Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1925-02-20
VILLAGES FOUND
UNATTRACTIVE


Nearly 2O,OOO,00O people in tn,
United States, or about one-ffth O
the population, live in villages, ant
30,0O0,OO0 farming people use thes,
villages for purposes of business, edu
cation, religion, health, and socia
wel-being. Yet these centers of ru.
raj population are usually unattrac.
tive and often very ugly. Villages in
other countries are generally much
superior to those of the United States
in design, nthe character off their
streets and public buildings, and in
their approaches and recreation spots.
A start. however, has been made
toward identifying the American
| village.
Some examples of leadership in
this respect are recorded by the De-
partment of Agriculture, which has
been studying the problem of viii
lage planning from the standpoint
of its Importance to the rural com
munity and particularly to the farm
er.
1t is more as buying than as a
selling place that the farmer makes
use of the village. In marketing his
principal products he generally deals
with some large distributing center.
But he purchases his household sup
plies in the village. He goes there
for amusement and for social pur-
poses generally. His children often
go to school there. An attractive
village, says the department, is an
important influence in stabilizing
farm life and in counteracting the
attractions which cities have for the
young people of the farms AS the
farmers chief point of contact with
outside interests, the village can
make big contribution to the hap
piness of farm life, even if it be con-
sidered from no other standpoint
than the fact that it is the place
where the farmer spends a large part
of his income.
Where villages are being more
beautiful, the impetus has come in
nearly every case from local initia-
tive. Villages that have well-planned |
streets, attractive recreation spots,
and pleasing approaches are nearly
always indebted for these advantages
to the energy and public spirit of
some small group of citizens. Under
such inspiration dump heaps have
been turned into garden spots, un-
slightly shacks and dilapidated stores
have been torn down and replaced by
smart, substantial business buildings.
and extensive programs of landscape
gardening and tree planting have
been undertaken. Villages that have
on this path are finding
hat beauty pays. 1t improves local
business and attracts tourist bust F,
less. 1t enhances real estate values, :
md has powerful influence in rails
ng individual standards of efficiency z
nd enterprise.
One good example of a village that
vas not we'll planned originally but /
hat now has been transformed into c
n extremely pleasing place, is Wes-
on, Mass. Weston formerly had a l
lrge swamp arear in its center. This '
as been drained, graded, seeded to '
rass, and planted to pine, fir and h
nestnut trees. A new town hall and (
fire station have been built oppo- a
tie the entrance to the common. f
ublic buildings are now centrally n
rouped. Old, unsightly structures b
ave been torn down. The improve n
ents were planned by landscape II
'chitect. 1t took 25 years to put 81
lie plan through, but everyone in
'eston believes that the enterprise c,
as worth the time and money it f
'st. OF