The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1921-01-27


more adequate for them. An enter
tainmeut was organized. given with
the help Of all the neighborhood, both
N Manchester and in Arlington. 1nl
tire sum realized was enough TO pay
for an extra teacher for the smaller
e ildren. But there was no place for
sueL class. The Club held a mass
meeting at the school-house. attended
by many men Of the district. who were
generous in the offer Of material and
help. Mr. Richard Miles, then living
in the North District, gave the lum-
Der and boards from one Of his mills
now dismantled, many men gave their
time, and with rush, IN addition
to the sehool-house was put up. The
finishing touches were put on. in a
Neighborhood Bee. when all the men
assembled for work. outside, the
wcmen for work inside, and to pre-
pare tic outdoor lunch. spread for all
on long tables in front Of the school
house. The State Commissioner Of
Educ tion IGNORED this meeting with
his pre1enee, and made an address TO
the people gathered at the tables.
The Battenkill Women's Club from
this time on, took the District School
as It's special field for activity Dur
ing the winter Of 1890, beginning
was made for the plan of serving hot
lunches TO the school, but it was plain
that a fund was needed for this pur-
pose. During the summer Of 1920 the
Club members undertook to raise the
money for this fund. They arranged
the school-house, now a tasteful and
attractive two-room building with a
shelf red porch, as wayside tea
house, run by the members Of the
Club. Each day, one member Of the
Club, took charge, and served what
she wished to the tourists who stopped
to investigate the quaint and unusual
little building. A part Of the profits
were to go for the School Hot-Lunch
\ Fund, and at the end of the summer,
the Battenkil Club had almost eighty
dollars as q result of their work for
the school. They had also during this
time, tried the experiment Of running
moving picture theatre in the viii
/ L ge, but this was found, while not
Improbable, TO yield too narrow a
margin of profit to make il worth
while for such busy women 70 handle.
For it must be remembered that all
these activities are not carried on by
+ leisure-class women with well-trained
4 servants to do their own work; but by
women on farms, whose endless work
everybody knows to be enough TO tire
out most women. But by cooperation
and method and system, these YER
mont country-women have found time
outside their homes to help along that
corner Of the community for which
they are especially responsible. Dur
ing the winter of 1920-21, so far, the
school hot lunches have been the, most
unqualified success, with a real fund
on which to draw for necessary ex-
penses and with the cooperation of the
people Of the community, the two
teachers have been able to add TO the
children's lunch, brought from home,
one good, substantial hot dish every
day, sometimes soup, sometimes baked
beans, or creamed potatoes, or not
cocoa.
I The members of the Battenkill Club
have been struck by the advantage it
gave them to have an organization all
ready for whatever desirable action
came up, even when it was something
they had not planned for. An in
stance Of this occurred during the
autumn Of 1920. The County Red
Cross Nurse let II be known that she
would be available to give course OF
lecture on simple nursing and hygiene
for any groups which could take adj
vantage Of this offer. Immediately
the Battenkill Club voted to do this,
and for a good many weeks they met
once a week at the school-house where
they heard series of singularly inter
esting and valuable lectures from the
trained nurse in charge. The older
girls Of the school were invited to
share in this study, and the result was
getting together Of mothers and
older daughters in the study Of hy-
giene, of the utmost value TO all in
volved.
The country-dwellers who are mem
bers Of the Battenkill Club have
found that the existence Of such IN
organization is like a tool in their
hands, which permits them to accomp-
\ lish much for the common good and
for their own improvement, which
would be impossible to any one Of
them singly. They have kept the
organization very simple and flexible
as BELTS their life and needs, as
s.,,,,,,.t l,5-r, 90 ms. v-hru they riro1 Il