The Republican journal., 1919-08-14

an introduction which may or may not
lead to real acquaintance and an under
standing. We never, anywhere else, saw
so many rocks on the same acreage, as
are here. The Scriptures tell us of the
wise man who built his house upon rock.
If building ones house on rock is an
evidence of sapience we are convinced
that there are more wise men in Ston-
ington than in any other township in
the United States. 1t is the most positive
looking town we ever saw. 1t looks as
if it had come there to stay, whether the
winds blew and the floods came upon it,
or whether the winds ceased and the sun
shone eternallv We stopped to look at
nice little church building. This, too,
showed that the elders had noted the text
to which we have alluded. 1t was perch
ed, yes, perched, that's right, upon fair
ly smooth ledge The lawn in front is
granite, all in one piece, Just as the Loro
made it and put it there, and we were
pleased to note that man had not meddled
with it since, We did not see spear OF
grass growing upon it. The wind sweeps
it and the rains wash it. When we saw
that church we were reminded OF a verse
of that good old hymn which opens thus:
GLOW firm foundation We Saints of the
Lord"
From what we have said the reader
must not conclude that the village as an
entirety is intensely staid and matter Of
fact The streets are frisky and eccentric
almost to idiocy. They actually frolic
through the village. They whisk round
corner, caper up steep ascent, turn an
other corner romp along few steps,
scramble down a little way to lower
level, turn another corner and then up
again. 1t is up again, round again, on
again, down again, till you arrive some
where. We allude to the streets in the
resident portion of the village. The
street where the stores and shops are is
comparatiyely level. Are the roads good?
Well, we rode about 20 miles in an auto
mobile in the village and outlying parts
of the town and we can affirm that when
the roads of the State of Maine are as
GOOD as those in Stonington, we shall
have no further use for State Highway
Commission. There are probably some
e -, lI,yIr in ba
village and near it. How do they get
living? We cannot answer that question.
The reader is respectfully referred to the
people themselves or to The Lord The
town has an appearance OF Thrift, which
running a boarding house or taking in
washings does not impart. We saw no
indications of poverty and many indlca-
tions of pie ty, and can testify to the
fact that the stores and hotel average
well with those of other villages of the
State. The dwellings are well painted
and look like real homes in which people
find comfort and happiness Every per-
son whom we saw was well dressed and
those with whom we talked were courte-
GUS. When we considered what Ston-
inpton was when the Creator finished
his work upon it and saw what men and
women have since done to improve it, we
felt that it would not be irreverent to be-
lieve that it would be only fair to make
the allotment of credit for it all on so
so basis. We would like to spend several
weeks in Stonington. We do not know
how many, but enough to learn what life
means to these people and what hopes
and inspirations have sustained them
while making their town what it is and
how they managed to raise such a crop of
stalwart souls on such stony ground.