The Republican journal., 1911-06-15
The Belfast Improvement
Society.

The annual meeting of the Improvement So
ciety was held Monday, June 18th. at the home
of Mrs. F. w. Pote. Rev. Adolph Rossbach,
president, presided.
Following the routine business the reports
of officers were given and by vote of the So
ciety are printed herewith:
THE PRESIDENTS ADDRESS.
To the members of the Belfast Improvement
Society:
Dear Friends During the past year the So
ciety has sustained high degree of activity,
ard several projects have been completed
which shall mark this as an important year.
The first will mention is the lecture course
which we persisted in supporting even against
such an obstacle as an utterly inadequate and
uncomfortable public hall. l would urge that
this society carry on the lecture enterprise
another year, securing some building where
warmth and cleanliness can be assured. l still
feel very strongly the need in this town of an
instructive ard uplifting course of lectures,
connecting us with the great thinkers and CEN
ters of thought of our time. The results are
not to be measured alone by our degree of
personal enjoyment but also in the standard
that will be set in our demands upon our own
public speakers and ministers, the general
civic enlightenment, and the providing food
for thought and conversation that will help
to deliver US from provinciallsm and person
alities.
The society has also brought professor of
the University of Maine to speak to our citi-
zens on "The Planting and Cultivation of
Trees for city improvement. The society
bore the expenses of this lecture and pre-
sented it free to the public.
We are very glad to record that through the
suggestion and effort and generous subscrip-
ton of one of our members, DR.. Elmer Small,
the property known as the Fred Baker home
stead, adjoining the Muck, and lying in the
angle of Lincolnvile avenue and Miller street,
has been purchased at a cost of $3.50. DR..
Small personally subscribed $50 toward this
sum, and the rest was paid out of the treasury
of the society. A committee is now at work
to secure other adjacent property so that
triangle surrounding the city property can be
made into pleasant park.
I The pond promises to make most attrac-
tive skating-rink in winter Being easy of ac-
cess to the city water-tank, it can be kept
flooded throughout the winter. securing good
skating all the time. The Baker house, with
but small outlay, could be converted into pa
vlion to accommodate the public.
feel that the thanks of this society are due
to Messrs. John Dunton, E. R. Pierce, Mrs
Brackett, Mrs. Pitcher, Miss Field and others
for giving so literally of their time and energy
toward the accomplishment of the lecture
course; also to DIR. Elmer Small for his per-
sonal work and generous gift of $50 in all,
which includes a pledge of $40, toward the
acquisition of land adjoining Kirby Lake.
/ The society has expended money this spring
upon our public park. The stairway leading
down from the pavilion to the shore has been
renewed, seats repaired and the beds of shrub
berry pruned and cultivated by competent
hands. Two new beds of peonies have been
planted.
The regular meetings have been held
throughout the year and the interest is sus-
tanned. ADOLPH RossBACH.