The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-09-01
FOR BENNINGTON COUNTY
DEVELOPMENT AND
RETIREMENT
Department Edited by Secretary
Willard Bartlett of the County
Association.

Association.
On Saturday afternoon, the 2Sth
the annual meeting of the County I'M
provement Association was held at
the Court House in Bennington. The
following officers were elected for the
ensuing year: President, Guy b.
Johnson of Old Bennington; Vice
President, j. B. Wilbur Jr., of South
SALISBURY; Treasurer, Arthur j. EIol-
den, Bennington. Five Directors
were elected to hold Office for three
years: j. c. Colgate of Old Benning-
ton, j. B. Wilbur of Manchester, w.
II. Roberts of Manchester Center, j.
b. Wilbur, Jr., of South SALISBURY
and r. H. West of Dorset
The meeting requested that the
Secretary's talk on what Results
May be Expected from County I'M
proyement Association be published
in full in the county papers. After a
general discussion the meeting ad-
journed
What Results May be Expected from
County Association.
A Frenchman living in the noun
tains was asked why he kept n horse
and replied ITO get in the hay"
When asked why he raised the hay
he replied "To keep the horse 1t
Is not impossible for a philanthroplc
social betterment or community de.
velopment organization to exist for
much the same reason as the French
man kept his horse. 1t is not i'm
possible for such an organization to
exist year after year in community
gnd still leave the community exact
ly the same as IL the organization
had not existed Such organizations
sometimes maintain themselves for
years without lasting results.
In q business concern results are
very definite. Such concerns usual
ly exist in order TO make money An
inventory at the end of the year
shows 10 the cent how much money
has been made or how much money
has been lost. There is no question
of results In a social betterlnent
organization results are less definite,
less easily measured. more intang-
ibe. IN a business organization it is
very easy to detect ipenciency, If
the profits In dollars and cents are
not there then the organization is in
efficient. In philanGropic organiza.
tions, however. it is not as easy to
detect meflieieney. because of the IN
tansibility Of the results. Ii is not
impossible for such an organization
to exist year after year, with little or
no results. It is possible, ON the 9TH
er hand, for such an organization to
accomplish much good and still not
receive the credit due.
Some time ago in conversation with
friend, the statement was made to
me that work for boys was the most
difficult Of all lines of work in which
to secure results, that ordinarily the
results did not show until years after
ward. did not reply because diff
fered absolutely and wanted time to
think the matter over. More thought
has convinced me that my friend was
absolutely wrong. In fact there is
no line OF social betterment work
where results are more easily attain
ed and where results show more read
lily than in work with boys. II a man
has been engaged in boys work for a
number of years and cannot Show re-
suits there is but one answer, viz;
that he has failed. 1t is not an an
swer nor an acceptable excuse for
him to say that he has sown seed
which will show themselves in the
character of these boys later on. If
a man has worked for a number Of
years with boys and at the end of
that time they are the same sort of
boys that they were when he began
working with them, he has failed If
father had brought up a son who
was a reprobate, would he accept his
excuse when he said that he had SOW
ed seeds OF character in that boys
nature which years later would bear
fruit, and that perhaps some day,
when the boy was on the verge of
committing crime they would de-
ter him from doing it? If father
has brought up a son to manhood and
that son has not yet shown any signs
of developing a useful character that
father has failed ! knew a man, who
number of years ago. organized in
his home a study class among a group
of high school boys in which he en-
deaVored to instill into these boys
natures, ideals of usefulness and ser
vice At the end OF the year he left
the city to go to another part of the
country. A year later he learned to
his surprise that nearly every boy in
that group had invited group of
grammar school boys to his home and
had endeavored to do for those gram
mar school boys what this man had
endeavored to do for the high school
boys The man in question had never
suggested guch a thing TO his grOuD