The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-03-20
SPANE TEE LANDMARKS.

Our Ticonderoga correspondent wrote
"Wednesday. that some Of the stones uset
for the foundation of q new block of build.
ings, in the course of erection there. wen
a part of 'the old breastworks on Mount
Hope, thrown up by General Burgoynes
army in July, HI This is u,ilitaran il
the highest degree, and we presume that i
will be commended by the majority Of pee.
pie This work of destruction is not goinl
Oh at Ticonderoga alone Boston is one -.
the oldest cities in the country, and with i
are associated historic memories. whicl
cannot be equalled by st. Augustine, Phil
ade!phia or Yorktown, With Philadelphia
1t divides the honor of being tho hiator,,
point Of the American revolution. In pon.
OF fact, it is entitled to the greater respec
and generation, because the transactions
from an early day in the seventeenth cen
fury have fixed her name, certain of he,
buildings, and several localities indelOlv il
in the mind Of every reader Of American
history while Philadelphia gains her !c
nown from the accident OF having the Dec.
laralion of Independence there signed.
American history with Boston om.t;c'
would be like the play Of IIamle. witt, the
part of Hamlet omitted, while that samc
history could be written with only oasua,
mention Of Philadelphia. Phlalclphia.
however, honors herself more than doc
tNgfDn (araf1l1tr Inna IL
revcrenily regard her great historic land
mark --"Old Liberty Hall, in which thai
declaration was signed and adopted Fol
years, many IL pilgrim has visited Boston
ioF no other purpose than see-
ing these landmarks, so nscparably con
nected with our history-but how niue,
longer will they have the opportunity
Her old state house is turned into a secon
rate store, and will soon give away TO 50
called improvements. Where is the q
Hancock house, with all its associations (:
The associations remain. bu, the house has
been destroyed. Almost every buildinn
around which these associations cluster
have given away to the demands Of trade.
and unless some effort is made TO STAY tho
tide of destruction, not one of these old
landmarks will remain. Who would h9y,
supposed, even three years ago, hat The
Old South Church" would have bee,
abandoned ? Bat so it is. 1t is "A wonder
that the latter day Bostonian don't yet the
idea that "Fanuel Hall" is an unsighlv
building, and ought to be replaced with
some more elegant structure. II would be
in keeping with the utiltarian spirit of the
day, which marks not only Boston hut the
ealre country.
1t may be asked ''cui bona 2' What
good is accomplished by the preservation
Of these ancient buildings? Ii may he i'm
possible to answer this question to the salts
faction of ALL 1t can, however, be
answered, and we think satisfactorily. 1t
can, moreover, be answered Yankee fash
ion-that Is by asking another question.
What makes Europe so attractive TO the in
telllgent tourist, student and scholar 1t
Is not alone, o. even mainly, on account of
The beauty OF the scenery with which they
expect to be so much gratifed. Far from
lt-tor in this respect America excels any
other country in the world, if not all coun-
tries combined. We refer not to those hair
Drained moths of fashion who make "the
tour so that they can, in conversation. re-
fer to the slime when was abroad" but
wholly to intelligent, thinking, observing
men Their object Is to improve their
minds and impress thereon the lessons of
history, by personally visiting and seeing
historic places, buildings, monuments, etc
All of these are carefully preserved in the
old world, and even, when time has ac-
complished its work, tue ruins are treas.
ured as sacred trust. Their Importance
cannot DO gainsayed or doubted. Witnes,