St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1915-12-22
Old Vermont.

Yes, sir. 1 am a Vermonter. Born
in Vermont. educated in its institu-
tons. trained in its every day methods
of living, identified with one of it's per.
manent enterprises, / have been, am
and expect to remain a Vermonter. In
the past and in the future have been
and shall be subject to it's limitations
in achievement good citizenship and
possibilities. While Vermont is a
small state 1 believe it offers as large
field for service, for substantial citi-
zenship and as much satisfaction as
many of the larger states. To it's de-
mands and opportunities / would call
your attention.
Rural life presents some of the most
serious social problems of the day.
Vermont rural life is a large part of
all its life and therefore it predomi-
mates among the problems Of the state
To classify it's lands as agricultural,
mineral or forest in a way that will
make it all the more useful and profit
able would hasten the day of CONNER
cial prosperity among it's rural popu-
lation. Perhaps the most serious fea-
ture of our agricultural life is the at
tempt by a part of our rural popula-
ton to make a success on land incap-
able of agricultural success To in
duce those people to abandon their
present locations and apply their labor
to lands that can yield profitable re-
turns would change that part of our
population from hOpelessness and
shiftlessness to industrious and pro-
gressive citizens. The active and sue
cessful men Of every community can
promote their own and the states
welfare by studying the possibilities
of their community and encouraging
the concentration of the people into
the sections that will give the most
satisfactory results.
The rural school is one of the big
problems of Vermont. The state
should maintain in every community
possessing enough land suitable for
successful agriculture to produce
enough children for a good public
school an educational institution that
will properly fit it's boys and girls for
the undertakings of life. To attempt
to preserve a school in a neighborhood
that cannot develop successful and
progressive citizens is poor business
and fatal to the best development of
the states rural life. But the proper
classification of the land would aid
materially in a correct solution of
where Vermont's money for education
should be expended. With that ques-
ton settled the methods of expendi-
ture could be more easily solved. 1t
would determine the proper methods
of instruction to be those that would
best prepare the young citizen for sue
cessful labor and honorable citizenship
in his home community.
The country church is receiving the
serious thought of the strongest men
of our times. They deem it's preser-
walton a necessity, its increased use
fitness and influence an efficient aid
in the development of a more attract
i've and progressive rural life. They
are fast coming to the conviction that
a str ong and successful church cannot
be built by unsuccessful and disheart-
ened men. An over supply of church.
es is just as fatal as weak membership.
To the man who would solve the
church problem we would suggest
first a careful study of the quantity of
church that should be furnished the
natural divisions of the town and state
and then a desirable standard of quail
ity can be introduced. Then the con-
centration of people into the environ
ments of success would greatly assist
in the development of churches able
to perform their true mission.
Vermont may never produce indus
trial giants like Carnegie, Rockefeller
or Hartman, but it can produce great
successful leaders like Fletcher d.
Proctor. George H. Bickford. Joseph
A. DeBoer, and others of their caliber.
And the natural resources of the state
are not fully developed. In its water
power. minerals and forests the state
possesses opportunities that great
business men can accept with assur-
ance of substantial success.
Mentally Vermont has produced men
who have won national and interna-
tonal recognition. Collamer. Foote.
MOI rill. Edmunds. Proctor. Prouty,