Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-03-20
LUDL0W'S GOODLUCK
Millions In Store For a Massa.
 chuSetts Town.
DAZZLING FUTURE BEFORE IT
Magnificent Windfalls Planned by Charles D. Rood For His Native vil-
 iage-The Worthy Poor to Be Aided. Money For Absteminous Young Men.

Money For Absteminous Young Men.
 The little town of Ludlow, not far from Springfield, Mass, has a dazzling future before it. After awhile $10000 is going to be distributed to certain of its citizens.
 After another while S317,26S will be passed around, and finally, after third chance to get it's breath, $1o, 193, 195 will be bestowed on the Lud- low folks.
 1t is stupendous. There is only one trouble. It's going to be an uncom- monly long time between chances to quaff this golden flood. Ludlow, in fact, is keeping quite calm.
 According to the Village, Charles D. Rood is the man who has planned these magnificent windfalls for his native village. He was born in Lud- low sixty-six years ago and still has summer home there. But at an early age he left the place, went out into the world and proceeded to make gobs of money. He decided to give four gobs to Ludlow.
 The first one, amounting to $1000, will be placed at interest until the next centennial of Ludlow's settlement and then be distributed among the worthy poor of the town, especially in the cen ter district. Certain sums to be given to every young man who has abstained from the use of intoxicating liquors and tobacco until his twenty first birth day are excepted.
 Another $L000 will be placed at in- terest and used in the secSnd centen- nal in the same manner.
 A third $1.000 will be placed at in- tercst and used in the third coming centennial under similar conditions.
 Of the fourth $l,000 the interest is to be used perpetually and annually for prizes for the best pupils in the differ ent schools. .
 These gifts may look comparatively small on their face, but when figured out in their ultimate proportions they loom large. The next centennial of the town will como sixty-six years from next June. The first $1.000, in- vested at 3la per cent interest, com pounded semiannually, as is the cus- tom with savings banks, will amount to S9,S15 on the next centennial day.
 As Ludlow has but 3,SS1 inhabitants, according 10 the census of 1905, and the total number of registered voters last year was less than 300, this sum will provide adequately for the ab- stemious young men and the worthy poor unless tae town grows more rap idly than 1t has grown in the last 134 years.
 The second S1,0O0, invested under similar conditions, will yield $317 ,26S at the following centennial, 166 years from now. With the knowledge of this fund. which doubtless will be widespread ut that time, the number of nondrinking and nonsmoling young men in town ought to be large enough to give Ludlow a worldwide reputa- tion for the conduct of it's youth.
 But the grand prize is still century off. The third S1,000, invested at 3h per cent, will. in June of the year 217I, when the time comes for it's distribu- tion, amount to the stupendous sum of S10,193, ,l95. increasing more than ten thousandfold from the original sum. The number of virtuous young men and worthy poor that can be provided for with this great fund would be enough to make a respectfully sized city.
 More than this, the towns bene- factor has provided for perpetual and annual prizes for the best pupils in the public schools, annual relief for the poor of the town, independently of the distributions of the large funds, an nual assistance in the support. main- tenance and repair of the First Con- gregational church of Ludlow and the payment of the pastors salary.
 There will be also annual dlstribu- tions of Bibles to baptized children who have reached the age of seven years and money prizes for Sunday school pupils who have had q perfect record of attendance for a year.