Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1919-04-23

such depopulation- The excessive
population loss shown by the towns
of Holland, Coventry, Westmore, Al
bany and Craftsbury Is an element
of weakness, vet those towns today
have plenty OF virile, aggressive men
who are able 10 keep the standard of
the town up TO the present high lev
ell 1t IS true, however, as has been
said, that, When the number Of in
habItants IN town has at length
been reduced from more than 1000 70
q few hundred and when those who
have gone, by their very going create
the presumption that they were the
more energetic element, then TO the
small remaining population each new
departure Is like a blow IN the face,
and the community Is proportionately
more and more crippled as the next
useful citizen dies or departs" It
has been the experience OF the major
ity Of the rural towns that the men
who attain sufficient wealth 10 enable
them to turn 10 other lines Of work or
70 retire, IN most cases move 10 the
larger towns, Barton, Newport, Der
by, Hardwick and other nearby towns
gaining in population at the expense
OF the weaker by attracting the men
who are the influential and wealthy
citizens
In conclusion. It Is safe TO say that
Orleans county Is gaining IN popula-
ton, yet the rural sections are, and
have been for decades. losing in num-
bers and probably IN wealth through
the loss of the richest citizens.
There IS 4 tendency IN some of the
towns, apparently worse in those that
are most isolated, that must be
checked before long or disaster will
result, for. The ability Of a nation
TO maintain the integrity and vigor
Of its rural population is the real test
OF Its vitality.
Nativity.
The population of the county as
pointed out previously is largely the
old Yankee stock, mingled IN certain
localities with the Scotch or the Irish
/ Of late years the French Canadians
have been coming IN IN ever IncreaS-
ing numbers and Poles have appeared
in the mills of Orleans and Newport
7 The number Of persons of Canadian
birth in the county increased from
1851 in 1870 TO 1857 IN 1910
( amounting to 500 of all foreigners
at the last census ROssiter Is al,
/ thority for the statement that thi:
number was furnished by the English
f Canadians at the earlier date, while
. the 1910 census shows that nearly
/ 4OTc Of these Canadians are French.
I Vermont has been little affected BY
/ the great wave Of foreign immigra
ton. Contrary TO the prevailing
, tendency, especially evident in tbs
other eastern states, the population
| formed by the foreign-born element
/ IN Vermont has increased but little
from 1880 TO 1900. = The pop
ulatiou Of Vermont-born in the STATE
has maintained its strength almost
UNCHANGED against the foreign-borr
/ for a period of 50 years" In 1915
/ the residents Of Vermont who were
/ born as natives Of the United State:
{ comprised S7Tc Of the states total
Unfortunately the corresponding fig
ures for the county are lacking, bu
( the available figures in the accom-
panying tables show that the county
as a whole has had slightly highe
percentage of foreign-born than tn
rest of the state. more especially i
the numbers of French Canadians
and that today the county Is expert
encirg a wave OF French Caradial
immigration
(To be Continued-)