The morning journal-courier., 1908-01-08
AN OLD HOME WEEK.

The suggestion made several months ago that the town of New Haven in dulge itself in an Old Home Week has lost most of the enthusiasm it needs to keep it alive Further consideration of the idea has steadily tended to weaken it, not from any feeling of supp pressed public spirit, but from an in- telligent doubt of it's usefulness. It sounds enthusiastic and spontaneous to prepare for such a celebration. and it naturally attracts the support of en- thusiastic people, but nevertheless in a city the size of New Haven thsre is much to be thought out before it can be successfully or even creditably un- dertaken.
 The record of Old Home Weeks shows conclusively that the larger the town celebrating the smaller the chance of success; the smaller the city the better the chance The theory of them owes it's origin to an advertising spirit They seek 10 call attention of former residents to towns existence and struggle for a livelihood in the confident hope that some one or more of it's graduates who have achieved success elsewhere may be moved 10 do something substantial for their old home. There is, too, at bottom a fleet ing spirit of local patriotism, but after all it is of the kind which advocates exemption from taxation as a charm to attract new enterprises. It has nev- CT been fully ascertalned just what the motive was in the case of Boston's old Home Week, though 1t is now univer- sally agreed that 1t was a fearful and costly bore to all concerned The ex- perience Of Meriden is still fresh in the minds of that people While its earlier moments were those of spon- taneons enjoyment the spirits rapidly declined until three days after the opening of the festival the town would have gladly given up the whole busi- ness Not only did the interest subside | but the celebration became actuallv a demoralizing influence in the commun- ity Even the Hartford scheme of of. fering out of town residents special bargains in the stores of the city failed to encourage confidence in departure from settled business principles.
 The story of old Home Week as written in many of the small towns of Connecticut and New England is Q, another character The smanness O, the town lent itself re,dily to treat. ment as a contemplated scene of his. toric celebration and local merriment The orderliness of the preparation. carried conviction with it and accept ed the local church as the pivot abou which the weeks interest turned. In { majority of instances the celebration paid a good dividend in larger loca spirit and broader local pride Tn som, instances former residents returned f, find their love for the town of thei, birth unabated which they expressed in appropriate and profitahle ways Even town as large as that of Nev Milford found that 1t could undertak, to make an old Home Week usefu and inspiriting, but even it lacked the sustained interest that was foun, in smaller centers of population, wher homogeneous influences are constant ly enforced. So that it has come to b a settled conviction that celebration of this character are productive O satisfaction only in small towns, jus as the experience of many wester, towns in exemptine new enterprise from taxation for an agreed time hs come to be looked upon as an attemp to lift ones self by the bootstraps.
 If there is anything to this more O less common understanding an 0l
 Home Week in the town of New Ha ven is something to avoid as disturb ing to business, disheartening to socia life and demoralizing to the better ma ture of the town itself We understan, and respect the motives of those wh
 would undertake such a celebration but we are sure that they can b achieved in other and more endurin
 ways. At any rate the business men O the city should be sure they are righ in the venture before they go ahead