Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1926-12-01
Civic Inferiority Complex.


for it is a disease-as civic inferi-
GRITTY complex. That sounds serious;
and it is. It is the antithesis of civic
pride.
Ellsworth is a beautiful town in
the most beautiful county in the
beautiful State of Maine. There is
no better town in the world in which
to live, and the people of Ellsworth
are Giving better" than ever
before in their history-better than
in the good old days" when the
lumber mills were humming all
along the river, when today's "neces-
Sites were considered luxuries, and
today's luxuries we're undreamed OF.
The stranger within our gates is
always favorably impressed, He ad-
mires our elm-shaded streets, our
attractive homes, our up-to-date
stores and banks, our Main street
lined with automobiles, and evil
dences Of contentment and prosper
ity on every hand. Then he talks
with some so-called citizen. Why
is it that so many Ellsworth people
feel that they must speak apollo
getically of their town? If they
could only realize that they are the
town, and that when they knock"
the town they are knocking them
selves, perhaps they would talk diff
ferently.
A stranger in Ellsworth only the
other day asked young man to d.
rect him to a certain house. the
young man, courteous and obliging,
invited him to seat in his car,
saying he would take him to the
house sought The impression on
the stranger was most favorable,
and on the short drive he re-
marked, "You have a fine town
here" The young man turned TO
him with something of pity in his
glance, and replied: "Well, mister,
you haven't been here very long.
Now, what is the matter with that
Young man? His heart is in the
right place, or he would never have
shown the consideration he did to
a stranger. He is victim of civic
inferiority complex, that's all.
And the worst of this disease is,
it's contagious-it gets into the
blood like malaria, carried by the
Ellsworth anopheles, or malarlal
mosquito, otherwise known as
knocker.
A few years ago a former ELS
worth man who had accumulated
little of this worlds goods IN
another state, thought he had
caught a glimpse of a new spirit
awakening in Ellsworth. He came
hack to Ellsworth, invested quite
largely in Ellsworth real estate, ana
started to boost Ellsworth. A day
or two ago he said to the writer,
speaking of civic pride, "Two years
ago was full of it; today I'm dis
couraged." He has been touched
with the virus of the prevailing
malady: he is likely to be victim
Of if if he doesn't watch Guiana
them Ellsworth will lose him
It was current saying in Ellis
worth twenty-five years ago that
what we needed was few frst-class
funerals. Well, we have had good
MANY funerals since then; in fact,
to be exact, 1904 people have died
in Ellsworth and some 200 more
residents have died away from
home, in the past twenty-five years.
In other words, more than half the
people who were living in Ellsworth
twenty-five years ago are dead. But
the strain of civic inferiority COM
pick has survived.
Twenty-Five years hence, half the
people now living in Ellsworth will
be dead Are we going to pass on
to those who will follow us this
same deadening influence? 1t de-
ponds on what you feed your boys
and girls of today who will be the
men and women of tomorrow. Are
you inoculating them with the
germ of civic inferiority complex,
or are you feeding them on loyalty
to their home town and State and
best town in the best
State in the best country on Gods
earth-ELLSWOR
Real towns are not made by men
afraid
Lest someone else gets ahead;
Where everyone works and nobody
shirks,
You can raise town from the
AsAA }@'@
And If. while ysu make your personal
Your nsighbor makes one, too,
Your town will be what you want 1t
to be-
1t isn't your town, it's YOU.
If you want to live in the kind of
town
Like the kind of town you like,
You needn't slip your clothes in grip
And start on a long, long hike.
You will only find what you left be-
hind,
For there is nothing that is new;
It's a knock at yourself when you
knock your town
1t isn't your town, it's YOU"
The special election on Monday
closed a political campaign which
furnished a striking example OF the
kind of politics the voters of Maine
will not stand for-or vote for. Inc
vote was small, not in spite OF the
bitterness engendered by the hgnt,