The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1855-11-10
st. sobnsburp Eitttarp snstitats.
FOURTH COrRSE-LECICHE I.


The Old Wsrld end the New.
The first lecture Of the fourth course be-.
fore the st. Johnsbury Literary Institute.
was delivered on Friday evening Of last
week. by Hon. Charles B. Haddock. late
Charge T.4fairts to Portugal The lecturer
announced his subject as a comparison be-
tween tile Old World and the New. All
comparisons Of such nature, he said, must
necessarily be general in their application,
and liable to many exceptions still, in illus
tratng the remote by the near. the whole is
in degree famiIiarized to U.S. This has been
done so many times, and such are the facili
ties for each one to see for himself, that it is
already quite familiar; still, so much more
pleasing is it to hear from the lips of an eve
witness than to read from the dull pages of a
book. of the scenery and people of other
lands, that we are never tired of listening to
the story Of the traveller
Tn gIancing at the map, the resemblance
of the continent Of Europe to the United
States, rather than the contrast. strikes the
behold"r. Bounded by the same parallels
of latitude, their climate and productions are
much the same. They are diversified alike
by mountains. rivers, and valleys. No vast
soituies of interminabie deserts or steppes,
which confer such a dcsoiatc grandeur upon
Ac1o - II IL
by the same bold race, who have fought their
way westward from the great mother of ma
tons. The first thing which strikes
the traveller as he sets foot ON European soil.
Is the venerable air OF age which belongs 10
every thing. The rocks are gray the fields
smooth with the cultivation of ares: the ,erv
children are antique. and play old fashioned
games around the crumblinS door-rosts of
moss-covered houses Not stump can be-
seen never is heard the sound of saw or
hammer in the building of new h,u>e.-
There is no letting in the cheerful irht of
heaven upon virgin forest soil \ ycr!urr
beautiful. but suggestive Of are. greens over
palace and cottage, and sof:cns down the ruc
ged outlines into picturesque and graceful
symmetry. In cultivation there is
more care, and the science Of agriculture, i,
better understood AID more thoronplIv rr,r
ticcd. But there is nothing in all Europe
with the possible exception of Tie south Of
Russia which can compare with our Western
pralr'es. II the comr,->on hctx
tended to scenery. ours is hcilcr more rao
nIhcent and on a grandcr scale Our rivers
chains of mountain>. lakes waterfalls. ..,r
c>tS. AMI i,rairirs are in striking contrast with
the narrower dimensions Of theirs. III Al
most impossible 'or Lar Ican to conrrr-
herd the va>'nr>> OF our li>tanrcS \ Goa.
tincnt stretching from ocean to OCEAN. and
rcachn" thror.h twenty four ,,,.,r.c> Of lar.
i'u1 are 'h'n.> aln,o>, f,iulou, TO An inh,1.-
liant Of he GA Wol'}.
Bot all this q and, NJ Of ,i>.earc and i'm.
n'cn>i'v Is more 'hfn made ~ ia Viz, .,i>.or
cal interest which is a>Socia'cd with every
thing in .hc Cd Worl "a, !.
rnre has IT'S memories Of some n,,nr or event
connected with he history Of H.. worl l.
is these r'oq'!'n mt remains If Tie pas. Which
though dead vet speaks. that 60 c,.clain III.
Memories &c long ago hover
around spots conS"rratrd Nv the gcniu> ard
daring Of The wor,l's heroes To il'u>tra.c
The Avon is a common place stream crouch
II one knows not rs name. and rc:Hml,.r>
neither k"niIw"r'h. War~ick Castle. nor
Shakespeare" TIL" Thames Is SURPASSED hv
many q: our minor rivers I'm. hr>i,l. none O,
tl"m stands >uh a University a. tia. of Ok.
ford. and one of them all flows th,ounb
such city AS Lon1on.-thc centre of The
worlds commerce with its Westminster Al
hrv. rich in thousand associations of roya,
" and Q. nius. and is lannon's Tower. clou,oo.
in many passages Of English r.rnwr. Or.
must be on The spot to Zee! The fall force Of
these Suggestions TO his inner self. Th.
ground, the AR. or some subtle int'ucnrc tha.
escapes detection breathe an ins,ira.ion no,
canoht without them
Dur own country is not wholly without its
"reminiscences Of the past still. it is not lc-
ccndary. Every thing is authentic There !
are names and dates fo- every occurrence I
There is no fabulous era in orr history
macic-no supcrhuman accncicS-no mira.
cl"s, crusade>. nor chivalrv. Every thing is
fact and we are matter Of fact Moo
pie. This is not thing of merit or tcmcr
H-n"' Thing to regret or TO re- locc az, II
is simply fact. As people we had no
youth. We sprung from the head Of .Juri
ter, ready armed and equipped. and went to
work in earnest, doing the ihi"cs that came
nrpermo>t. a marvellous past. rich in le Il
yends, and fruitful in the gathered harvest
# centuries, is no part Of our inheritance II
Dur lives are spent in buying. selling and O.
getting gain. "
In looking at the people of England France Il
md the Peninsula. you find them distinguish
ii by uniformity Of dress and manner Il
Persons OF one class can be readily known il
rom all others by these peculiari,ies alone. II
They are moulded by their institutions and
'ducation in the same pattern The case is
precisely the reverse with US, so much 50 ~
I,ok~