The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-07-15

entlfe population.
AS in every New England village,
there are in Bennington scores of
those aged philosophers who make
epigrams to be envied on men and
events. With quaint humor or deli
cate cynicism these old stoics enter
tain many a grocery store audience
or interiect quietly humorous re-
mark into many heated argument,
to be repeated with mirth through
out the village.
Though possessing the necessary
territory for expansion, Bennington
can never, in the natural course of
events, hope to become a city of the
larger magnitude. Yet the glory of
the inconspicuous can be Benning-
toms. 1t is to the little village that
the returning hero takes his way
triumphant. 1t is to the village that
the one defeated in the city's strug-
gle takes his course to re-enter in
quiet the CHEEKY routine of his ma
tive place. The returning Congress
man banquets in the metropolis, but
adjusts. with disquietude, his sweat
ed collar when he greets the son Of
the soil God keep Bennington a
village,
In locality surrounded by beauti-
full drives, amid scenery elsewhere
unequaled by Nature, many lovers of
the beautiful but transformations
find their summer biding place.
These unusually modest summer
residents withdraw from the activi-
ties Of even this New England vii
lage to the outskirts and there build
their transient abodes; or take up
their residence on the historic
heights of Holy Hill Despite this
aloolness it is admitted that the run
abouts Of the younger generation add
an uncertain zest to the LATEST of
summer days. Summer folk have
never been regarded with disfayor
and their presence adds materially
| to the summer volume of trade. Al
together the summer residents, gain
ing constantly in number, have
never found a change in the easy
New England hospitality Of their
first greeting.
The eyerpresent protestant IN the
middle of all this drones his constant
monotone: Your streets are rot
ten You have no municiple build
! ing Your officials are honest but
not up-to-date The administration
lacks modern effectiveness The
/ hotels are bum The trains run into
I your town backwards :" and so on to
infnity. Such a man usually has
| time to see all these things, which
aren't so anyhow. He isn't work
ing Just now"
The citizen who knocks" Ben
nington to strangers or advertises it's
few faults when in another town, does
incalculabls harm to the village
which we III love. He who protests,
but does not seek to remedy is of no
civic value to a community. The
mere Pathfinder has ever been a
pest in an lands and generations.
We are not immune. But when a
man is found with protesting index
finger pointirg out municiple short
comings, discover some way of max
ing known to him, the disfavor in
which such remarks are held. The
man who sits smoking in a drug
store window and makes caustic cpl
grams at the expense of the village
street cleaning department, generally
fails to attend the meetings when
elected TO the village board Of trus-
tees.
One Of the most glaring needs OF
present day Bennington is Board OF
Trade. There is, needless to say, a
spirit OF cooperation among the
business men of the community, a
spirit which should have crystallized
into some more evident form aeous
ago. There is, however, a continued
lack of such an institution. That
such condition Of affairs should ex-
list is wholly ipexplicable and not TO
be justified. The trade interests of
Bennington. the well-being of every
citizen OF Bennington, make such a
board necessary Must Bennington
go on losing industries, allowing
factories seeking locations to pass
her by Must her resources and
possibilities forever remain unadver
tised. with water power In the hills
behind her sufficient 10 generate
electricity to light all Vermont? Are
We to laugh at effort, sneer at enter
prise
An orator, waxing grandiloQuent
has spoken Of Vermont as "tht
quaint little emerald In the diaden
OF the Union" That Bennington
should be the brightest CLEAN from
this gem, Is the wish OF all the citi
zens, and OF those who are far from
her gates And to the one who IA,
felt her sway. whether he be II
foreign lands or in the exile OF IN,
West comes the reminder that:
THE lilacs are in bloom
In Bennington,
Heavy laden with perfume
In Bennington,
The birds are sweetly singing
, On branches gently swinging
And the summers Just beginning