Evening star., 1907-08-03
IN BEAUTIFUL KEENE
A City of EIms, Comfortable
Homes and Good Hotels.
QUAINT SATURDAY CUSTOM
Rummage Sale Held in the Public
Square.
VALLEY OF THE CONNECTICUT
Factories of Bellows Falls-Citizen-
ship Renowned by Hetty Green.
A Washington Colony
OF THE CONNECTICUT
BY WILLIAM T.. CURTIS.

Special Correspondence Of The tar and the Chicago
Record Herald.
CLAREMONT, N H, July % 1907
Keene is a beautiful little city; a oity of
elms and comfortable homes of good hotels
well-stocked retail stores and modern i'm
provements of every kind There are sew
eral other cities of the same sort In the
state, and people who want to come north
into these cool latitudes and object to
the isolation and monotony OF farm life on
one side and the excitement and depriva-
uons of summer hotels on the other can
nnd golden mean for the summer there
either in the hotels or by renting furnished
houses. A great many have realized the
advantages of this arrangement. Keene.
Concord, Portsmouth, Dover and several
other places l might name have quite a
large summer population. The society In
these towns is cultivated and agreeable.
There are clubs for literature, art, bridge
beneyolence and all other purposes, and
every kind of culture promoters The IN
teileetual activity Is even greater than It
1s In larger cities, and few communities
have such high standards or such thorough
1y educated people. A close observer not
long ago said that the true New England
woman baked her beans in a crock had
a rubber plant, a shopping bag, a moral
purpose and g. season ticket to the Boston
symphony concerts Those We're the true
tests OF intellectually. But 1t is actually
true that the residents of these small New
England towns are much more conversant
with the worlds affairs than the women of
larger cities where the social diversions are
more distracting.
Organization the Rule.
Organization Is the rule Cooperation
seems to be necessary Everything seems
to be done not by individuals but by asso-
Citations. Nobody goes it alone. 1 heard
the other day of pretty idea known as
"Wintergreen Club" for the purpose of
promoting the happiness and pleasure Of
old ladies. Only women OF fifty years are
eligible, and they cooperate to make the
winters OF their lives as green as possible.
You know of Edward Everett Hale's
Lend Hand Society" which has done so
much good In Boston. 1t has branches in
almost every New England town and its
purpose Is ito lend hand to anybody
and everybody who needs IT, There Is no
definite object, no limited purpose but 1t
ccomprehends all kinds OF benevolence, pub
lie AMI private.
Another novel organization is the"Take
Heed Society" which could find work to
do In every community. 1t has no officers
no dues, no constitution no bylaws ex-
cept the motto Take heed that We speak
not evil one of another" Every member
or the society Is required to pay as large
fine as she can afford whenever she vio-
lates this motto. She keeps the record
herself, and they are confidential; and she
applies the amount OF each fine to promote
the happiness of some fellow-creature VINO
Is not So well situated herself In other
words, the members of the Take Heed
Society pledge themselves to some kind
act a penalty for every uukind word
they utter concerning their neighbors
Another Nature Story.
You hear OF queer freaks down here
also. l was told the other day of man
named George Boxlry who has a dog that
barks at and bites only democrats and is
able 10 discriminate accurately concerning
the political proclivities of strangers as
Well as towns people. Mr.. Boxley is a
man os humble means and exceedingly re-
Hg1ous. He teaches a Sunday school class
and Is active in the Christian Endeayor
Society lie always goes TO church twice
on Sunday and to prayer meeting In the
middle OF the week and, at the same time.
is an enthusiastic member of the republj-
can party. His wife and his dog both share
his P-eJudices against believers in other DO
litical creeds. and by some occult indu nee
he has taught his dog to distinguish d mo-
Gratis and worry them.
Mr.. BoXley was called up before a iustica
OF the peace several years ago for keepin g
a nuisance in the form OF a vicious dog
He made the best explanation possible and
was corroborated by his wife, who de-
clared:
"Laws-a-massy, jedge! That dawg ain't
no nuisance and he amt got nothin' vicious
about him. He's jest as quiet as he kin be
and he's skeerier than any dawg l ever
see. He'll run IL ye shake stick at
him"
Then why did he attack the complain.
ing witness7' asked the justice.
Because he's a democrat" was Ms
Boxley's prompt reply. Tibet cir dawg