Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-12-25

J1uemeht oI -tsop's cock, which pre-
ierred Tie barleycorn 10 the gem. is irreyer
There is no more dignity ia ancien. Ian
guages than in modern; ancient history :
hot whIt superior to that Of later times q
70 that which we curse YES have made. no
can heathen mythClo " outrank Christianitv
Urtek and Roman literature. il il true "a
once all the world had. and it is still o
gre y etd wond riul value as those OF u,
"Ho fedu only ia translatIons freely concede
out l boIe u be IardOned bv nv more elias
'iea' friends Tor saying that it's relative value
no longer entities 1t 10 a place actually in
front. 10 keep it there only dwarfs the
present age ard prevents a home growth
; us greatest bulk, II must be allowed Is made
J up oi the graces OF oratOry and works Of
lmagInatiJn- unlading flowers. indeed al
language and sentiment-bat which Offer
little ald to matter-of-lact age that rides
upon locomotives and sends messages by the
: electric telegraph Old ideas in sonorops
f periods CT gIIU.ering sentences are not 90
much wanted as something new and OF our
own invention.
1t might not be creditabe to a LAWYER or
phy7lcl4n to be ignorant Of Latin, and GER
ta1nIy IL would be greater discredi5 to a
cIergy lyman to be wholly ignorant OF the Ian
gudge ~ which Paul addressed the Athen-
Iths; but @ exhaust eli 1ht OF the ten years
/ OF student lie il order to excel ia Latin or
4 Greek pIlz3 verses, to an average American
about to embark in the activi les OF AmeIi-
can lie, Is only an elegant fIivolity which
he can easily swap for something more sold
and masculine, Or at least fUr something with
greater promises OF being useful. As well
might we exchange the major mode OIL music
\ or the oTatUlIJs OF Handel Tor the eiag-song
minor Of the Greeks and Romans, as to exait
! their literature above that OF ali later ages
Ancient ii erature, with all it's entlclng las
cfua 10 y and fabulous professions OF ecner-
Gus u, iGIes, had its ofi .iu among those who
I were not uniy neglectui Of trade and com
merce, but VINO were wholly ignorant OF all
the great inventions OF mankind, with the
single exception Of letters and these iuven-
/ u ms, aud tie discoveries in PITY al and
natural sciences, within the last one hun
dred and ~ years, have certainly greatly
increased the knowledge and power of the
race. They Lave made even miracles pos
sble. DIVINE hOnOrs would anciently have
peen paid to their authOls. Can 1t b. that
modern literature IS 10 remain forever in a
secondary position, tile slave OF tile past,
and derive no Impulse from the amplitude oi
Il new forces now everywhere 50 ready to
lend the yiSor and spleudJr Of their as,ls-
tance? Are We never To create anything,
aud 50 remain forever hOpelessly in cebt t.
ancient ayes?
Au exclusively classic sciFline is, how
ever, 10 more inappropriate than eAciu-
-tyely physical discipline. If one IS TOO
fine the otter Is too coarse. Alone or to-
sethcr they are in tie rear of modern civ
lIizttlon.
HIGHER GENERAL EDUCATION a NECESSITY.
A great change has taken place, certainly
IN Amer.c4, 10 tie absolute enauci patton Ot
labor from all legal r,stratnts-all save the
doleiul elGht-hOur straIsht-jacket: and there
is more freedom IN ihc choice OF those stud
les which mas and control the high ways
OF lite InsIead OF fetns the distinction OF
a lew, education IS becoming the right IF al,
and tile distinction OF the many. We live
not only IN new world, but in a era.
Learning steadily advances, and old errors
are tIampIed under foot without murmur
and without fear # a Iapal bull. The State,
well a. the individual, has Ite ambition,
and takes an interest IN multiplying and
holding educated men They are Its excu-
tive, il satIve, aud Judicial supp rts. They
figure IN the Hottest pages OF history. They
turn to use and enjoyment every idle and
leisure scrap OF time. They adOru the press,
the bar, ara the pulpit. They settle national
dItftI,nccs by other IL des than war or, il
war they must, tie power OF an army Of
educated III. n. guided ty educated men, is
sure to tTaUsIeId by lar that Of any equal
number Of uneducatcd.
Tie education If the ploGding stout
wIIlcd German people Les been compulsory
while that 0t the nimble, Hght-bearted
French nation bar been neglected, and their
recent bloody and decisive couAtet shows |
that victory would not be woJed nor won /
by IlIiterate soldiers. Wherever pltted in
the combat, the sch0oled men conquered /
The treachery to be lamented by Frenchmen |
not much that Of the Empire at , d n /
a. that gF the ernuIrp of ignorance amOnp the /
PEOPLE. /
In our own country uDqnestionably the {
northern cOi4mom-schOOl was an uncomputed /
force in tie late war which the South could |
not equally match. Equal in courage, there
was an evident disparity as to the recupera-
tive power Of the personal resources IN re-
serve. In one army there were only soldiers
in tie other, soldiers and always something
more The former were only strong while
they won the iatter strongest when they
lost and had rcGtted. TLoagh led with
skill, the rebel armies did not stop to think,
whIIe the b4yOnet they met were the rep
resentatIves Uf the deepest thought and tue
utmost force OF universal educ tti0n, and
always Of book in the knapsack. Peace
has returl cd 70 the nation, and now that edu
cation will leayen the whole lump. The
best husDandry goes North for its seed corn,
and the South alive with good lanters, will
plant the seed most likely to promote lie
greatest posperlty and happiness. School
must and will ere long have placed and
equal fame in all parts OF common coun-
try.
DENSE POPULATION TO BE PROVIDED FOR.
The United States Is destined to become
one of the most populous nations OF the world
Uue hundred million people are expected
to be represented in the national capital IN
less than thirty years, and hundred and
fifty million in less than fifty years. dense
population is however, almost ms eparable
from come debasement. Scarcely We
hope to increase IN virtues as we increase IN
Therefore we should take wise
precautions, a bond of fate, for the future
conduct oil our pJsterlty. They are to be
taus ht a ouble duty first in their character
as men, and second, their responsibility as
cit zeIs Of tue great Republic. As we make
the mold !, VIII be tie shape OF our destiny
At pressnt the habits Of our rural popuIa-
tion are pure and simple. dense pOPula-
tor. incl e sing veal b, voluptuoue living,
and a materIalistic philosophy, toward winch
tie world Is said to he tending, may change
all this. Let the American CoDgress, then,
not hold back any measure that tends 70 re-
lieve future ptrI', or that VIII lit up the H.
relIectuai and moral standard of the young
and Industrial classes OF our country, anu
these embrace the must part OF that unknown
tbrung which only awaits our exit to croWd
forward on to the age where they are to be
h., nIIots Of State and WELD the poiticl Al
and civil, as well as the moral aud religious
Iorces OF tie New World.
Our popular form off government, how
ever PEACEFULLY disposed, does not challenge
the hearty sympathy OF other less popular
Peace may not forever be