IMPROVEMENT SOCIETIES 



especially in the winter. Have regular meet- 

 ings at which papers are read on various 

 phases of the work; discuss the spring cam- 

 paign, and aim to draw everybody into the 

 discussion; let music and literary exercises 

 combine to give variety to these meetings; 

 once in a while have a supper. In short, be 

 sociable, and get acquainted with your 

 neighbors, and let your improvement society 

 be the bond of union which will develop friend- 

 liness and harmony in the community. 



The financial benefits derived by any village 

 or community from a local improvement 

 society should not be overlooked. Let a 

 town which has been " going down hill" for 

 years, so far as its appearance is concerned, 

 take upon itself the new life and enterprise 

 which is the direct result of a hearty coopera- 

 tion of its citizens in the work of general im- 

 provement, and it will surely realize a substan- 

 tial financial benefit from it. The price of 

 real estate will improve as much as the place 

 does. If a man in search of a new home come 

 into such a place, he will be much more likely 

 to invest his money in it than in a town that 

 has no such showing of public spirit. The 

 spirit of improvement is in the air, and it gives 



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