Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1910-12-31
vERk1CllNT NEEDS
ORGANIZATION
Publicity Plan Suggested by
a New Jersey Vermonter--
Railroads and the Politi-
: clans Are Criticised.

The following article was written
by John G. Dana, librarian Of the
Free Public library of Newark, N. j.,
for the New England Homestead.
Has ( ,tgspughlv interested in more
progressive Vermont, and his criti-
cisms come frops. observation and
from experience with prevailing con
ditions in tkis state. He is something
of an agriculturist, too, and his quiet
acres in Woodstock are fruitful JOY
to himself and pleasure and inspira-
ton to his friends.
Vermont has population of 343,-
i1t0ss IA This group of people is organ
Tr4Sssfor two purposes only by the
railroads, thss they may give the
poorest service possible at the great
est cot,; and by the politicians, that
they hold all the Offices under
stand that neither the railways nor
the politicians do now, or ever have,
acquired much in the way of graft
from the state. 1t is not there to be
acquired.
The newspapers of the state, con-
siderinR its small population, seem
to me remarkably good and they
are probably abeut as influential as
are other newspapers.
ORGANIZATION NEEDED.
/ What the state needs is something
the railroads, politicians and newspa-
pers have not given them. 1t needs.
il effect, what you talked about in
your blast-it needs organization and
guidance along certain definite lines.
The railways ought to do this, be-
cause if the state were led to develop
its land to better purpose by new
farming methods. and to increase it's
quarry output and TO attract more
summer residents, the railways would
be the first to profit. But railways
in the East have not the sense, as
have some Of the railways in the
| West, to do a thing like this. Not
yet.
| The politicians, through the state
government. ought to organize and
awaken aud guide the state. They
| will not. chiefly because they art
utterly incapable of so doing. They
are more concerned to hold office fol
few months, than to do something
for the state they are supposed tc
serve. That they will not organize
and improve the state is shown by
the fact that in the past so years they
h I've not-and that they cannot is
shown by the same fact!
The newspapers, of course, form
an educational and energizing force
in community, but not an organ
ized one and probably in no com
munity in the country will any grouI
of newspapers definitely and system
a,ically organize that community fo
greater social effort.
VERMONT AN EMPIRE.
II Here wa are, then, with a littl
empire, rich in resources, easily capa
+ hle of being made richer still, attrac
tive To summer visitors and to tn
9eniiemau farmer, and by judicion
! advertising and improvements Of rail
i'vays aud highways easily mad
vastly more attractive still AT pres
ent II lies supine.
Even with my slight knowledge G
such matters | believe l can see no,
easily this little empire could h
galvanized Into active, productiy
life by one man alone, if he wer
Supplied With the sinews of wa
Also. il twould seem that the work {
I avakaning Vermont, making it
~ moE productive, attractiveand MOI
! populated state, could be made
pay in the long run, good return
= for the persons who do the awaker
d ing.
WHAT VERMONT HAS TO ADvERTIs
Let some one person lie constitute
9 state organizer, without any It'll
n without any Office and without ii
7, knowledge Of any save very few
> the inner circle. Let this perso
>. open an Office. preferably not in Il
q larger cities but in quiet plat
70 somewhat like Woodstock. At th
office let him begin to gather
Vermont library and Vermont cal
q index rhe library would incluC
of things Of recent date pertaining
| tbss ypas,urnes of Vsrmxynt in AL linz