The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-07-22
Vermont and NermOntcrs.

lot tue hlutnUl uinHeT, WAS 100 long 10 DC
read and still Of too much interest for
omission, so it is given through the pub.
lie prints. 1t will repay careful perusol:
Gentlemen of the Committee In an
article upon colleges, written not many
months since by one Of the ablest writers
of Connecticut, found a remark like
this " The little State of Vermont, small
in population, but great in the men it
produces" II reminded me of remark
once made by the President of the Col.
legc, at an alumni dinner. He was be-
speaking the earnest cooperation Of those
present, in behalf of the college and
urged as one Of the reasons, that within
the radius Of our Alma Mater was to be
found some of the best material for scho-
arship on the face of the earth. Doubt.
less such remark would be tolerated in
family meeting of this kind, Of almost
any Of our colleges. but those Of us pres
ent, who were natives of the state, hear.
ing it from an honorcd president who was
not a native, felt not little fattered by
such an honorable mention Of the stami.
na Of our race. Being myself descended
from one Of the + F. VS. of the common
wealth, I remember that afte. l became
old enough to have any knowledge of the
college, aud to hear from its inmates and
its friends, had ingrained into my con-
stitution the same opinion Nearly all
the good and great people that then
knew lived, or had lived, in Vermont
and as | have read the remark of some
old writer, "that Providence sfted three
kingdoms to get the wheat to plant New
England so could well believe that
the same power had siftcd the rest Of
New England to get the wheat to plant
Vermont
Deriving my origin from such an hon.
ored source. chcerfully accepted the
conclusions to which my youthful train.
ing had brought me at the time Of my
graduation.
On my leaving college, friend who
was a native Of Massachusetts, having a
numerous relationship and acquaintance
in that commonwealth, which he desired
to visit, took me in his private convey.
ance to TIE western part of the state,
whence we leisurely travelled eastward
until we reached the seminary at And
over.
We visited many friends, saw much
people in various positions in life, but |
met With nothing to change my early
opinion Of the superior character of the
good people of Vermont
After being at the seminary a few
months, | walked about five miles, one
Saturday afternoon, to the house OF a
clergyman who was expecting some stu.
dent to lend him little aid in his work
On my arrival | was kindly received by
some member Of the family, and given a
seat in the paror. When the good lnan
came in presented my note of introduc.
ton. lie read my note, took a survey Of
my person, and inquired, "At what col.
egc did you graduate ?" " Nliddlebury
sir." Thar Is In vermont = " \ es
sir" Are ycu native of Vermont p
" | am, sir" The old man drew his hand
over his long gray locks that flowed down
upon his shoulders, aud said d" Well
when | was boy they used to say all
the rogues run away to Vermont
oh, for some power the gifte gle u.s.
To see ourselves others see us"
1t may well be supposed that this NJ
expected revelation gave tremendous
shock to my state pride. The whirlinl
sensations which followed | will not at
tempt to describe. But when had re.
covered my equilibrium | saw all the his
torical qualifications of my native state
tilted out of order, and | resolved to ex
anime the different layers. did not g
down to the " Old Red" for all the In
dans aud their descendants have disap
peared from the territory. But ther,
was one stratum made by the tories who
in the time Of the revolution, found 81
lodge in this far off wilderness. fount
another made by the Shays' rebellion
men, who when fred upon by the troop
of Lincoln, threw down their guns anC
ran to this hiding place as to Il city o
refuge; and one of them declared to hi
dying day, that from the time he threw
down his gun in Springfield, he neve
stopped running till he got into Vermont
Then came to another layer. Man,
years since, u great conspiracy was dis
covered in one of the states against tn
peace and dignity of another portion o
this great republic and if We may judg
of its enormity by the stain it has 6xet
upon the state, and the frequency tina
journalism throws it in her face, 1t mus
have been very great. | know that man,
persons went fron that state to Vermont
but have not met with the page of hi
tory ou which the emigration of thcs
conspirators is recorded. But what
that layer which We learn in college?
All the rogues ran away to Vernon
Wooden nutmeg makers are rogues
therefore they rau away to Nermon,,
Then found "a somewhat niscellru,
GUS layer. 1t has two leading character
istics horse thieves aud sheep -,raer
Et id ,mne genus.
This, thea, is the sitting to get tn
wheat to plant Vermont!
Now, since, as Burns has writer
f" Facts are chiefs that Wilma ding"
, felt obliged to accept the situation an
make the best of it. Memory came
my help. One of.the speakers in a di
logue, on a certain Commencement da
had made this remark in my hearing
a " Rattle-headed boys make the best mil
isters" Some notable examples, r
!. membered, were quoted at tho time
1 those who heard it. So, also, | had rot
a in Burns poems
v For oft ragged cawte's been known
: To make Il noble niyer,
>, An ye may dowely fill throne,
II For all their clish ma -claver,
e Than him of Aigincourt who shone
.rl Few better were or brayer,
- An yet with Jamie, queer sir John
II lie unco' shaver
l. For monte day
e Encouraged by these sage remarks,