Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-11-06

the heroes and sympathzo with the heroic
In our national history; we claim kinship
with all the great and good who have
wrought their lives into the common life of
the nation; we feel their greatness of soul
communicating itself to us, and awakening
in us noble and generous emotions. Some
men, carried away by the vanity Of specu-
lation, have invented kind OF philosophic
patriotism whose country should DO tho
world, whose citizenship mankind, whose
allegiance should be rendered to the laws Of
the universe. But such dead distractions
have no power to swell the heart with great
hopes and fears, or stir the blood to heroic
actien. Tho men without country, the
men whose patriotism is so broad that It
cannot coniine itself to any one land, the
Anacharsis Clootses, the 'orators and advo-
Gates Of tho human race" are sure to be
men without character, and are, by the con-
ccntrated breath of mankind Kissed of the
stage of history; while the men who ate
willing to strive and die for the land they
call their own, whether it is rs small MS
Athens or Switzerland or MS large rs the
United States, ARE held in undying affection
and honor; and next to these, men place
the poets and orators who in each nation
have best succeeded in giving voice to the
passionate love of the people for their home
and country, as him who sang, "Scots wha
hao wi Wallace blcd," or "Breathcs there
man with soul so Dead" or rs him who
uttered great nations prayer in the ever
memorable passage beginning, when my
eyes shall bchold for tho last time the sun In
the heavens"
We ought not to disguise 1t from ourselves
that the patriotic feeling is exposed to great
dangers in our time, This may seem
strange thing to say Just AFTER such splen-
did exhibition of national feeling rs our late
war brought forth. But boar in mind that
the generation which displayed so noble n
patriotism had come up under different in
fluences from those now prevailing. We
have oHtgrown the Fourth of July with its
patriotic associations and appeals, which, If
they were sometimes disIigured by bragga-
docio, yet kept up the memories Of the hero
ic period Of our history--and what have we
in its place that will exert half is educating
power? lfthcre had been no Fourth Of Ju-
~, there had been no Gettysburgh, no
Emancipation Proclamation, and no thir-
teenth Amendment. With tho exception Of
the speeches Of the great national orators,
Horny, Webster and Clay. now fast becom-
ing obsolete to our young men. we have no
patriotic literature. no national epic, no
songs, like those of Dibdin and Campbell,
Berangor and Arndt, not oven popular
history. Tho only American history which
aspires 10 be n classic is SO bulky and so
costly rs to DO rarely found out OF public
libraries Most Of our American historians
write the histories Of other countries than
our own. Our great poets, with the eNcep-
ton OF Whittier. take their tone and most OF
their subjects from England. or Spain. or
Italy Our scHlptors make Greek slaves
and Zcuobias. Only two states and Ncr-
mont one OF them have thus far hung upon
the walls Of their Capitols battle scenes con-
memou,tlng tho vnlor of their sons in the
late war. What ARE we to depend upon for
sources Of patriotic inspirations Meanwhile
our young children are taken abroad in
crowds to BIO educated. and missing in their
susceptible years the impressions which
their young minds and hearts ought to be
receiving from home scenery. institutions
and history. they come back to regret the
lost pleasures OF European capitals.
The greatest possible calamity that could
happen to Vermont regarded as u school
for men. would be the Influx and prevalence
Of irrrligion. In that event though we
might raise still n certain kind OF human
animal valuable for many purposes, and
might produce even an inferior order Of in
tellect fit for some Of the mental drudgory
| that has 10 bc done. the world would have
to look elsewhere for It's men.
GertiemcH Of he Ddirp,Hcn's AssocidtioH:
hold it to he n worthy object Of ambition
to make good butter and cheese, and II I
could have contributed in any way to the
immediate object Of your association, |
should certainly have been proud to do so.
/ am sure | can say Tor all who are your
| guests tonight that nothing which affects
| butter Is foreign % US But took il for
| granted that in inviting me to address you
at this time aud In this place, you wished Il
to bo understood that your society had other
/ NAIFAA1 AAlAh AlNN uN'it VI
In fact. the officers Of tho society, whom they
did me tho honor to invite me to speak,
said that they considered the object Of the
association TO bo largely educational, there
by relieving me from tho suspicion Of intru-
sion in speaking TO such body, and sug.
gesting to mo almost the only subject on
which | could speak to them without ON.
/ bar IL nAlaln lhtnU IN, al
any society, and hope il meant moro than
simply to ease the way for me. II ought "a
mean-and / shall assume II did mean
that you arc more interested in men than in
cattle. and in cattle mainly for the sake Of
men. 10 produce a fine herd OF Ayrshire'
or Jerseys is something to bo proud of tc
raise and train for usefulness n race OF men
is something far better Give us. gentle
men, tho very best specimens Of cattle that
your combined science and skill can pro-
duoe, aud VIC will applaud and honor you rs
real boneihctors TO our state; but let us see
to Il that in tho worlds fair our men anC
women take first prizes. know Of no sgr
Of the times more hopeful than the dissatis'
faction Of farmers with their relative posi-
ton in society. Some Of this feeling is n,
doubt fictitious; much OF II is crudc m,
misinformcd; tho whole is in danger of be
ing perverted to bad ends by demagogues
But let Us hope that It is in the main tina
kind of rostlessness that always proceeds
definite and vigorous effort. II will bo
glorious day for society when tho cultivator'
of the soil take their rightful position an'
exert their proper influence in social an'
political life. This they can never do b.
any tricks of legislation, or by any class per
seculion; they can do Il only by increasing
their intelligence, by liberalizing thei
mind, by making themselves in culture AM
general mental power the peers of any elias
In the community. In n broad aud homel
common sense they hnye a natural ndynn