The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1858-06-19
lFr4m esr nigIataY Correspondent
Letter ffom Massachusetts.

BIRkARDTONi juno 10th
Ma EpI0R An inyeteTaie habit Of wr-
ting for ttr pTuss, upon very slight proyooa-
tion, impes your migratory correspondent to
address youa letter from this place Of bis
temporary sojourn, albeit The place may not be
known, 90 much as by name, 10 many Of
your readers, There il no locality not even
an eighty acre lot In tho centre Of IN Illinois
prairie, where may not be seen and recorded
something Interesting, n ono only have tho
disposition, The main things Of interest
here are the educational and the religious IN
situations Of the place,
Powers Institute Is the name inscribed
upon the largest and most handsome building
In the village, II bad rs Origin IN the liber-
ality ofEdwnrd r. Powers, late Of Columbus,
Ga, who by his last win gave the town ~
Beruardston $4,000, half The Income Of
which was to be expended Tor common school
purposes, and the other half for the maintcn-
ance of High School Mr. Powers was
not n native Of Boruardston, but lived there
during bis early hoyhood, 10 give full effect
to his donation, the town voted to erect a
school ediGce worthy Of such o fund, and the
result was the "poVers Institute" subsan-
tial and beautiful building, finely located on
a gentle cmneHcc, overlooking a delighful
Landscape, It's form IS that 81 cross, the
length and width being each G5 feet The
whole cost Of building, furniture, land, aud
grading was $4,000, The school now In
progress, Is under the charge Of l.. +, Ward,
well known in Vermont a. a succossiul teach
or al SaStouh River and Wedminsler aud
q number Of the last Council OF Consors
Bcrunrdston, according TO the last census,
contains only O07 inhabitants, yet in the vii
lage there are five houses Of worship, oecu-
pied by as many different religious societies.
Unitarian, ConRrcgationalist, uniyorsallsi,
baptist, aud Methodist The order ia which
they are named, indicates their relative
throughput ull ofthom must needs be weak,
except as compared with one another. If
every man, woman, and child in town, at
tended public worship, they would not make
five good sized congregations. Three Of the
societies are able to maintain worship only
half the time. In community 10 divided
as this, il is almost matter Of course that
the "Grcat awakening" should produce little
or no effect, as in fact Il has.
To me, the most interesting "insltulion"
Of Bcrnardston, is Israel State, the oldest in
hobitant Of the town, and probably of the
county. lie enters to-day on his 9th year,
but he is as active and vigorous as the aver.
age Of men at seventy. His voice is strong
aud clear, his sight 30 good that he reads his
newspaper without spcciaclcs. and none Of I
his senses impaired except the hearing Of one
ear. In reply 70 an enquiry ancr his health
he said, 81 am as well as ever was" lie
still takes pleasure in labor. Thjs'morning,
before my interview with him, 10 had doac
and been of to a nc,ghbors to get
some staging poles, lie spoke as If he felt
hurt that his son, young man just turned .
Of sc'Suty, refused to let him have sole charge
Of the garden. The old gcntlemans CONVEX
sation is very interesting. lie came into
Bcnardston the year after the town
was incorporated, and there he has lived ever
y'rr'. The entire carly history 0f the town
~ NN lt0 AAttkAN AllAs Nilt 40 n unique
ness in many Of his expressions that gives
them peculiar force. For instance in speak
ing o. his religious experience for he has
been protesting Christian iiOy-six years, lac
said, Il worried over it as much as two
years, before got any peace. | was as CON
trnry as a bull. cycrY linml LuL -uLcnI.Lil
give up had more JOY in month than in
all my lifetime before" Upon my informing
him that family of ladies with whom he
was acquainted many years ago, had remain.
ed unmarried TO a good old age, he remarked,
Il knew those girls would all be old maids /;
there wasn't one of EN- ever had any faculty
FOR getting husband Tho old gentleman
bids fair to live to hundred years, and il
The desires OF his fellow citizens can avail TO
That end, will be pretty sure to do SO, They
will celebrate the centennial anniversary of
The town, on which occasion, should he live,
he will be a most conspicuous figure, May
lime continue to deal gently with him, and
he continue to be a living proof that the
1onry head is crown Of righteousness.
STEEI. PEN.