Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-04-09

tuition fees. There is free public library
and village club in handsome new con-
crete building. The telephone service is
free to everybody who belongs on corpo-
ration land, and nominal rates for COM
munication outside of the colony.
5. me hotel, the newspaper the stores,
restaurant and other conventional con-
Iveniences are provided by private CAPT.
tai, and the Fair Hope Improvement Com
pany, whose shares are all held in the
colony. is the largest stakeholder in most
OF the enterprises. The corporation owns
/; 4 wharf. at which any one can land, and
mas made excellent roads at its own eX
pense. 1t has also provided a beautiful
park of four. acres shaded by venerable
oaks draped with hanging moss. mag
nolias and long-needle pines. where the
villagers have picnics during pleasant
weather. and enjoy one of the loveliest
views that can be found along the gulf
coast
The income of the corporation averages
expenses are paid. l am told that the
ofhclals. that is, the managers of the
colony, receive no salaries but contribute
their services, and make their living in
other ways.
The Corporation.
| The Fair Hope improvement Company
owns the steamer Fair Hope, the fastest
boat on Mobile bay. which makes round
trip daily, leaving Fair Hope at o'clock
in the morning, reaching Mobile at TO- and
starts on it's return trip at 2:3O pm. 1t
has monopoly of the traffic. brings over
large quantities of garden truck. fruit.
dairy products and other provisions. and
carries back groceries. furniture and all
kinds of supplies. While there are general
stores at Fair Hope. the villagers are not
required to patronize them They can do
their trading in Mobile If they like, but
the steamship company expects fee for
iS a tn no
profitable investment There is sawmill.
also private enterprise. which cuts about
10000 feet Of lumber a. day. which is
nearly all consumed in the village.
| sanitarium with electric apparatus
and various kinds Of baths. which 1t is
hoped will attract invalids from the
north. Is about to be opened. The largest
number Of the people, however. are en-
fruit. The land is similar to that I have
described in previous letters-the typical
'cut-over'' pine forests of the gulf coast
from which the stumps have been re-
which is excellent for vegetables and
fruit. but requires good deal of fertiliz-
ing to hasten their growth.
Comfortable Living Cheap.
Every house in the village is surrounded
by fruit trees and vegetable gardens, and
most of them produce enough for family
use. The bay abounds in fish which are
as free as the air. and chickens and eggs
are produced in the back yards Thus it
does not cost much to live comfortably at
| Fair Hope. and a ma jority of the VIII
layers have small incomes. which pro-
vide them with the luxuries of life. with
and the additional table supplies neces-
| sary. There is no extravaganza. or love
| of display. or rivalry in dress or other
| vanities. but those who have the energy
ayn6 f1,n
money by raising garden truck.
| James Ballangee. one OF the pioneer
single-taxers. produces several thousand
dollars worth of lettuce. beets, radishes.
okra. peppers. cantaloupes and other gar
den truck. which he ships to the Mobile
market by boat every morning. Clement
L. Coleman. formerly of st. Paul, has a
| from which he makes good living.
Other residents are equally fortunate.
Fair Hope gardens furnish a cargo for
the little steamer every morning, and
| much of the truck is shipped to the
northern markets. Last year nearly ?.OOn
barrels of potatoes and 1.S0O barreA, of
| beans were shipped north, besides quanti-
ties of fruit OF every sort Mr.. Coleman
trees in full bearing. and ships barrels
of the fruit to New York. Philadelphia.
Chicago and other markets where it is
known. and people are willing to pay
| chard of kunlquats. pecan grove, and
claims to have an example of every plant
that will grow in this latitude. from which
he sells large quantities of flowers to the
florists. Few men, however, have the
| genius to manage a nursery similar to
that of Mr.. Coleman's and his neighbors
do better with ordinary crops. The most
profitable farming is early potatoes and
vegetables.
Twenty Acres Enough.
The average farm is limited to about
thirty acres; the majority are Of less area:
| Twenty acres is considered sufficient land
for a good living and the only tax that
the tenant has to pay is So cents or SO
an acre to the corporation
There is Christian Church. the only
one in the community. although almost
every creed known to theologians is rep
resented among the population-Presby-
terians Methodists. Episcopalians, Bap-
| fists, Swedenborgians. Christian Scien-
| lists. Quakers, Cnitarians Universalists
| and almost every other denomination, In
| Guiding two Roman Catholics.
The social life is quite animated. There
| are all kinds of clubs and musical organ
izations for education and amusement.
and the people keep in close touch with
the progress of thought and action i'm the
| outer world.