St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1915-04-28
EAST SIT. JoHNsBURY
A Public Library and Better Fire Pro-
lection Needed.


A Public Library and Better Fire Pro.
lection Needed.
When the sun rose over the ruins
of the fire on the morning of Aug.
8, 1912, no one was bold enough to
predict such a restoration as greeted
the same sun one year later. Not
only were all the houses, save one, re-
built, but two new ones had risen on
virgin soil. The village had wakened
from its years of quietude; the sound
of the grinding, once low, grew loud
er, until the sound of hammers be-
came plainly audible; nor has it
ceased to echo among the hills. A
hourishing Village Improvement As
ISOLATION was formed and soon the
people that walked in darkness,
blinked in the dazzling gaze of the
street lights. Loads of hay were
weighed on the Fairbanks balances
and found not wanting. Homes were
remodelled, and still the renaissance
continues.
But still we are not satisfied. Our
needs increase with our respectable
ity. We have yet no library and no
adequate fire protection.
There ought to be no village or
hamlet without it's own library or
reading-room. The community itself
should subscribe for such a purpose
according to it's means. The library
should go hand in hand with the
church and the school. 1t is an at
tribute of both. There should be in
every village a room or rooms, open
every evening, in which the public
could gather for reading, study and
general improvement. Such a room
might well be in a private house. 1t
should be furnished with a table,
chairs, a few of the best magazines,
a newspaper, a dictionary and shelves
containing few hundred of the best
books, especially those dealing with
the needs of the community. Many
of the books and magazines might
be given or loaned by those living
in the district. Many could be Sc
cured from travelling libraries and
other available sources. The rest
could be purchased for a moderate
sum, for which the improvement in
the intellectual life of the people
would be an invaluable return of in
terest. The care and management of
such library could easily be divided
among the young people. The posi-
ton of the librarian might be either
salaried or honorary.
In regard to fire protection, our
three previous CONGREGATIONS have
proved how unprepared we now are.
The fire starts. We ring the bell,
rush to the scene of action, turn on
a few buckets of water, lose our
heads, throw out the furniture, fold /
our arms, and next day, collect the
insurance. Our fire house is a mock
cry, our hose cart nuisance. I'm
der these conditions we cannot ex-
pect that strangers will build within
our gates, nor that our real estate
will increase in value.
Our first need is for organization,
our. second, for equipment, useless
each without the other" First, the
school children might be organized
INTO a bucket brigade, with leader
1r captain. Then the men and the
women should have a few drills in
he art of scientific furniture remov-
Il, and effective fire extinguishing.
At the first sound of the bell, every
nan should seize ladder and axe,
md every woman a pail, before run
ling to the scene of the fire. But
,ur best weapon and the surest
would be a pump and hose to connect
he river with the fire until one ele-
nent or the other conquered. These
re not our only needs, but they are
he two most important and We must
lave them. $50 much to do, so little
lone" Can any good thing come to
Cast st. Johnsbury? Let us see.
G. w. COpp for Mrs. G. w. Dodge.