Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1912-05-17
FORWARD MOVEMENT MEETING.
Prominent Speakers Urged Improvement
Of Conditions and Development OF Re-
sources In Vermont

Prominent Speakers Urged Improvement
Of Conditions and Development Of Re-
sources In Vermont.
A meeting in the interests OF the
Vermont Forward movement was held
in Grange hall Monday afternoon at
O'Clock before an audience of 16 per-
sons. A more unfavorable time In the
week could not have been selected, and
besides that the weather was bad. The
speakers were Mason s. Stone, state
superintendent of education, Mayor
James B. Estee of Montpelier and Albert
e. Roberts of New York city. The speak
ers were introduced by Rev. 70. Q. s.
Osgood. Although the audience was
small the speakers did not slight their
subjects and all the addresses were filled
with bright ideas and worth while sug-
gestions toward a forward trend in the
state Each speaker talked about 30 min
utes. From here the party went by
automobile to woodstock, where an
other meeting was held that evening.
Mr. Stone dealt with local conditions
as they are related to the educational
system of the state and explained why
the town of Brattleboro should be vital
ly interested in improving conditions
that exist. Basing his arguments on the
fact that outside of Rockingham and
Brattleboro the population Of Windham
county has decreased 46 per cent since
cooperating with Brattleboro, commun-
tiles in this locality could be improved
much in their educational facilities, but
without cooperation success is doubt
full. He explained that 1t Is necessary
for teachers to be sent to the country
towns with the interests of their
charges at heart and willing and anx-
ious to work with and for the children
| of the rural communities. Explaining
| that towns like Brattleboro and Rock
| ingham get a large per cent Of their In.
| crease in population from the small
| towns, he said 1t was for the interests
| of the larger towns to cooperate with
the others and to see that the young
people received improved educational
| facilities.
Mayor Estee spoke on opportunities
that are offered by Vermont to her
young men. He said that feeling of
| unrest was spreading all over the
| country and back of this unrest Is the
desire for progress toward better living
| and improved conditions. Vermont, with
| her great granite and slate quarries and
her unlimited water power affording
| opportunities for great electric power
| projects offers her young men every
reason in the world to stay at home
Vermont has its productive farms and
| timber lands, and rightly developed
these will yield untold wealth in a few
years. A new Vermont does not mean
| changed or remodeled Vermont, but
| one that offers opportunities to her sons
and daughters to advance toward a bet
ter and higher life. He spoke of the fine
vacation resorts offered by the state
and said that while Maine was getting
| S40,000000 a summer, and New Hamp-
shire 100000 from the summer tourists
and visitors this state was getting but
100000. He finished by quoting the
words of st. Paul: KNOWING these
things happy We are that do them"
Mr.. Robertss subject was "Opportun-
tiles of country life" He began by say
ing that because farms are economically
productive in a community 1t does not
follow that the same conditions pertain
in the churches and schools A man may
be interested in his farm and neglect
these other important adjuncts to civic life
A community spirit should be set tc
work in all the small towns and then
improved conditions will come He ad-
vised against the too anxious hunt fol-
summer boarder business as he claimed
1t would tend to cause the youth OF
the small villages to get out Of the sum-
mer boarders all they have in the way
of money and to make them prey on wha
the small town people call "easy marks. ;
: With plenty of money coming in a few
months each year from the city board
ers the people of the rural communitie.
are likely to think of nothing but tina
! and neglect their more importan
! duties in life. The rural young mer
make the best men for great works. OF oul
Presidents all but one was of countr!
: birth. He said that so per cent of tn,
r business men in the large cities wer'
born and raised in the country. Witt
a civic interest aroused in all the small
5 towns a better country life will be de
s veloped and the young men and womel
of the rural communities will be NOR
s willing to remain at home to help II
\ the development of their state. He con
= cluded by saying that the rural com
i munities are the wellsprings of nation
h al character and that they should b
e fostered and encouraged to the utmost