The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-01-27
DOWNS \. c. OF |.
WITH SALARY
OF $50 A YEAR
Postmaster at Searsburg Is Con-
tented and Happy
WELL AND ACTIVE AT SO
Publishes Christian Citizen, Small
Quarterly Issue, in interests of
Prohlbltlonist Party
WELL AND ACTIVE AT SO

out estimates on whether a man can
raise a family decently on $500
year, or whether he must have $4,000,
might get some pointers il they took
a trip to Searsburg, VT. and inter
viewed the towns postmaster, N. ID.
Bartlett Fer M Bartlett doesn't
worry about the II. c. of L., or the
the question OF increased pay for pos
I tai employees.
Sometimes the Government pays
him as much as $50 year And
coed years he makes almost SIS sell
ing ferns which he picks in the hills.
Which is really more than he needs
He says so himself
Before ! had the Postoffice 1t was
J a mighty had struggle at times he
said, smiling benevolent'y at the
writer. but with steady income
/ from the Government / don't have
thing to worry about. | even have a
little extra money"
| Although Sc years old, Mr. Bartlett
doesn't confine his activities to run
ming the Postofiice and swapping his
fingers at the high price specter.
4 For so years he has been working
member OF the Prohibition party, in
fact, he is the original member in his
section of the State. He has held
many town offices. He is editor. pub.
lishor. make up man, typesetter, re-
porter and copy boy of little quar-
terry known as the Christ'an Citizen,
and he devotes much of his time to
furtheriDg the cause which he has
supported so long. He also writes
songs monthly in the interest of the
dry era.
Standing in the door of the little
PostofIice, which he built himself from
odds and ends of lumber fioated down
the Deertield River, he locked as con
tented as man could, and husky
enough to satisfy the long-life spec
iallsts.
Come and see.p he said, when ask
cd how he managed 10 live on sl0n a
year. He picked sign bearing the
words: Over the ridge. II you want
me pull rope at right and remain in
sight until appear" and tackled II UP
! by the door The rope referred to ran
TO the top of the steep hill behind the
house and was fastened TO tin can
full Of stones which hung in tree
II was the Postoffice bell
Behind the ridge was a garden. per
haps an eighth OF an acre in size, and
dotted with stones. stumps and out
cropping ledge. In the clear spaces
OF earth vegetables of many kinds
were thriving On the outskirts were
berry bushes.
Here's the answer" he said with
an explanatory wave of the arm
l"On this one bit of land | can get all
my food. l cannot raise wheat. OF
course. | could raise chickens and a
pig II | wanted to, but | never eat
meat / would no more think of doing
so than / would drink LIQUOR. | don't
mind a bit of chicken now and then.
Dut | don't crave it. If | get hungry
Ior fish they can be caught in the
Deerheld River, but such food is not
necessary and do not care for 1t
Il can the berries and store the veg
etables. As for bread | have the stage
driver bring what | need, but prefer
crackers, and usually eat them.
DIR NIX cocoa or chocolate but no tea or
corfee. | press the Juice of raspberries
ana wild grapes and bottle them
after the juice is boiled until fully
sterilized, so that it cannot ferment.
+ couple of crackers and a small
glass of pure unfermented fruit Juice
Iis sufficient for a meal. So Won can
see that | don't have to buys much.
AS to hrewood. That floats down
the river in larger quantities than |
can use, or | can cut wood beside
my door So the fuel question
doesn't bother me-"
Mr.. Bartlett used to go en- long
tramps over the State collecting
funds for prohibition propaganda,
Once he started out to collect funds
for what he called the "Home Insti-
tute, place where men could be
built up mentally and physically
away from the city. He was gone
four monthsr but got little money.
When he came back, i'll and tired he
found that his house had been brok.
en- into, and everything smashed or
carried away. But he was net dis.
couraged
Il had so worn myself out by travel
ing that | was i'll for a long time
and couldn't. buy any nourishing
food. he said. Il also had to borrow
S25 on this house and the land. I
couldn't pay it back and my home
was taken from me, but eventually
my health returned and the Lord
has given all back to me-"
Mr.. Bartletts little paper is not
published fer profit and it has only
"a small circulation. being, as he
says intensive rather than exten.
siye." AS for the song writing, many
of the songs have been published with
money collected by friends OF prohibi
ton or by interested tourists.
Il haven't done much, you may
say" he said with note of pride in
his voice. Perhaps not; but take
this little town of Searsburg with its
IA or Is voters Originally | was the
only prohibitionist voter. l have seen
the vote double and instead Of one
there are now two voters for the
cause.
81 don't need help. but wish l
could get help for the prohibition
cause, for today is the time when
prohibition is en- trial. If we Pro
hibitionists fall asleep. thinking the
work is all done, we will awaken to