News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1905-08-09
BEAU17IFYING TOWNS
MEASURE OF SUCCESS ATTAINED AT
BIRMINGHAM, MASS.

Value of Lessons to BE Learned
From an Improvement Associations
WorI--Pract1cnI Fruit of IL Lecture.
What Can BE Done with the Press.
In any community striving toward
"the town beautiful" and the general
field of civic betterment nothing is
more stimulating than to hear of the
ideals that obtain elsewhere and the
measure of success attained. For per-
haps fifteen years past the fine old
town of birmingham, Mass, has had
its village Improvement association,
moving along with varying degrees
of enthusiasm, but hardly strenuous
enough to make any serious impress on
the village life. Less than a year ago
some of the more jealous souls met
and resolved to organize under the
laws of the commonwealth and begin
really to do things. With legal au-
thority to hold real estate and with
distinctly avowed purposes the Franz
luSIldlu llIIpI ONCl4lShl doOOSldl4Ol DS-
gan its active career.
One of it's first acts was to engage
the services of Henry Turner Bailey
to deliver an illustrated lecture in the
town hall, and for this lecture several
local slides were provided, picturing
scenes that were an otfense to the
town and many that were as notice
ably to it's credit. 1t goes without say
ing that Mr.. Bailey's effort was a de-
cided success. Before s o'clock on
the morning following the lecture men
were at work removing the objection
able features that the stereopticon had
so eloQuently presented, and twice the
space given by this brief paper might
be filed with accounts of the actual,
practical fruit shaken from that one
lecture tree.
The birmingham association is for,
tunate in having an admirable board
of officers, headed by an enthusiast of
high ideals. Probably no other man in
that town could or would give more
earnest, intelligent care to the inter
ests of the association and its objects
than does it's president, DR.. Frank
Wallace Patch. The committees are
as follows:
Finance, public grounds and streets,
editorial, membership and railroads.
These committees are carefully select
ed and are actively at work. Natural
ly the most noticeable work has been
that of the editorial committee, because
that is in evidence in the local press
week after week Right here is a sug-
gestion of value to every Improvement
society in the land.
Publicity, keeping everlastingly at
it," not fitfully, but persistently, will
accomplish wonders. Put those with
a gift for presenting things forcefully
and yet judiciously on the editorial
committee-those who will not be east
ly swerved by other interests into put
ting aside the claims of the village i'm
provement work. Let them win the
cooperation of the local press and then
make the most of it. Hit hard, but
hit with tact. Remember Emerson's
COUNSEL
Mask thy wisdom with delight;
Toy with the bow, but hit the white!
There are three local papers at
Framingham. There are three men,
bers of the editorial committee of the
improvement association. Each mem
Der writes for one of these papers.
The chairman of the committee has
conducted regular department in the
birmingham Tribune, to which he has
contributed about two columns week
ly. Nothing will perhaps better show
what may be done through the local
press, handled in this way, than to
quote from the report Of this COM
mittee at the annual meeting:
"Now, the editorial com Hlittee feels
like claiming just a small part of the
credit for several steps in the march
Of progress. For example, we we're
accused of being eloquent in petition
ing for the restoration of the beautiful
Wren spiro' of the Baptist church
injured by lightning, and the work
was done. So. too, our plea for more
artistic treatment of the church 1nte-
rtor was perhaps not essential, but the
work was done. We frankly criticised
the disconsolate appearance of the
sheds at the Unitarian church, and the
is already in progress.
We called attention with some persist
ency to the condition of the grounds
by the electric car stables, and there
has been an effort toward reform. A
few rather urgent illusions to the con-
dition of the space in front of our high
school, and already pleasing prom
lse of lawn has supplanted the former
stretch of gravel and sand. And so
we might so on, but enough is often
more digestible than feast"
The birmingham association has pre-
pared leatlet concisely stating it's pur-
poses. This has met with wide APP
prevail, and whoever is interested in
furthering the cause can obtain a copy
by writing to the chairman of the ed
itorial committee, Frederic A. Whit
ing, birmingham, Mass.