Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1863-02-10
ny HENRY WARD BEECHER.

red miles wide and long, and seems to have beer
made up Of the fragments and lea.ings, after tn,
rest Of the continent was made Its ribs stick
out beyond all covering it has sand enough tC
scour all creation (Iaughter) there are no large
rivers, but there are many nmble little ones, tha
seem to have been busy since the flood, in taking
exercise over r.Its and rocks. Its indigenous pro
ductions are ce Indians and trees. Its wild
fruits are whorlleberries and chestnuts. About
the time that this part Of the continent was first
explored, great plague had swept off large
portion OF its Indians. Trading and commercial
edventurers had endeavored to effect settlement
in vain The place seemed too hard for indians
and rowing traders. This tongue Of land was set
apart, apparently for a wilderness, and il had pc
OuIiar sptItudes for keeping men away from it
lis summers were short, its winters long its rocks
nnumerlble, its soil thin. Bounded TO the north
by hyperborean cold, to the east by endless for
ests, to the south by the ocean only TO the west
was there an Opening through which the people
could make their way out, should there ever be a
population To settle this cold, sterile and som.
bre corner Of the creation, a race of men was
raised up cAllt the Purilans. Naturalsls tell Us
that every plant has It's insect, and every animal
its parasite so there mu,tbe some sort Of animal
adapted to live on these shores and that animal
was the Puritan. The Puritan vas not described
by Cuyrr or by any naturalist None Of the
modern ethnographers Laye given attention to
this class OF beings. They have been described
in popular literature and in newspapers and il
we may not believe them what shall We believe
(Laughtrr.) Taking our idea from political
speeches and newspapers, the PIritan wasa hard,
tough, gaunt creat1rt, utterly devoid OF taste and
Of the finer affections, but excessively endowed
With holy combatlyeness. lie was always to be
seen with his eyes esrle-bound, and sanctimOnlous
hce whenever they were lifted it was to tind
fault, or money, as the case might be. Heis sup
posed to regard oil men as wrong but himself
his vocation IS to put oil things right. Therefore
be i, the mora tinker OF the universe, ami is for
mendiog rips in morals, and putting patches upon
conduct generally, making up the dtticences he
detects in Providence and creatop. Like the
seabird be is ever on the wing and never better
pleased than in storm. This character nisst,
the whole Western continent, and causes more
disputes, controversies aad exc,lements than all
the rest Of the population put together. No other
character could have lived in New England, and
nothing else could live there If he did. He was
tougher than the stone, dier than the sand more
obstinate than the seasons, and indeed, some
nstural,ls tell US tha. since the Purltans settled N
New England, It's climate has grown much milder
even New England winters could not stand the
eternal faullfndng # the Purlllns. (Laughter)
As long as this controversy between nature and
the Puritan was confined 10 New Enghnd, men
we're patient. BIT within hundred years, We
have seen great misches introduced upon the rest
Of the contlr ent There is The He,smn fy, that
has robbet millions on millions of dohrs fr. n
the wheat crop there are weeyls, and blghts,
and the curcullo on trees and then We have the
Canada thistle, the very Yankee Of botany
sharp, hungry and prolific with q mil ION Of seeds
and eNeil st,d se,~ ~ st'"~si e'~"''b ''" N'''
a. fa,, when YOU cut il up by The roots as wheD
Won let alone. Among all these, none nave
been 30 much deplored as the spread OF tie an-
kee. lie is the plague Of the Continents goes
everywhere; engages in eyeYthlngi is always
and everywhere the same dsputing, meddlus
,pforminp character be was in Engand, and IS "a
New England, and seems likely to be until the
end of the world Agiiator in politics, dlspu'an'
in theology, fauIt-fndtr in moral, prliog VI
peaceful citizens houses TO see 1t The undtrtlh
INC is ssfe-the yender Of gmcracSs to every
hou.ekeeper, he has always some ne" wa! o
grinding. or serewing, or twisting or rolling ol
churning or knitting, or sewing. or ploSlng l'
show. His plows and washing machines "o1i'
build the Chinese wall. The Puritan YANKEE ha
At las. exhausted the patience OF the SAINTS OF IN
plantations, and they have determined 10 nun
him home to his dem" as Mr.. Cox OF ONO saw
and to shut him up there all ly himself
would sugges therefore, that all the YANKEE -
yentions be collected and awill be built oil ~
carts, pows, reapers, churns, sewing maehlne'
clocks, stoves, and all the conuiyanees which tn
indelatipabe Yankee has invented, and that a
the Yankee books, spelling'books, reading BOO
histories, biographies, theological book''-o
pled upon the top of these, and that II be rer
dered swfu to shoot any Yankee who attempt
to scale the wall and then it may be hoped thA
ler, to fee upon these, they may become refine
beyopd the body, and perldventure the who
stock may ri.e some winoy day in blessed lransN
ton and leave the world in peace, TO shudder
nothing any more, except the remembrance OF u
horrld Yankees cloud laughter and applause
La,ing aside these important views il may
well to c,nsider-coming down into more sob
yays-some Of the facts and influences when al
connected with the reputation which New In
land has achieved.
The American people are conglomerate Pc
pie. Even early in their history they were
ried people, but only within The last MY yea
has emigration been so great as 10 have We
marked and apprecable effect up~n lhs popu
ton Of the country. That there should be am u
sol many men OF various natlonallties, more OF i'
national prtju llces was to have been expeele'
the wonder is that there shoAld have been so ie
II has hardly amounted to an appr, ciable fncli
in the social machine for the country ne
and all the men have been needed ior It's de'
opnent. Taere has been work for all and pr
perity TO all and men who are thriving are
dom given TO hatrrds. But there has been sol
prriudice. The strongest has been against
African. The reason for tha, has been both
sonal and political. lie wears the bad g Of
race in feature and complexion His whole hg
marks him not only rs one differing from oth'
but differing ou,wardly and mlniiestly aud
will always expose a race to prejudice and lnlu
But the pteudice has been more political o
for his race is slave race, and slavery has
WAYS been regarded, by all nations, not only a.
misfortune, but a degradation. That stigma
passed over from those who are slave 70 those
are free Of this race. Next IN prtlua0e STA
the lrishmin. 1t is, however, not against
Irish as class. but against the lrisn JUST &C
over, that this prejudice has existed ohi!
against the gnurant the rude, the quarrels'
Irish that this prejudice has existed. lhe mon
they or their children 60 to our schools, or o'
to rise in our community, then the prejudice
gone. Next to the negro aud the lrlshman is
Yankee. The prejudice against him lsreally v
spread and deep.rooled No one who has |
only ia New England can form any coneeptlo
the extent of this prejudice in the South
West. 1t is educated into people. Ear
=. Al. ~, ,lI.an, ,hflIrpn intuSp