VOL. XXIII

No 3

T

HE Evolution of Village Improvement, combined with war work, which is so evident along the North Shore, owed its origin, as does many movements, to the energetic efforts of a few women, and this before they have entered so prominently into the nation's demands. The progress of transforming the small town of Hamilton, Massachusetts, now so popular as a residential district for summer guests, has been gradual but effective.

Years ago, before the tide had turned improvementward, a meeting was held. in the parlor of one of the all-year-round residents to consider the bringing of the community up to a spotless town, able to take its place among the leading small towns in New England. As a fund, each

member was assessed a very small sum of money, which was used for the purchase of young trees; these were planted here and there along the highways, great care being taken to choose needed spots where, when fully grown, they would afford right shade.

There was no help given by the fathers and brothers, who were not far-sighted enough to realize what the end would be; but the energetic women pressed on, fully determined to work out their ends. Before the trees had well started, the sidewalks were attacked, and instead of scraggly, grass-grown sides decked with burdocks, narrow borders, evenly trimmed, replaced those that had been an eyesore to the town. The sidewalks with fresh gravel gave evidence of what

the result was to be; it also awakened a slight interest in the men folks, who began to feel curious to see whether the movement would hold out.

Next the children, the coming men and women of the town, were interested in little gardens, for which seeds were provided, and to the plots laid out in schoolhouse yards during term-time they gave much attention, for there was a pleasant rivalry as to who would obtain the best results. With ambition thus awakened, the younger members of the household, with eyes open to the situation, realized for the first time that, while their fathers and brothers were giving time to backyards and ground culture, the front-door part of the house had been neglected.

Soon these tireless little workers carried their efforts farther afield, and instead of carelessly kept front yards smoothly shaven lawns appeared, broken here and there by little flower plots, carefully at

tended by the youngsters of the household; this fact shamed the men folks into putting the fences that outlined the boundary lines into good condition, and treating them with a coat of paint, that they might be in harmony with the children's work inside.

Visitors to the Town House, (the grounds of which had been used hitherto as a depository for ashes during the winter months, but which now, under the hands of the members who had formed themselves into a Village Improvement Society, gradually came to miss the accumulation of ashes) felt a secret glow of satisfaction as they viewed velvety lawns and wellkept gravel paths, giving to the town building a proper air of dignity; for where should cleanliness be in evidence more than where our townspeople make the laws?

Thus one bit of work led to another, and the streets, hubbly and uncared for,

awakened interest in both the men and the energetic women, and before long smoothly rolled roads, filled in with good gravel, replaced the rutty ones that formerly connected the town of Beverly with Ipswich. Good roads suggested good sign posts, and a realizing sense that the illegible sign boards, wrongly marked according to mileage, were a disgrace. Soon in their place were shown sightly and distinctly marked boards, placed cornerwise on a post, giving proper information as to where the meeting roads led.

At the intersection of the roads was a triangle of unkempt grass land, now it meets the village improvement scheme by being a credit rather than a disgrace to the town. With the added cares came a demand for a permanent fund, and the citizens, who through their united efforts had changed from unfamiliar folks to a united community, decided to choose a place near the main road, easy of access to neighbors and motor

cars, and establish here a tea-house and exchange.

Unlike most of its kind, it was, and has been from the first, supported in a great measure by the all-year-round guests; handicraft, preserves and cake offered for sale have found a ready market and a weekly gathering for tea of not only the members of the Village Improvement Society, but of husbands and brothers as well, these having combined to give it a unique place in the tea-house industry. It was only a harness shop remodeled to meet necessary conditions; but from the first it was a great success. Today, enlarged and on grounds of its own, the tea-house, a charming colonial building with its setting of sward, stands a well-deserved memorial of what the women have done to make good.

While not a part of the Village Improvement work, yet, in a way, it should be included in it, is the canning work, which is done at the community garage, donated for the purpose by Mrs. E. B.

Cole, to whose energy much of the work Owes its success. The cannery was started last year on the upper floor of the garage, and invitations to patronize were sent to every member of the summer contingent and the all-year-round citizens; they were asked to bring their surplus vegetables and fruit, for preserving which no time could be given. in the many busy households, to this station, with the reservation that they must be brought and taken away by the owners.

Then the cost was not prohibitive; a thousand jars were donated, to be paid for as money came in, people bringing their surplus were given bills which covered simply the amount of cost; this included the services of three high-school girls, who under an expert supervisor attended to the canning, the packing in carboys, and the bookkeeping. Orders flowed in, making it a great success, and, in addition, classes were formed

that cooks could attend, thereby receiving valuable information concerning the latest methods in the work. Two days were devoted to the Beverly Hospital, everything being donated, and the large amount sent as a gift proved its advisability.

This year the North Shore Farmerettes, a band of girls who give up society requirements for a certain number of hours a week, are seen every day working on the grounds, which have been donated for the purpose by Mrs. Dudley L. Pickman, of Beverly Cove. They are trying to help along the conservation plan and to supply the Beverly Hospital, where later on invalid boys in khaki may be sent for medical attention, with a sufficient supply of fresh vegetables to meet demands.

Canning classes have been formed, meeting at the Community Garage, where these same girls are doing their bit in saving surplus food supplies for winter