The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-08-27
OLD BENNINGTON
GENE Terry NEEDS
MORE ENDOWMENT.
Cannot BE Kept In Condition
With Present Income
$4,000 MORE IS NEEDED
Vincent Ravi Booth Urges Folks
Interested In Bennington TO
Consider This Subject
$4,000 MORE IS NEEDED
Editor CT The Banner:

Editor OF The Banner:
The annual meeting of the Denning.
ton Center Cemetery association will
come on the second Saturday in Sep.
tember the 10th, and It is to be he Il
in Che 0d Benn ngton library at 2
p, III. 1t would be very gratifying in.
deed If the members Of the assoca.
, tion and all interested parties would
make an honest effort to be present
at this meeting.
Perhaps II the facts that | am about
to set down were to be published in
your esteemed and wdelyread news.
paper, enough interest might be awak-
ned to insure large attendance at
the annual meeting; and better sti l,
the Importance OF securing gifts Of
money toward the expense OF properly
caring for the cemetery during the
coming year might be perceived by
persons who are in a pos tlon TO give
And first OF all. let me state that
the income OF the cemetery is totally
inadequate. The association has S..
900 Of Liberty Loan bonds paying 1925
a year In interest This is the en-.
dowment fund created by the money
paid by owners of lots and Individual
graves for perpetual care. Less than
one third of the graves are endowed.
In addition to the interest derived
from the endowment, the association
receives Oh an average 1850 year
in annual dues and in care of lots
The, total income then amounts to
$4,000.
During the year that have been
cha rman OF the executive committee
we have spent over $500 in the up
keep OF the cemetery. This sum in
cludes the cost of uprooting and re
moving eight dead or dying trees, re-
setting 260 tombstones and purchasing
$40 worthsef tools and materials.
Two men have been employd con
stantly since the frst Of April We
have secured excellent workmen who
can be trusted to work faithful ly even
when not under observation and who
have taken great pr de in keeping the
cemetery grounds in the best of order.
Such laborers are worthy Of their hire
and we have paid them the wages
which we should have expected to
receive had we been in their place,
namely, four dollars per day
One man cannot properly care for
ut txthtch civ
One man cannot keep up with his
work II is constantly accommodating
aud Il ! ne him with sense OF de-
spair Two good honest men can ac-
comp ish what has been achieved this
GUNNER to the evident satisfaction Of
the entire community. 1t follows that
from $1,000 to S140O year should
be spent on labor and that at least
5000 per year should be invested in
repairs such as setting up stones over
thrown by the frost filling in sunken
graves with good earth. reseeding, pur.
chase OF tools etc. $500 a year would
just about take care Of our historic
cemetery.
These then arc the factors Of the
problem. Our income is less than
$500 and our cxpenscs amount to
$1,000 per year. During the past
year thirty two friends OF the Associa.
tIon have been approached for extra
funds. and have contributed altogeth'
er ,Sl045 There has been one s It OF
$3.50 and another OF $500 Had 1t not
Leen for these generous people. very
little could have been accomplished
this summer OF course, there Is
enough money TO care for the endowed
lots. hut no one wants to see moved
and trimmed BIT of ground here and
there in the midst of wilderness OF
neglect. The good name Of the town
would be compromised II we allowed
the graves OF the early settlers and
their descendants to fall into run.
There Is no alternative but to care for
the cemetery rs whole. And that
means that we must find thousand
do lars year IN addition to our mea'
per regular income. The Executive
Committee has double task before
il. First II must find, each year, this
thousand dollars. Second, IL must
cndeavor to prevail upon the people
who love OlN Pennington and its not
able history to add 100000 to the en-
dowment. We already have $4,000
which added to the $50 600 to be raised
would assure us an adequate annual
income. Then It would not be neces'
sary to conduct a perpetual begging
campaign, and our children's children
would praise our foresight and sener-
os W. 4f
Anything that you can do to bring
this matter before the public will be
greatly appreciated. Let me suggest
that an editorial from your pen might
help.
cannot close without stating that
Mrs. j. G. Mccullough has placed
us all under very great obligation by
erecting. this spring, at great cost. a
beautiful colonial fence along the
front OF the cemetery II matches the
simple yet impressive architecture OF
the Od Church building and II is
greatly appreciated both for It's in
trinsic value and for the loving