The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-08-23


world, founded and was first president
of the Vermont Mutual Fire Insurance
Co. Miss Lucias grandfather was for
many years state librarian, as well as a
prominent attorney in Montpelier. her
uncle was author of the Vermont BlblI-
ography. Miss Lucia's father, Joel I'll:
Lucia a NIiddlebury graduate. Civil
war hero, was on Governor Washburn $
staff and for several years chairman of
the Republican congressional committee
of the second congressional district.
Public service is a family tradition
and Miss Lucia has lived up to it. For
- years she has been identified with the
Montpelier public schools and 10 years
principal of the primary schools has
built up the primary department to one
| of the best in the country, has grown
herself and made the Montpelier schools
grow up to higher and higher standard
of efficiency, intelligence and usefulness
| For years she has been one of the best
known, most respected and most influen-
| tial citizens of our capital. But this
| has not been enough. Part of the in
heritance which our braclng climate
and active vigorous life give to most
| Vermonters is a tremendous amount of
| physical stamina. Miss Lucia has per
| haps even more than her fair share of
| the driving power which comes with
abundant health and strength and her
| powerful personality has carried her far
| beyond the limits of a one-tOwn useful
ness. To Vermont teachers she has been
| a well known figure, one of their trusted
| leaders in any organization which has
| tried to increase their efficiency and i'm
. prove their conditions. She was one of
| the incorpOratorS of the Vermont Teach
| erS' Retirement Fund association. the or
ganization instrumental in getting the
| present retirement annuity law for
| teachers, and is one of the two elected
members of the present retirement board,
created by the statute.
! But it is for none of this that Miss
| Lucia is known outside of Vermont, and
vet she is widely known and greatly
| loved wherever there are American chill
dren. Most people know her as the
author of the utterly delightful Peter
! and Polly books. four small volumes
which are classics among children's
books, because of the transparent sim
plicity of their style, the singular charm
with which, as one of our crystal clear
| lakes. they reflect the sweet, quaint,
happy, idyllic life of the two little Yer
mont country children. All over the
country. children on the plain and in
great cities read of Peters and Polly
adventures. and sighingly conclude that
the real name of Heaven, as far as chill
dren go, is Vermont
Well. they are right-or should be.
Vermont with the high average level of
its inhabitants. with its beautiful seem
cry, with its free happy-hunting grounds
of woods and brooks and valleys and
mountains. and glorious stimulating eli
mate. should be next door to Heaven to
children. Vermont has not much money
compared to some other states. But it
is not much money which Is needed for
children. but interest. some money, and
much care, thought and intelligence. Ev-
, cry country school in our state ought to
be q center radiating health and hope
n sfrapufb ou6 iutplIigpucp n any child
attending it. and it can be if we viii
| only gather our scattered energies, set
our shoulders to the wheel and give one
good push, all of us working together.
Ii is to help us gather our scattered
energies. to show Us how to set our
shoulder TO the wheel. that Miss Lucia
has given up her stable. comfortable,
honored work in Montpelier, and has
taken up her new state position. All
/ her strong, active. useful life has been
a sort of unconscious preparation for
. this effort to help Vermont children. She
has had the vision of what country life
might bleSsedly be to Vermont boys and
| girls, she has set it down in her books,
, she has trained for it with the hardest
| sort of steady work, has helped to realize
| it in one Vermont city. and now stands
ready to throw into the greatest work
| for all country children in Vermont the
| full strength of her trained, disciplined,
powerful personality. The members OF
the state board of education have great
| hopes for the work, and stand back of
Miss Lucia and the work heart and
soul They have set aside a fund espe-
cially for this work; they have carefully
planned ways to cut red tape. to make
| the undertaking of improving the schools
as easy as possible.
But. of course. nothing whatever can
| be done if we NermOnterS do not rise to
the occasion, step into line and show
4
cry one of US should feel personal re-
| sponsibility for his own district school,
should realize that now, this very year,
and the next and the next. the future of
the children about him is being decided,
| and should put to himself wildly the
| question of how that future may be more
| securely safe guarded.
| Miss Lucia is now on the job, waiting
to be called in to consult. advise and aid.
| 1t is M to Us, Vermont citizens, to do
the calling.