Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1911-11-11

was u quite general complaint. The
gold mining craze reached it's full
flower about So years ago; men,
teams and much expensive machin-
cry were assembled if not put to
work; farmers having land whose soil
showed trace of the yellow stuff
were quick to sell at good price,
and occasional renewal of operations
since that day has resulted in more
transfers of real estate. Result-a
hole or two in the ground, no gold,
and idle forest and farm land.
Lewis Fl. Spaulding, first select
man of Bridgewater, lifelong resi-
dent of the town, living on the edge
of the vacant farm region, and who
knows the people and conditions as
we'll as any one, was found working
ON the road near Briggs. He was
willing to stop and talk, and seemed
to go to the bottom of things when
he said the misrepresentation of real
estate agencies we're partly RESPONSE
BILE for much of the disappointments
OF farming operations and the dwin-
ding neighborhoods.
There ought to be information
bureaus in all towns" said First
Selectman Spaulding," from which
prospective buyers can learn of the
real condition of things and find out
Just what they are asked to buy"
Attempts to get living under i'm
possible conditions rosily painted
otherwise by shrewd agents naturally
resulted in disappointment and
suffering. and Mr.. Spaulding would
like to have some of the relentless
operators in real estate curbed to
considerable degree.
Mr. Spaulding shifted little at
the suggestion of profitable gold
mining in his section. There's good
farming land and plenty of timber,
and man can make living there
if he wants to work, he says.
| The paper companies and portable
sawmills have also contributed to the
general colin and idleness of Mr.
Johnson's neighborhood. The vast
holdings of the paper people tie up
the timber and make small opera
tions impossible. The sawmil]e,
while they glue profitable employ
ment temporarily to the neighboring
farmers, soon skin the hillsides and
move on. The farmer loses his lum-
Der job, which perhaps he has been
depending upon to add to his income.
and also goes elsewhere. 1:,
\ Mr.. johnson and his wife, who
wrote that piece for the paper and
stirrsd up the anti-abandoned farm
editors, were found with an OK team
ploughing ON the smooth hillside
near their home Mrs. johnson wear
ing rough, heavy boots and other
wise properly attired for field toll,
} drove the oxen, and in her talk with
the seekers after information showed
much cheerfulness and contentment
with her lot which has been that OF
pioneer all her life, and ability as
we'll to do mans share of farm
. work.
How did she happen to write that
piece? 1--WE want neighbors." said
Mrs. johnson "there is good farm
land, timber, water, fishing and hunt
ing. but no people. Our nearest
neighbor lives over the hill. It's
lonely, though I've been happy here.
My parents lived down below here,
where we cleared the land for our
home then we got married and came
aaid cleared this land, going in debt
when we started, and we have done
we'll and made living. We went
company we'd be the best neigh
hors in the world if people would
only come"
The lack of school privileges, was
Mrs. Johnson's prompt answer to the
question as to the reason for the
vacant farms, and as she showed it
accounted for the departure for more
than one family downward
! The Johnsons were turning over
rich, black soil with their pillow lit
was good corn land, every bit of it,
all through the region, said Mr..
johnson there is plenty of timber
not yet reached blythe steam mills.
| A good Observation-Disclosures, as the
newspaper piece says, but to the
traveller not entirely responsive to the
| Oha III, o.. tha lc,,dp alo.,,,, q IooI-.l