Orleans County residents in 1800s exhibited strong social consciousness

Posted 4 February 2015 at 12:00 am

Editor:

Congratulations to Tom Rivers for his excellent coverage of Delia Robinson’s recent “Tea With Dee” discussion of abolitionism in Orleans County. (Click here to see “Orleans County favored abolition long before Civil War.”)

If her talk is any indication, there was a time when people here were more progressive than they appear to be today. The creation by government of an Alms House and the socialist notions that we should take care of those less fortunate and educate the poor in public schools (as provided by our Founders) adds credence to a growing suspicion that we may be regressing. The strength of the anti-alcohol effort (Temperance Movement) provides further confirmation of a strong social consciousness in Orleans County.

I guess the energy required to sustain such enlightenment gave way to “Progress.”

Sincerely yours,

Gary F. Kent
Albion