Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1913-11-21
THE NEW VERMONT.
Continued from page A.

NOOhbbiNSN AVN R"6N ~
tury past in all the world, and Vermont
predominantly rural State, is only
striking example of the movement
Vermont has given larger pro por
ton of her population to other States
than any other Commonwealth of the
nation. Forty per cent of the people
born in Vermont are to-day living be-
yond her borders, and every census
since 1850 has shown approximately the
same proportion.
Nov let US translate the statistics
into living picture and realize what
the decrease of population and of cul-
tivated farm area means in the life of
the people. In many towns-there are
not few notable exceptions-it means
decrease of property values and the
wiping out of fruits of years of toll
and saving. Farms are sold for less
than cost of the buildings upon them
and men find that after the labor of
lifetime they are no further along than
when they began.
buildings fall into decay or are de-
stroyed by fire and are not replaced.
Young men see no opportunity in the
town of their birth and move away to
get a chance. Merchants find their
trade diminishing and artisans less de-
mand for their labor. A spirit of dis
enlargement and depression comes over
the people.
Churches built for population twice
as large as at present, perhaps with
some optimism in their structure, ap-
pear almost vacant, and it is almost
impossible to stir the enthusiasm
wherein religious truth has fitting ut
terance. School buildings which once
were crowded have a few struggling
eoha1orc nffon fonnhf hu faoohar
hardly older than the pupils and with
out experience or training. The build
ing is neglected, unbearably hot in one
corner and shivering old in the rest.
1.-The dictionary is contemporary of
the Oldest resident, and that is the ex-
tent of the library. There are no maps,
except torn map of Vermont, which
has no suggestions of the contour of the
State, but presents the fourteen coun-
ties in red, and yellow and green. There
are no seats small enough for the little
children, and none large enough for the
older ones, and the big boys sit on the
front benches.with their knees crowded
into their chins, or sprawling their feet
toward the teachers desk, while they
recite the products af Guatemala and
Peru.
"Yet for such schools and such edu-
cation for their children large proper
ton of the small towns in this State are
paying larger school taxes than Rutland
or Burlington. The highest rate for
school taxes in our State today is not in
the cities, but in the back mountain
towns. The population is less than it
used to be, the valuation of property
is less, the timber has been cut off,
and the burden of community support
falls with increasing weight upon
diminishing number
1--WE have heard great deal about
keeping boys on the farm. What farm?
On many farms in Vermont, yes, and
there is no particular difficulty in get
ting boys to stay on such farms or in
inducing others to go there. But on
many other farms in this State thou
sand times no, and he is no friend of
the boy nor true friend of Vermont who
would try to persuade him to stay there
or incline another to take his place.
Would you want your boy to start
out in life in one of those communities
which have been losing ground for fifty
years, exc out the scantiest livelihood
as the men and women are doirg there
today, starve with the barrenness of it's
community life, bring up his children in
their schools, and lay his bones at last
in the weeds of its neglected cemetery?
Then you should not want the boy born
in that community to stay there. The
town that is not good enough for my
boy to go to is not good enough for any
Vermont boy to stay in.
I'VE shall fail if we try to stem the
tide of population away from the smaller
places by narrow education or by
shutting the doors of opportunity. and
we shall deserve to fail. Not by keep
ing the boy down. but by lifting the life
to which we invite him up, must we
labor for the restorat ton of the hill
towns of New England.
Boys have not left the farm because
we have not taught them the grasses
and trees in the schoolhouse yard, but
because the farms were not titled and
managed so as to furnish them oppor-
tunity for a decent livelihood. Ver-
mont boys are not afraid of work.
They are naturally as dearly attached
to their State, their town, their own
home, as the boys everywhere. But
they are ambitious and they want a
chance. They want to measure their
strength with others in some of the
larger undertakings of life. They are
eager to live in an atmosphere of prog
ress and in an environment which call ,
for effort and achievement. +"
Such an environment, President
Thomas continues, must be established
in Vermont The creation of oppor-
tunity is the only cure for the evils
cited. 1t is not external assistance of
a charitable nature which is needed.
The farms themselves must repopulate
the farms, he believes, and they are the
only agency which can do it.
At present, President Thomas OBJ
serves, Vermont no longer has to COM
pete with boundless acres in the West
to be had almost for the asking.
Scientific method has been applied to
agriculture, making possible to the
enterprising and alert farmer results
in the way of restorati n of soils and
increased crops that would have seemed
almost incredible few years ago.
Better marketing methods are coming
to be understood and now the State
authorities of Vermont are promising