Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1911-07-05

SlgnlheS passing by a narrow margin
and to the man in business it means
barely keeping solvent. "Get by
spells mediocrity at the best, with
failure always imminent. In this
season of baccalaureates it would be
we'll to emphasize to the young people
some higher aim than simply ''getting
by. "-Brattleboro Phoenix.
The Virtue of Enthusiasm.
President Taft has said:
1.-THE man who does not hope for
better things and does not believe
that better things can be brought
about is not the man likely to bring
better things about. The spirit of
hypercriticism and the uncompromis-
ing attitude which will not accept
some progress is better than none,
the insistence upon the full realiza-
ton of the highest ideals and the re-
lection of any compromises which &C
complish good are all likely to retard
progress. Constant criticism and con-
slant pessimism are productive of
paralysis and stagnation. No one
who wishes to do anything and bring
about real reform should allow him
self to read from day to day editorials
and other printed articles, the tone Of
which is pessimistic and hypercriti-
cal, for nothing will so take out of
him the enthusiasm necessary to sue.
cessful effort as the reading of such
matter"
Probably there is no single quality
that is needed more in Montpelier and
in Vermont than enthusiasm. It is
the quality which almost always pro.
duces success. If a private business
is to be developed. if a town or a
state is to be built up, there must be a
belief In the merits Of the project, a
spirit of hopefulness, of optimism.
that will carry one up the steep
grades and over the hard places, con
hdent OF victory in the end.
Enthusiasm may be overdone at
times. and may lead to absurdities and
to lndlscretions. but it is better a
thousand fold than pessimism and
slothfulness and encouragement. The
world is not in need of more cynics.
It has an over production Of that class
now, and cynicS never build I'D anv.
where but tear down. The world
needs men who believe in their own
cities and who have confidence in the
future.
Some pessimistic figures have beer
printed regarding Vermont. In so fal
as they are true that ought not tt
cause either anger or disbursement
There is no sense in being angry
at truth that we ought tt
know, and dis courag m ent il
Improbable for state that contain
the wealth of uadeveloped resource
possessed by Vermont. If we can ge
our people thoroughly enthused, tn
future of the state will take care o
itself. In this little state we have tn
finest deposits of marble and grant
In the world. Very few states in tn
union exceed us in our possibilities o
water power development. We SUI
pass most of the great agriculture
states of the west in the yield O
staple crops per acre and AS yet W
haven't half tried to get all that j
possible out of Vermont's fertile sol
Nature equipped this state with a
the requisites for growing the bes
best markets close at hand. In a
Gods out-of-doors there is no fine
vacation country than the Gree
Mountain state. In view of thes
possibilities there is no reason fl
sitting down in despair. Vernon
needs confidence in herself and in he
people, an enthusiasm which is detel
mined to overcome obstacles and pu
the state in its proper place.
We need to have a gospel of Al
thusiasm, the story of Vermont
possibilities, preached in every tow
in the state. When that is done W
will keep more of our young men
e
tunes to be made here if the sam