Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-12-14
Middlebury.

the 7th, as the workmen had gone to din.
ner fire broke out in the dry house be-
longing to Messrs. Sweeny and Burrows
in our village. The building is situated
just below the paper mill, south of Sweeny
q Burrows door and blind mandatory,
and north of Ticknor & Goedrich's grist
mill, and of course endangered the build
ings have named. Our fire company
was promptly on the spot, and with an
hours labor, succeeded in putting cut the
fire. Loss of Messrs. sweeuy & Burrows
not over 800.
Willie Dewey, son of Josiah Dewey,
aged 10 years, had the misfortune last
week to break his arm while wrestling
with playmate. The arm was set, and
the little fellow is doing as we'll as could be
expected.
The winter term OF our graded school
commences to-day with the same teachers
ss last term, with Prof A. J. Sanborn as
principal, We hope it may be fully sue
cessful. for no pains will be spared by
Prof. s., and those teaching with him to
make it so. 1t has cost much labor to
put the system of graded school teaching
into successful operation with US, and we
now mean to keep it along on success,
fnl basis, increasing in numbers and in
terest. A unitsd people will never suffer
the present status of our educational in
terests to lapse back into the old system
of thirty or forty years ago. The present
advantages we possess, and the great i'm
provement in our children only show us
what has been lost in past years. But
let the dead busy the dead, the living is
what we are after, that which furnishes
muscle and brains for the world of
thought and enterprise and improvement
But forbesr, for I never get upon this
topic of common school, or rather graded
school education but what I grow enthu-
siastic. But one thing is true, the sub
ieot will never grow stale as long as child
rem are born and have to be educated.
The next lecture in course before the
Lecture Association of Middlebury, will
be delivered on the evening of the 18th
inst, at the Hall of the Graded School
House, by Paul DeChallu, the African
explorer. We anticipate full house as
the lecturer is of world wide celebrity
not only as an explorer, but of genius
combined with talents of high order.
The great event of the past week
with us, was that of the lecture of Fred
erick Douglass, on Sal Domingo, so fine
ly and fully reported by your able re-
porter in the Daily of last Thursday. I.
well remember the time when Mr.. Doug
lass was in our village, some thirty years
ago, in company with Mr.. Bradhurn and
others occurring upon the wickeduess of
American slavery. we'll remember.
also. the abusive treatment he received
at the hands of some. who o-day, IN
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS the course they pursu-
I'd towards him and his associates upon
that occasion. Amid hootings and revel-
ings be stood up the representative of his
abused and down-trodden race, and in
language the most aoathing he denounced
the system of American slavery. portray
ing its effects, not only upon the bodies
and souls of its unfortunats victims, but
its horrible desolating influence upon the
morals, politics and religion of the ma
tion, corrnpting the sources of power, re-
ligions and political, controlling the
churches, Congress and State Legisla-
lures of the country, overriding the judi
ciary and making the national executive |
a aervile tool to do its unholy bidding |
Thirty years have passed away and this
same then abused, honest vindicator of
the rights of man, stands among us in the |
accomplished lecture, and greeted with
rounds of applause from the solid sub
stantial citizens of Middlebrry and sur.
towns. who assembled Ia large
numbers to listen to his matohless eloqu-
eace in support of a measure in which be
takes a deep and absorbing interest.
While he was speaking my mind ran
after by rspacious and blood-thirsty
shareholders, DESTROYS to seize upon him
and crush out from his soul the God in
spring Influences of freedom that urged
bim on in his effort to free his country
men from the calling yoke that bound
hem down to servitude the most CALLING,
and despotism the most damning. He
las lived to witness the emancipation of
he race from slavery, but In a way that
1e little thought lin common with the
est OF us) would be by Divine Provid-
enoa be adopted. He is now in no danger
from fugitive slave law, enacted by
'laveholders and interpreted by r. B.
Fancy, but can go up and down the land
as citizen by the flag of our
county, enjoying all the rights under the
he may ask, and the peer
al least, of the proadest in the
and, and intellectually of some of the
brightest minds that adorn our history's
page. Mr.. Douglass told your correspon.
lent, that he used to, while slave, read
With thrilling interest the anti-sIayery
speeches of Hon. VIM. Slsde, delivered in
Congress, as they were published in the
Inte}fgencer, at Washington,
and that they did much to quicken and
strengthen his resolution to war with the
monster as long as he lived. I was glad
20 witness the hearty greeting that he re-
,eived in our village last week 1t was a
ust, praiseworthy and honest tribute to
personal worth, excellent abilities and
patriotism. Upon the sub
cot of his lecture can only say, am in
asarty accord with his views, and have
oeon, ever since read the report of the
commission headed by honest Ben Wade
[ know that Senator Sumner is most bit
,er in bis opposition to the measure.
But Senator Sumner can have his views