Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-10-02

O. .r .
allowance for them. There were, how
ever, many splendid opportunities for
the Vermont farmer if he could take ac-
vantage of them. Among the peculiar
benefits were, first the character the Yer
monter inherited from his ancestors. /
They as well as he were physical
ly hardy and vigorous ia the male
sex and often bloomed into great
beauty in the woman. The speaker then
alluded in a graceful manner to the ex-
amples before him in the hall, andsaid it
was.a mistake to think that fine features
could only or chiefly be found in aristo-
cratic families. II.
The intellect of the Vermonter was
not rapid but always vigorous, strong
and sagacious, which compensated for
small defects. He was not rapidly en-
thusiastic, even practical to fault, but
had faculty of rousing his energies to
meet the point, however difficult. Morally
he was sturdy, tenacious and reliable; al
ways clinging to belief, though wrong.
Some of his prejudices were as good as
convictions, while others were as faulty
as superstitions This inherited charac
ter was good one to start with; 1t was
not so brilliant as the Southern not SO
enterprising as the Western not so YER
satile as some others in New England,
but stauncher and better balanced
character to start in the world with.
The State was not fast in making its
conviction upon q great question, but
when the farmers had weighed and set
tied a question and pronounced upon it
by popular vote, they were nearly al
ways on the right side. Governor Hoff-
man called us Purtans, and Mrs. Liver
more thought that we were benighted,
/ but history nearly always sustained the
| Judgment OF Vermont ri
The untutored Vemnontcr was nearly
always hard rough and unamiable in
character, proud Of his ignorance He
was brist1ing with prejudice and needed
p. liberalizing and true education in many
ways. 1t was noted as an axiom in the
study of ethnology that those races and
characters that were best under cultiva-
ton were most inferior in their native
State AS examples the speaker men
toned the wonderful change. produced
in the French peasant from his hopeless
ly shallow state and the more favorable
effects of education upon the British
boor. President Bucllharn was able to
| speak of Vermont boys from long and
intimate ae aeluaintance-with them. They
were at first perfect Tartars, with many
/ preiudiees against the process Of educa-
tion. and with a false independence.
Great cxcru0ns were necessary to keep
him from Kicking out Of the traces. 1t
was one of the surprising things of his
experience to see this untutorcd. Yer
monter shooting ahead of those who de
rided him. As Illustrating the character
Of the student Yermonter the speaker
mention some circumstances Which had
come under his notice only the week be
fore, the moral being that no education
is worth the striving for unless it brings
with it the concomitants Of labor and
self-denial. -.
The speaker alluded briefly TO Tho
grange movement, by saying that he was
indignant to see denagogues setting the
farming class against the other class.
In closing the speaker alluded to th(
opportunities for mental culture possess
ed by the farmer. The evenings Q.
theirs can be improved, 50 as to make il
a few years a lifetime Of usefulness
and employment, .......-. .-...--
! The closing paragraphs of Presiden
Buckham's address are so fraught will
information to every reader, that w
, give place to ger5atem report of wha
he said concerning the Agricultural Col
lege and connected subjects as follows
want to say word about the Agri
cultural College. | am glad of an op
- portunity to correct certain mistakel
J notions which have gone abroad respect
ing it. Let me remind you that the &C
of Congress establishing these college
requires them to impart ''a liberal an
! practical education in the various pun
: suits and professions of life, and. to Civ
instruction Sin branches relating to agri
culture and the mechanic arts. Ac
! cording to the terms of the grant, tn
. College is required to be not only a
agricultural college, but a college of tn
q mechanic arts, in which young men ca
:, be fitted for the various pursuits an
, professions of life If, therefore, th
farmers of the. State can call the c0lleg
! to account, as they may, so can th
: manufacturers, so can the mining intel
:. ests of the State, SO can the railroad an
the mercantile interests. We are, i
fact, required to teach branches relatin
o to agriculture and everything beside
a Some of you may recollect that a yigo
% Gus effort was made to establish an indt
Il pendent and strictly agricultural collegt
,r The Legislature chartered such an inst
tuition, and Governor Smith, Senate
n Nhen Representative Morril, and p. .
n Washburn, went over the State trying |
,e interest the farmers in the Institute
"a and to secure something of an endoV
" ment in addition. to the Congresion
sr grant The agricultural college, in fac
E. went about the State begging to be take
10 in somewhere, to be housed and dowert
A. with a grant of land. But this effort w
e. a complete failure. The Legislature th'
Id appended the agricultural college to Il
Il, University of Vermont, but did not .
most of the States have done, add {
j. acre of land or a cent of money for ca
B. rying out the purposes of the act
Congress. And to this days the State
ct Vermont has not contributed doll
,e- to the State Agricultural College, 8
id called In the Legislature which chs
he tered the college, a large majority OF. t
he members, being, as, usual, farmers, the
was so strong a feeling against a nart
bos i lah5,rs schoo1 that q clause was