The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1912-09-26
BENNINGTON COUNTY NElMuNa
MrHoN IMENT ASso ihFiu 3
MEMS,
A Live organization.

lage Improvement Association 81
East Arlington Last week This or.
sanization is composed entirely oi
women. They have done tome very
fine work for their village aud ars
making plans for strenuous efforts
by way Of village Improvement Thcl
have plans for beantifyinR the bank.
of the stream that flows through The
village as well as the roadside and
homes They are taking hold Of
roads and sidewalks. they discus
town officials aud what they expect
Z these 10 do. An association Of this
nature can do much by way Of get
: ting after the proper officials and
( creating public sentiment so that
these officials will feel justified IN
doing certain work by way OF clean
ing up and improving conditions. In
deed these associations can make II
uncomfortable for those officials who
are inclined 10 shirk their work,
The improvement association can
do quite as much by stirring up the
selectmen, the board OF health, the
road commissioner. and other officer
and get them TO cooperate with their
plans as they can by raising funds
In a voluntary way for improvements
OF all kinds and getting people
aroused to improve their private
promises.
The East Arlington Association on
their own initiative, have made ar
rangements for course of enter-
tainments and are heartily in accord
with the proposed lyceum for the
County. They also appointed n dele
gate. Mrs, Ralph Nichols, to meet
with other similarly appointed dele
gates from other associations, TO
form permanent monthly confer
ence
Another indication OF the emerge
tic spirit of this association is that
seventy per cent of those who were
at the meeting paid their dollar and
became members of the Bennington
County Vermont Improvement Asso-
citation. This is the largest per cent
OF any gathering that has, thus far
joined the County Association.
Sources.
There are two sources from which
the Bennington County Vermont I'm
provement Association must obtain
its support and receive its encourage
ment. One Is from the business
men and the city people. The 9th
er is from the farmer and the lab
oring men,
In conversation with one of the
wealthy city men. Mr.. Scheuerle, the
Secretary of the Association, was
told that the wealthy men who
come to the county for the summer
will be glad to help and help liber-
ally for such amoyement as that of
the Association providing everyone
who is a permanent resident In the
county will do what he or she can
whether IL lis one dollar or ten dol
'ars or one hundred dollars. This
man said that he would be willing
70 do his share and give very liber-
ally II he felt that everybody was
doing what they could and that II
was absolutely necessary IN order
that the work should succeed that
the permanent residents should get
In and pull.
This Ia just the kind of co-opera
tion that the Bennington County
Vermont Improvement Association
stands for. We are convinced that
Joseph Woodbury. Strout in the
article In the Atlantic Monthly for
September is right when he says
No solution of 80 great problem /
ca come from outside the rural /
life itself. Any amount of money +
poured into the country In the form
Of renovating the abandoned farms,
gifts Of public Libraries. churches.
what not, can never save the eoun-
tri. No one Is helped by eond-
tions that impoyerish him. That Is
true of communities The
must find its own soul.
Il mast think lts own thoughts II
must renovate It's own abandoned
iarms. build its own public Libraries.
and all the rest. In a word
1t must become responsible for It's
'wn life, or It is bound to lose that
lie utterly"
Neither the city. nor any other
lower outside, can redeem the rural
The rural community
must redeem itself. The deepest
all today is for a rural conscious
iess; a sense OF life IN the field
md forests; passion for the life of
he country.
On the otlSg hand IL must also
,e membcred that the cities and |
md larger villages as well as the
men Of large fortunes are depend
mt upon the farmers Every con
umer In our cities" says Prof A.
J. Cock Of Yale University "is,
he realizes II or not, inter
'sted IN every farmer who has
Hiplus product TO dispose of--con-
iernef that such surplus shall be
rs iafge as possible, and that Il
hall reach him at the lowest prac-
icable cost.
"Eyerybodythe enceptlonna are
leglig igtble-~-uses butter, milk, and
'oneerned thar the grass and hay
,aten by cattle shall be produced
.heaply thaa IA. that the yield of
hese products per acre shall be :
doubled or trebled. provided this
an b. done Ia such a way as 10
'nhanee he farmers profits. aud
has make him eager to increase the
number Of acres Yielding such re-
nrns