Colonia Yesterday and 27

COLO NIA YESTERDAY A BIOGRAPHICAL HIS'f ORY OF A SMALL COMMUNJ'fY ~ BY AN EARLY RESIDENT EMPHASIZING THE HALF CENTURY PRIOR TO 1949 SPONSORED BY THE JUNTO 1949 CoPYR!GHT 1949 Dedicated to those who care-for loving is indispensable Most of the photographs are by Monte Kimball to whom we are indebted to living for his infinite care and happy results. Halftones by Empire Photo Engraving Co., Newark and New Brunswick, N. ]. "To be civilized, is to reach that state of personal and collective behavior in which men can live together harmoniously and con structively, united for the betterment of all."-CrcERo PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BY J. J. LITTLE & IVES COMPANY, NEW YORK CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. THE SHEEP AND THE WOLVES I 2. NEATH OAK 7 3· WHAT'S IN A NAME? 14 4· HAMPERED BY SIZE 17 5· EARLY BITS 21 6. THE MAIL COMES IN 32 7· A CoMMUNITY Is FoRMED . 35 8. THE CONES LEAD THE WAY 38 r•i!f 9· THE PATTISONS FIND A PATH 48 IO. THE ALBEES' DISTINGUISHED TRAIL 54 I I. Tm: RoLLINsoNs ARRIVE 63 I 2. OLD HOMES AND NEW . 68 I 3· CoLONIA's CouNTRY CLuB 81 14. CoLONIA Is ONE . 89 ll THE HOUSEKEEPING EXPERIMENT STATION I I 5· N.].S.F. 94 I,",I 16. "CoLONIA ScHooL" 103 17. WE ARE HosT TO A HosPITAL 109 18. ORGANIZATIONS WITH MEANING I 19 19. Tms AND THAT 127 vii I I I' viii Contents I CHAPTER PAGE 20. MANY DISTINGUISHED GUESTS 140 2 I. RELIEF IN THE THIRTIES 145 COMMENTATORS 22. COMMUNITY CENTER EXPERIMENT 149 23· UPPER CoLONIA 155 "THE HISTORY of a nation," Woodrow Wilson once said, "is onlv the history of its villages written large." It is therefore importaO:t 24. CoLONIA LIBRARY 163 that the record of the early beginnings of village life be preserved. 25. \VHAT PRICE GOVERNMENT? 176 The author of this book is to be commended for the interest and zeal which prompted her to gather together all the material 181 26. TAKING STOCK . she has been able to collect relating to Colonia Yesterday and 27. THE GREAT PARKWAY 185 to put it in present form. It is to be hoped that her example may be followed by other communities so that the historians 28. THE TINY TRIANGLE 191 of the future may have a wealth of material relating to New Jersey from which to draw. EMMA v. BALDWIN, President, Library Trustees' Association of New Jersey THE writing down and publication of reminiscenses of all Amer ican towns is an important assignment. It is an even more im portant project here in New Jersey, where so much of our history is flowing out from the little rivers to the sea. From time to time a hope has been expressed that a publishing organization could be organized to put in print such studies as this book represents. The author, therefore, is to be greatly commended for her courage, and her work will commend itself to the interest of all who wish to see clearly how our present is always related to our past and thus affects our future. I am delighted to recommend Colonia Yesterday to all who are interested in Americana, especially teachers of small children growing up in areas with which they are not too familiar. HENRY CHARLTON BECK, Author of Jersey Genesis, etc. ix x Commentators Commentators xi SELF-CONCERN, at the expense of others, carries the germ of its taken for granted. May I say I welcome this book for what it can own destruction, not only is such a motive fatal to oneself do to help other small towns. When the Great Doctrine prevails, directly, but equally so if used to secure co-operation and support all under Heaven will work for the common good, not by com from others. Only when we ignore the basic, so called idealistic pulsion but by free and foresighted choice-in modern high speed. axioms, by which life is governed,-the natural law of cause and Voluntary responsibility in freedom will be our "adventure" for effect,-do we blunder into the blind allies from which there is peace and for pleasure. Noblesse Oblige is a democratic motto far no escape. more than an aristocratic one. Colonia Yesterday seems to unite No greater economic axiom is known than that of 2,000 years these. Its basic substance and its graceful style, in a difficult sub ago-do as you would be done by. Yet, almost every country ject, are to be commended. in the so called civilized world, is foolishly grasping for those JoHN A. H. HOPKINS "unjust economic advantages" over their neighbors, which breed Washington, D. C. war and destruction to winner and loser alike. Nature and human nature balance their own budgets. That choice in action which is the latters gift, seems to fail to realize the LIVING as we do in the middle of the twentieth century, enjoy necessity of striving collectively to spread throughout our whole ing the blessings of a well established social order, we are prone community that health and happiness, without which there is no to take for granted that which is, without stopping to ask our social or personal security. Instead, we seek to acquire blessings selves whence came these customs and institutions with which for ourselves-at the expense of others-and so take the road to we are surrounded, without stopping to consider "were we failure and disaster. For centuries we have so clung to the always as we are?" When, as in the present, world-wide problems antiquated system of "boom and bust" that collectively we appear bear so heavily upon us, there is a tendency to place unusual not to have insight, foresight or courage to change. A truly re emphasis upon far flung events and developments. It is natural markable visualization of this is found in Edward Bellamy's that we do this, for we all know only too well to what a great Equality (written in r 897). A prophetic picturing of the climax extent our lives will be affected by the solutions we reach, or of the twentieth century great bloodless revolution. fail to reach, to problems of war and peace. We strive to gain For nearly 200 years the machinery for an ideal voluntary co information which will help us to understand and interpret in operative has been set up-the power lies in our hands. Why have ternational issues so that the optimum courses of action may we not wisdom enough to see it? Is it not that its simplicity be adopted and supported. It is highly desirable that we do so. requires simple beginnings? National problems, too, call for an understanding and a build "Colonia Yesterday" very definitely suggests a Colonia to ing of an informed public opinion. But while we properly devote morrow and what shall that be? Not a repetition but rather a our attentions to the study of those problems which so keenly new approach, by the individual within the small group, toward affect our personal lives and our national security, we cannot living, from moment to moment, that ideal of democracy; in ignore our local communities. To understand American civiliza cluded in more individual responsibility in individual freedom than tion, one must understand the life of the local community. As the any other known form of government. single cell is the basic unit of the organism, so is the local com We must establish an era of Community spirit and community munity the basic unit of the state. The stronger the local com responsibility and it must begin at the roots-the individual in the munity, the sounder will be the society in which we live. small town and hamlet everywhere. It is too childlike and simple Confucius, in his "Book of Learning," trenchantly expresses this for great crowds until realized by each and every unit, and so relationship when he says, "The ancients who wished to achieve Xll Commentators Commentators xiii the highest virtue throughout the empire, first ordered well their 7. Chatty, conversational bits add much to the joy of the whole own state." as well as arousing and holding reader's interest. A spirit of local patriotism is vital to the survival of a democ 8. Realistic yet inspiring. racy. Local patriotism is nurtured by a knowledge of the origin I have not arranged these in any order of merit-but only as they and meaning of our local institutions and affairs. Since we cannot came to me while reading. "call back yesterday, bid time return," we must rely upon written MARY c. THOMAS, records of local lore and personal memoirs. "You have to know Director, Free Public Library, the people," a real-estate agent will say when describing the ad Rahway, N. J. vantages of living in a particular community. This statement is equally true for anyone who wishes to understand a community and its way of life. THIS Historical Narrative bespeaks not only the sincerity of the And so we turn avidly to little volumes of local history such author, but projects a viewpoint novel in its approach. The sim as Colonia Yesterday to find there the bulwark of our heritage; plicity and individuality of its style is a refreshing departure from and to say with Wordsworth, " ....... he seems of cheerful the ordinarily staid collection of documented data. The survey yesterdays and confident tomorrows." shows not only comprehensive research, but a personalized famili MARTHA J. MORROW, arity with the characters that laid the foundation and developed Head, Social Science Dept.

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