The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-03-05
An Experts Opinion as to Conditions
In New Hampshire and Vermont

who should De leaders IN rural new
England, to better certain conditions
that are nothing less than deplorable.
True state pride is not shown, as
regards such matters, by silence and
a shutting Of the eyes; rather it will
take the form Of fearless struggle
In the open with a situation which II
not met and overcome will eventually
make all state pride impossible. To
the real lovers, therefore, of these rur-
al commemorative, the real believers
in their splendid possibilities, the
words here quoted, should prove a
veritable call to action; they should
stimulate and strengthen rather than
discourage and depress.
Some of the conditions referred to
were more noticeable in one state
than in the other, but the most of
them, in varying degrees, are common
to both states, and detailed compari-
sons would be unjust Among those
of general nature the following were
| noted:
An extreme shrinkage in the size
| OF families of native stock.
Parental neglect of children
Precocious sex immortality.
An absence of adequate means OF
| gratifying the social and recreative
needs of young people.
| A decline of standards and loss Of
higher interests.
AS regards the relation. between the
churches and their communities, the
following conditions were observed:
The absence of positive, militant,
church spirit on questions like drink
ing and sexual immortality. One pas
tor says THE reason for the unrecep-
tiveness of the young people up here
is not in the young people themselves
but in the spirit of the churches.
There is a lack of emotional vitality
in the ristianity-absence of reviv-
al Observation-Disclosures very conser.
vatiye. bound by precedent, lacking
vitality. The church runs too much
to women, and this alieIates both
boys and girls"
There is a stubborn indlvidualism
on the part of the old pillars" tnat
Is breaking the hearts of the earnest
pastors. Often the pillars" frown on
the idea that the church has a social
mission.
The people put business, pleasure,
and everything else ahead OF spiritual
things. In one county only one out
Of fourteen is church member. The
young people are not reached by the
church. The preacher may get a per.
sonal hold on them, but he cannot
awaken a religious life in them. The
ministers despair of the future for no
one takes the place of the members
who die.
The causes of these dangerous con.
ditions, with remedies suggested by
his practical experience, are set forth
by Professor Ross In teh following
letter OF summary
my impressions from the more
backward parts of Vermont and New
Hampshire all confirm and corrobor,
ate one another. For from fifty Ia
seventy years the energetic persons
who naturally are the generators and
up-holders of high standards have
been going out from these rural com
munities and enriching other com
munities in other parts of the coun
| ny hOlt anu luOIt lut
has come to be composed Of cults, and
these lack the initiative to improve
their farming or introduce new indus
tries which may be well adapted tc
the locality. Each generation Of
young people grows up with the feel
ing that the town is dead" and that
anyone who has ginger in him will
get out. Thus stagnation breeds
more stagnation and the exodus Is
accelerated. The economic conse
quence of the community being con
tinually "fished out" is unthrift, per
sistence in SLACK, Anticipated meth
DDS. and poor ways Of living resulting
in poverty and hopelessness. The
religious consequences are failure tC
support the church and deafness tC
all spiritual appeal. The moral con
sequences are low standards of lie
and conduct stinginess. furtiveness
hypocrisy, lack of public spirit, pre-
cocious sexuality, unfaithfulness e
the marriage VOWS, and taste fol
crude pleasures.
There are two remedies, one su
perfcial, the other fundamental. Th'
one perceives that the trouble will
= these depleted communities is lack o
the leadership toward better things
enjoyed in all normal communities
and proposes TO ill this need in I
measure by putting IN qualified lead
TT from outside and setting him L
discover and train up such materia
for leadership as is found among thu
rising generation. This policy is ra
tional and helpful, but II leaves tn,
community dependent for It's highe
, life on the continual injection o
, stimuli from outside.
THE more fundamental policy is 4
keep the natural leaders OF each gen
! Grafton in the community by show
Ing them how they can prosper a
. we'll by staying as by departing. Thi
calls for outside aid In showing tn,
4 community the path toward economi
Z betterment, in teaching them NOR
, scientific methods OF farming, or mar
i keting, In making them acquaIntel
g with new crops or in fostering tn
, development OF new local industries
The resulting economic regeneration
Will automatically cause the bette
n element among the young people I,
remain In the community and the,
In time will impose upon their fel
lows higher sanitary. moral, and re
ligious standards.
\ Really, both lines OF endeavo
! ought to be followed The state 60,
I eminent ought to send into the decay
! ing communities economic misslonaI
! les to demonstrate the prohtablenes
4 OF scientific farming, or apple growin
; or raising small fruits, or cooperative
| marketing, or scientific forestry. OF
I the other hand, philanthropy ought 4
\ put in men to discover and foster sucl
{ leadership material as there is anon