Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-04-02
..TUE RAILWAY BEAUTIFUL" FOR
VERMONT.


one of the noteworthy articles in the
April number of the Century Magazine
;e entitled 1.-The Railway Beautiful.
It deals with a subject which as Net
has attracted comparatively little at
tention in Vermont but which must
speedily be taken into serious consid-
Grafton by our railways as we'll as ny
our people themselves, If the Green
Mountain state is to become formid-
able in the competition between New
England states for tourist travel and
summer residents.
The article in question is generously
illustrated with views of railway sta
lions which have been rendered attrac-
tive In and of themselves as well, as
nv means OF their surroundings. The
list includes handsome railroad sta
lions at Chestnut HILL Auburndale.
Wellesley Farms and Newton High
road; at Montserrat and West Manches-
ter on the Boston & Maine line. Scars
dale station on the Harlem division of
the New York Central railway and
other beauty spots on lines outside Of
New England. The subject matter
deals largely with the movement TO
make railroad stations and their sur
roundings neat and attractive no mat
ter how inexpensive the structure
may be, although attention is also de-
voted to the identifying Of railway
lines in every possible way This move
ment received its greatest impetus
many years ago from tho concerted eff
forts of the late II. H. Richardson,
the architect of the Billings library at
the University OF Vermont and other
famous structures, and the great land
scape artist, the late Frederick
Law Olmsted, who co-operated and set
an example OF station structures and
improvement which has been widely
followed by railroads In many parts Of
the country.
This does not mean that an i'm
n,ense sum must be spent at every
point along the limo and elaborate
structures erected everywhere for sta
ton purposes. What Vermont trav-
eller has not admired the attractive
appearance OF the station at Shell
burne, and contrasted its beauty with
the repulsive conditions existing at
most other points on the Rutland road ?
The original cost of the shelburne sta
ton was not large, but It is the care
which 1t receives that counts.
Moreover II is not to be expected
that vermonts single track lines rum
ming through sparscly inhabited sec
lions as a rule could afford to devote
the sums to this work that are ex-
pended by railways dotted with large
commercial centers and Industrial
towns of considerable size. 1t does
not follow, however. that this matter
should be wholly neglected by our
Vermont railroads, to their own detri-
ment as we'll as Of that of their pa
irons. Some slight attempt should be
made to render stations attractive, a,
least 1t would be possible to greatly
improve conditions generally prevail
ing at most stations without large
outlay
The author shows that great rail.
ways as rule very naturally lay
stress on the attractivenoss of the
scenery along their lines; they spend
enormous sums In the production OF
circulation of literature to draw atten
tion to the attractions their routes af,
FORD and yet entirely overlook or ignore
the fact that few things make more
unfavorable impression on tourists
tina gimpses OF tumble down way
stations and barn-like. grimy and for
bidding station structures at the prin'
cipal stations.
The writer emphasizes the fact that
where railway passes through a
town, the community usually presents
its least attractive aspect The noise
smoke, dust and cinders render proper
ty bordering on the railway line UNI
desirable for residence purposes; end