Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-08-18
Ruriington---Ets Institutions.
BURLINGTON, Aug. -.

Editor Rutland Herald When wrote
to you last waek about Commencement
promised another letter soon about mat
ters and things generally in Burlington
but the days have slipped by go rapidly
that had almost forgotten it, and, to be
frank, I'm afraid that the extreme heat
has made me most lamentably Indifferent
to the moral aspect of broken promise
The Commencement guests have de-
parted and the city seems quiet after the
hustle Of last week. The only theme that
will rouse a native BurlingtoDian to gen.
unine enthusiasm at present Is the Caugh-
nawaga Canal, in whose prophetic shadow
be sees a hundred thousand coming i'll.
habitants advancing from the East, the
North and the South to make of his city
the great metropolis of New England.
Some generous souls among them predict
that the growth of business will be so
great that even Rutland will feel the i'm
pulse from afar and take a new start
IN the path of prosperity. Others, more
greedy, claim that Burlington will absorb
the LIES blood of all rivals, and that the
dav that ri YES her q hundred thousand
inhabitants will see grass growing in the
streets of Rutland. Time will show Are
you not to have a canal at Rutland also /?
To go back a little to subject of last
weeks interest, which is of interest now
AZ well Every friend of education, and
of Vermont, must ejoice in the manifest
prosperity of Vermont University. Since
its organization under it's present charter,
four years ago, it has been steadily ad-
vancing. The number of students has
increased, the faculty has been enlarged
and new courses OF study have been estsb-
lished in modern languages, analytical
chemistry, agriculture and civil, mechan-
ical and mining engineering, also a medi-
cal department with regular annual
course of lectures. Students may select
any OF these courses, or partial courses
without becoming candidates for degree
Unusual facilities for the study of pranti-
cal chemistry, especially valuable to the |
Medical or Agricultural student, are pre- |
sented by the new Laboratory said to be |
the finest in the country. In the absence |
Of Prof. Collier, cannot give as many |
particulars of its fitting up as L would like, |
but can safely say that every convenience
for manipulation and experiment are pro-
vided. Each student is furnished in his |
place with blowppa, stile, retorts and all |
needful apparatus, so that the experiments |
instead of being shown by the instructor
in presence Of the class, are performed by |
each one with his own hands, giving |
greatly increased interest and advantage
to this branch of study. All this has |
been done without sacrificing, in any de- |
gree, the thoroughness of the old classical |
course, and under its present faculty, no
one can predict for the University any,
thing but most brilliant success.
Since I wrote you last I have visited
the Vermont Episcopal Institute, and
been much interested in its history. l
think few people in Vermont outside the
Church to which it especially belongs, are
aware how much credit it reflects upon
the State, or how much of its success is
due to the energy and liberality of Rev.
Theodore Hopkins, who has had charge of
it from the beginning. The buildings
were planned and erected by Bishop Hop
kins, at a cost of $4,000, from funds
volnn tarily nnnfrihntAd ny f-;~-,I- - 49,
enterprise from all parts of the United
States. They now belong to the Diocese {
of Vermont In the fall of 1860, when
Mr.. Hopkins first lease began, there stood
the bare unpapered walls, without. cist
ems, outhouses, feuces, roads or paths of
any description. The lease was for five
wears, and the rent which was high, was
to be applied by Mr.. Hopkins to such i'm
provements as the trustees should approve.
Mr.. Hopkins has just renewed his lease
for the third term of five years, on about
the sumo conditions under which the
whole place has been brought to the high
est point Of improvement The inside
admirably furnished and fitted for the
convenience of pupils and teachers, and
the grounds terraeed and ornamented |
with gravelled roads, green sward and |
shrubbery, with fine parade ground for
drill and beach for bathing The reputa-
ton of the school has been thoroughly as-
tublished as one which trains its pupils to |
be "well educated christian gentlemen"
No scholar is admitted without a certif- |
cate of pure moral character, from his |
former instructor. The pupils, who nun
bered the first year only seventeen, have |
a nj
there sixty. There are eight teachers, ali |
of whom are of Mr.. Hopkins own train
ing, and the course embraces every thing
needed, preparatory to entering West |
Point or the Sophomore class at College, |
with French, German, and music on the |
piano and organ. Mr.. Hopkins pupils !
have entered and stood high in almost |
every college in the country, as they have
come to him from all parts of it-this |
year from Buenos Ayres, Cuba, Florida |
and almost every State in the Union. 1t
is fact very favorable to Mr.. Hopkins
that in more than twenty instances he
has had two and three boys successfully
from the same families, and they have re-
manned with him from three to five years
this last embracing his whole course.
Among the best features of this school
rank the military drill, which is, 1 be-
ieve, growing more and more into favor /
as q means of mental and moral, as well |
as physical discipline for young. men.
The habit of instant, exact, unquestion-
ing obedience is one which cannot be too
early formed or too highly valued as an
element of moral ira ming and the neces-
sary rapidly and precision of thought
makes il an ,quaily valuable exercise |
for the mind. 1 regard no boys education
as complete who has not learned military
drill. Could not something equally
beneficial be devised for girls? Or, under
the new system of things, is il unnecessary