful common house. Here the
4 Villagers meet one another without the
/ restraint Incident to assemblies at private
( homes: here the monthly folk mote" or
town-meeting for discussions Of matters
! OF common local interest Is held; here
/ are given lectures. plays, concerts and
( dancing parties, aud here are celebrated
I the annual festivals In which the whole
+ village men, women and children par
TAKE 20 the present number Of nearly 100.
4 The Guild Hail Is communal possession.
IL was remadeled. finished, decorated and
furnished wholly by love labor. Almost
every mais In Rose Valley did some &C
} tuAl work upou It Just for the Joy o. II.
The communal Christmas tree last Nule-
I tide. The frst since the hall was finished.
was like a holiday frolic and n dedica-
flon Of the beautiful common house.
But the great social event ut Rose Val
ley Is the New Years festival on the
alst OF last Decei iher the Guild Hall was
the scene of this annual community ceie-
bratlun All the village and dozen visi-
fors We're preseT E. At about 4:3O, when
the company had assembled, the Christ
mas tree candles were lighted. The illumi-
mated tree, WIZ the blazing logs In the
big Fireplace. llelped the holiday cheer
The children Of the local kindergarten sang
songs about lhs tree Every family had
sent presents to- the hail for the children,
which were distributed to the happy
Youngsters by Alice Barber stephens. At
o'clock the company sat down to tbs
community supper, after which the tables
were cleared, the chairs rearranged ana
concert given upon the stage, followed by
a one act pias enacted by Rose valley ae-
tors The oil year was watched OUT BY
those who stepped to conclude the festiyi'
ties with ia nee.
Although tflented visitors TO Rose Val
ley never fail 10 make their contribution
to Guild He'll functions, yet there Is so
much taenr musical. dramatic and Ut
! erary-of exceptional quality among the
residents themselves that they seldom can
jmport anything better than that they al
/ ready have The children of the Valley
are growing up 10 know and appreciate
the very best things In art, music and 1T
erature for they see and hear nothing
else
when one eontemplates the life at Rose
Valley he finds himself wondering why
All people do not live this way any
rate ali who can II brings sense OF
Infinite relief to get awey fror' the dys-
paptfc conditions Of town houses, crowded
with tndigestihle goods, Into n place where
every decoration Is made With coherent
purpose aud not designed merely to hide
something or fill gap. There Is no dif-
ference III essence between art and life;
one is simply the expression OF the other.
An the COMMISSIONS and Misunderstanding
about art come from cutting art or from
iift and regarding 1t as n thing apart.
In Rose Valley art is life; and whatever
of life is there consequently takes on
naturally and unconseiously the art ex-
preston The children express art ideas
and principles in their play
II may be asked, in these days OF so
cial revolution, what pose Valley IL doing
for the crowd. The answer is that Rose
Valley is. not trying TO do anything for
the crowd. II must be judgec by the
thing t is aiming at, and II aims only to
enrich Hfe In one spot. Yet such com
munity may unconsciousy shadow forth
in modified sense the type Of the com
ing Industrial civilization. IL may dlsin-
tegrate eventually, and utterly fail. and
yet be prophetic
For the richer the general life at Rose
valley may be the richer the individual
life which partakes Of II must be. IL 10
the idea Of the individual HE poured into
the common herd and receiving back the
infinite riches which mere selfish lndi-
viduai striving never can obtain There
Is here 10 imposed communism. But those
who have come 70 Rose Wiley have al
ready done certain things In common
and found peace end Joy therein; and
| they win co operate more and more In
certain general directions as time goes
on and the advantages OF effort so direct
ed are realized.
why should not comprehensive circle
OF shops gather here, do work all OF them
OF the same high standard, enjoy and
dignity the Rose Valley seal In common,
live Ike human beings with room to move
round 10 and decent air TO breathe sus-
tain necessary trade relations With the
conventional world. DO certain things In
common for adding TO the graces and
reducing the angles OF domestic economy,
and 50, lu It's own way unpretentiousiy.
with 90 exalted notions Of its own So
nifcunce make a demonstration OF prf-
waite faithT'' asks Horace Traubel. Which.
so to speak. Is all that Rose Valley start
ed out to do.
Anyhow in the four years which have
elapsed since VIII Price aud HRwley Ne
Lsnanan came into Rose Valley at least
the dream they dreamed that April morn
Ing has come true; they have the society
they longed for and they do not have 10