Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1843-09-15
STATE CHooL FUND.
NO. s.


When the May Flower disembarked the pilgrims
upon the rock of Plymouth she deposited the germ
of future Empire. And of what did this germ,
this embryo, which was 10 deveupe and unfold all
the present and future glory and greatness of New
England and of this republic, consist Was il in
arts, arms, or wealth. or physical power and en-
ergy In neither. 1t consisted in tcrm Of mind,
subdued by moral and mental culture, slip from
the present stock, among whose fruits were found
civil and religious liberty. Destitute Of power and
patronage, in the depth of poverty and prlvation
cast out from all communion with civilized society,
oppressed with famine aud pestileDce Thrown up
on strange, unknown and inhosptable coast, in
the depth of northern winter without house, or
heritage home, in the face of hostile savages, in
the midst OF bowling wilderness, with no shelter
but the lowering sky, and no floor but the frozen
earth. This germ offuture greatness, and glory Of
this republic destined, under Providence, TO
survive and il did survive, and lis fruit now fills
the land Planting ourselves upon the rock of
Plymouth in 1910, and looking down through the
vista of 1863 years, all the changes which have since
interviewed, would then have been in prospect, all
was to be borne and suffered accomplished and per
formed, enjoyed and participated in, by those pill
grims, their descendants and associates. But
through what changes and conflicts were the de-
scendants of the pilgrims destined in the course of
providential events to pass Their own sustenance
to be secured, liabilities 10 be erected and de-
Tended, against the attacks of hostile savages chill
dren to be educated; the wilderness TO be cleared
roads and bridges TO be constructed governments
TO be established school and court houses church.
and colleges TO be built, sustained and endowed;
wars with savage tribes and with the French nation
to be maintained and our independence of the moth.
cr country TO be achieved in short all the labors
and tolls privatons and sufierings, which the his
tory OF this republic has since recorded 10 pros
pect, were cheerfully encountered and successfully
surmounted. And how amazing are the results p
| What but Omnipotence could have accomplished
them. Surely "a little one" has become ga thou
sand and a small one a strong nation"
! And shall we learn nothing from the past Is il
in vain that this book Of experience is open before
US All which has been accomplished is among
| the possibilities, aud may be again performed 1t
was mental and moral energy, which, under Prov-
dence, accomplished such sublime results. No fun
ded wealth no ancestral patrimony; founda
tons of intellectual, ecclesiastical civil insttu-
tons enriched, with the accumuating contributions
OF centuries of their progenitoIs come TO the aid Of
the destitute and irendless pilgrims in their labors
and struggles to found an empire of christianized
! frecmen but God and their mental and moral
energy their reliance, and these were found
| sufficient.
! Let us now suppose the May flower had been
freighed with the Rothchds, the Earrings, the
Arkwrghts, aud other Cr9suses Of Europe, that
these Lords of the mammon OF unrighteousness, in
stead of The pilgrims had landed on the rock at
| Plymouth Behold them their mind is upon their
treasures all their thoughts and energies centre in
them; all their duties are in self they feel no
warnings TO benefit others, to found an empire
OF cultivated happy fTecmen their wealth is their
ALL and shut out from the rest of the civilized world
they in the condition Of the miser whose spring
lock has caught and ncurceracd him, with his bags
Of treasure, beyond the power of escape. Let us
leave them there, and let there be inscribed on the
rock of their landing Thy money perish with thee,
for so indeed il would Instead of the untold bless
ings ola free, independent enlightened and chris
tanned community, which overspreads this
republic, the fact, that such event had oc.
Cured, would probably be unrecorded in history.
4 Again ask shall we never learn IRON the past
experience of mankind What should we now
think of the wisdom of the pilgrims if, in their
ly history they had soemnly set apart portion OF
their 'scanty pittance, 10 educate generation Of
: their descendants 260 years come that save
us from the trifling tax, which we now pay TO sup
port schools they had trenchcd upon their shor
and scanty means of education, and instead of be
f queathing 10 us intellectual and moral wealth, they
6 had transmitted TO us fund, with directions 10 ed
ucaie ourselves? Could we entertain, for them
the respect do, knowing that all their avail
able resources were Immediately invested in banl
of mind, where the increase would certainly be
gemet:ical progression, always advancing, instead
Of metallic fund, which rust would corrupt, %
: which thieves might be expected TO steal' Blu
what Justice could there have been, in the pilgrims
anticipating the burdens which ought TO fall upor
each generation of men in their day The burden
, 10 be cast upon generation TO come, in sustaining
the institutions of the country, will not only be tol
: cradle but doubly salu,ary. And why not lei eve
| nv man and every generation OF men bear their owl
burdens Such is the condition of humanity, tina
without pressure, without trial. without conflict tn
perfect man in all his proportions cannot be devel
oped. 1t is the tree, always rocked by the blast
which alone can resist the hurricane. What is tru
, of man is true Of communities of men. We say a
i gain man is what necessity makes him and gen
Grafton of men will be what the circumstances an
the complexion of the times make it. 1t is not wan
but weelth, which may dissolve the bonds Of socie
IL ILL., Al
L IA, with its conconiitants luxury and soth, whic
: will induce national paralysis.
" What may be done in the infancy Of society, b
: people in their penury and poverty, may be see
in the history Of this state. The present and pas
l. generations have been educated by those, poor i
,f resources. The money required was collected b.
private contribution or by direct tax, and this nc
y from the abundance of the rich, but of the penur
{ of the poor This has been done while laying dee
the foundations of the turure prosperity OF the cour
l. try. More than 1000, of the debt due the schoC
!, fund was swallowed up in erecting the State Hous,
} u monument of the liberaty of The present timei
e as enduring, as the massey granite OF which IT
II composed. But for the attempt to accumulate tn
q school fund, the State of Vermont would not prot
! ably have owed one dollar. Had the Legislatur
70 passed the law, last session directing the Treasure
5 Ia cancel the debt due that fund.- the State of Ve
II mont could have met every dollar Of claim upo
,s her Treasury, leaving the United States depos
fund untouched, and surplus, Of probably $50 ,OU
e due the Treasury. And can il be just that TO a
e. the burdens nsep arable from the first settlement
the Country, there should be superadded dire
. tax upon men, who have educated themselves
~ accumulate fund for the purpose Of exempting Il
D. men Of another generation, from the lrhng tax n
cessary to educate their children "
II is unreasonable, that our Successors Centui
hence should tax themselves, to support comma
schools, at least to the extent required to meet Il
deficiency of the United States deposit fund.- appr
prated 10 this object And here it may be proper
M remark, that in some towns in this State, the I'm
ed States deposit fund with other resources at the
y command, is nearly or quite sufficient to meet Il