The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1866-01-10
To the Patrons of Liberal Educatio,
IN Addison County.
Friends and Fello,o. Ctsens

the interesting, but peculiar attitude of
Middletury College and bcspeak your
kind and considerable attention. You are
presumed to I've familiar with the history
! Of the institution, its trials and reverscs,
as well as its success and usefulness. Your
fathers brothers, sons or friends, have
been educated within its walls, and there
prepared for stations of influence and re-
sponsibiity in Church and State
Through these educated sons, Addison
County has made an indeliblc impression,
not only upon tho mind of Vermont, but
upon the mind of the nation, and upon
the minds OF many distant nations of the
earth }y what other agency. through
what other channel, could this small terri
tory have cxcrted 80 extensive and so
salutary an influence upon the dcstinies
of mankind In this noble work all
classes and occupations have been repre-
scented. From the farm and the work.
shop, from the homes of the merchant.
the clergyman, the physician and the
lawyer, your sons lave gone forth to col
lege, and thence TO professional and public
life. There have graduated at Middle
bury College during the last sixty. five
years about eleven hundred students, and
of these t'ro hundred and S.rty f,v, very
nearly one Fourth, were from Addison
County. Among them we find many.
who have been distinguished in the sever
al professions Look at the statesmen
that your county has furnished for the
! nation. The small town of Weybridgc
has the honor Of rearing youth, (Silas
Wright whose influence, in his ripper
years, was not surpassed by that of any
other Statesman in the country. William
Shade, the lifelong champion of the rights
OF humanity; Solomon Foot. the present
accomplished Senator, an honor to his
native county, and an ornament to the
councils Of the nation, have given distinc.
ton 10 the town of Cornwall Joel Fur.
rlll, for many years II member of Con-
grcss, and an honored lawyer and Judge
in the state Of New York, was from
Shoreham
The physicians, lawyers, and clergymcn
from Addison County educated at Md.
dlebury, are too numerous to be mentioned
in this brief article. They have. with
few exceptions, honored their count, am!
their professions. The mere mention ola
few names of clergymen will show the
elevated character of some of the more
distinguished Of your clerical sons =: John
p X. llenshaw, Joel II. Llnslcy. Mile.
u. Squer, Eli B. Smith, Stephen DIN.
E. IL Wines, Reuben Post, Henry Smith
and Truman NJ Post. These few names
alone are sufficient to give distinction to
any county or TO any institution of learn
ing. The influence of your social, civil,
and literary institutions has been carried
to far distant lands, by means of your
sons who have gone forth rs missionaries.
Africa, India, China. Persia, the Isles of
the ocean and the Tribes of the forest.
have been enlightened and elevated bv the
christian civilization of Addison County.
In the estimate Of good influences, we must
not omit tue large number of able and self
denying instructors from the teacher of
the district school to the highest officer in
the professional Seminary, who labored
assiduous y for the improvement of their
fellow men. The good effects produced
upon this nation and mankind hy the 265
men from Addison County educated ut
Mlddlebury College, no finite mind can cs-
innate.
notwithstanding, so MANY of your sons
have been taken from the ordinary occu-
pations of life, the industrial pursuits of
tho county have Sustained no injury. Ad-
olson County is admitted to be in advance
OF her sister counties in many department.
OF husbandry, and she can justly claim the
decided pre-emlnence in regard to the
moral and intellectual influence she has
cxerted upon the world. No county in
tins State, perhaps none in any State, has
furnished so many educated men. ami
such mon, in proportion t. its population
For this distinction, the County is indebt-
ed 10 Mddlebury College The College
has honored the County every town has
felt its beneficial inhuence-and in turn
the citizens have shown their appreciation !
ot its value by checifully responding to its
calls for pccuniary aid ms they know
full well, that its only reliance IN time of |
neod is. the good will and liberality Of the
people.
Our number has been reduced, and our
revenues consequently diminished by the
ardor OF our young men to 90 to the de-
Tense of their country. The desolation of |
lire has swept over us, from which we !
had no means to recover but by incur
ring debt. Other Colleges are enlarging
their borders and increasing their facilities
for learning we must do the same or we can
not maintain he position we have h, re-
tofore occupied among the higher Institu-
lions of learning. We need and must
have One Hundred Thousand Dollars,
Many of you are aware that we have
undertaken to raise this sum, and that the |
subscriptions are not payable unless, at
least $4,000 is subscribed We have
at the pres nj time $4,000. To make |
this secure, we must have SIS, 900 more.
l have been to Boston for aid. Our Col
lege Is IN favor there and have met with |
some success, but Boston is the rendez- |
vous Tor agents from all points of the
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