The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1912-08-28

Some Suggestions Relative
To Practical Development
In Your Own Town or City.
Villages, towns and cities
are very much like individuals.
They have their own individ-
ual characteristics nd their
habits are as hard to change as
those of the individual himself.
Many towns are characterized
by energy, aggressiveness and
live-wire development while
many more are conspicuous for
the lack of these conditions.
How To Start.
If your town is included
among those in the latter cate.
CORY, why not get few of Your
friends Interested with you and
organize town boosting or inn
provement club. A few good
men gathered together to fl
nance the movement can inter
eat others until the best men in
your community have Joined
with you for the mutual devel-
opment and Improvement of
of our own town and its envi-
ronment. Meet at once a,month,
if possible. or oftener, and dis.
cuss openly and freely all mat
ters of civic interest. You
ought to start some definite
progress for making your town
or township the best in the
country from n living stand
point. Take up the matter of
schools, an d improve roads.
How about local library build
ing. Every village of two hum
dred people or more ought to
have n public library of its
own. Get your own citizens
interested in Improving their
homo grounds and in painting
up their property. Talk over
the matter of q park If you
haven't one, or if you need an
other for the accommodation
and recreation of your people.
Get the school children inter
ested in these matters. If the
business men will secure n suit
able site for the park it ought
to be easy to get the school
children interested in the de-
velopment of it. A water sys-
tenn is a necessity in any well
regulated town, and with it
goes public drinking fountains
for man and beast, and orna-
mental fountains for parks and
private use.
You want to get settlers from
other sections and the way to
get them is to make your sec
ton so attractive that they
will be glad to locate and will
be contented after they do so.
Make Your Town Attractive.
The above suggestions are
necessary for the accomplish
ment of these purposes. A we'll
organized and equipped tele-
phone system is another matter
worthy of attention. A COM
Portable and attractive head
quarters for your association,
including a reading room with
comfortable chairs, tables, mag
azines, books, newspapers, etc. /,
with an annex that can be- used
as parlor and entertainments,
on special occasions, is almost
n necessity, in any we'll regula-
ted town. Fit up club rooms
for yourselves and then invite
your friends and the farmers
who trade with you to make
this their headquarters when in
town. Get in touch with the
farming element aud secure
their confidence. Start paint
ing campaign, and if necessary
sell paints at very close prices
or at cost to induce those who
have implanted buildings to
paint them promptly and effec-
lively.
How about a farmers insti-
tute. Talk it over with your
people and help them organize,
then invite them to hold their
: meeting in your town and pro-
vide some simple entertainment
for them while they are with
you. The matter of breeding