Connecticut western news., 1915-05-13
Hit or Miss Generalizations.

Hit or Miss Generalizations.
 To the Editor of The News:
 The Town Hall was crowded to its utmost capacity last Saturday after noon. When such silly, insane and wholly unimportaLt subjects as reli- zion, schools, better morals, civic better. ment and the like are the attractions Canaan may be sure of d crowded house. Two of the clergy remarked on that fact to me when 1 was rejoicing over the splendid reception accorded Dr. o. Parker on an evening of last March. Men and women dispalyed their fearless innocence and courage and simply swarmed into the hall ! Nothing like clear conscience. We were glad to note ill the packed audi ence Saturday afternoon the faces of the true and consistent dependables who can be relied upon always to do what they promise to do. The super visor of schools, MT. Stone, who is a suffragist, was also present. He re- marked to me that he would have gladly brought some interested people
 
 time but don't see where he could have put them! I find that a recent church affair where the clergy spared no effort or pains to interest the people, also had a suffocatingly full house! !! It's strange how these light trivial things do draw the intelligent as well as exclusive masses! Equally strange it is that such problems of vital inter- est to old and young as the Isadora Duncan bare foot -and-other- wise bare) dances, cabaret stunts, nig- ger shows, food sales, movies, etc.. |, should exhibit their attractions night after night to absolutely empty seats All uplifting things that spiritualize and raise to higher levels our grosser natures, such as heavy feed, dance where all are privileged to indulge in few mildly lasciyious hugs under the censorship and strict supervision of respectable bachelors or elderly married men-all these vitally important things receive absolutely no support whatever 1 or encouragement or sanction of the l Canaau public. One public spirited i individual made desperate effort to i open a school of instruction on how to properly wear canes this season. No- body came but on that same day there was a capacity house to listen to a woman frivol away her time on the silly problem of the backward or mentally deficient and diseased child ren in our schools!
 My heart goes out in great rush of | pl Fl, o1a fo5 Fl, full editor and all the men who are try l ing to boost this town. I have seen a great light of understanding of their i problems where at one time there was a puzzled darkness. If there isn't a special soft snap in heaven for editors, clergymen and men who try to boost i their town there ought to be; and there ought to be a cushioned seat for { all those women whose thankless task it has been to agitate for social better ment, and the sisterhood of woman, the great ideal toward which all woman hood should strive to make possible and real It was said of the Business Mems Association: Ut doesn't amount | to anything." The same disagreeable thing has been said of everything of real value or importance that men and after women have started or tried to start in this town. MT. Editor. I pray you do not regard these few plain and sorely needed truths as knocking the town. Neither am 1 knocking the knockers. No, I am knocking the smooth suave people who smile to your face and turn on the deadly gas when you trustingly fall asleep It is not fair for men or women to join an asso- citation and complain that it doesn't amount to anything, which is practically announcing that they themselves have amounted to nothing in it. Have done nothing to make this association amount to anything. Take the Suf- frage League. It amounts to just the amount of work and interest III it that each member puts into the league. No more or less. Where now there are about 40 members, there could be easily a hundred. One member cannot carry on a thing like that alone. indefinitely. The league thrived and fourished as long as its members amounted to any thing in it. We cannot raise vegeta. bles or flowers by depriving them of soil and water or pulling them up by the roots. Time and again this town : has had a chance to grow and those who do not want anything to amount to anything anyway have petitioned almost on their pended knees that this poor old town may be allowed to die in peace the way they used to die, like Sandisfeld and Otis. Kill progress. Kill business. Kill off the women agitators. Scare away new settlers. Throw boot jacks at the young people.