Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-07-28

HALL lIiltDlH.
Unlearncd in the wisdom of the schools
he carried with him all his honest. plebian
simplicity. Though he had chosen the
profession of the law, he yet belonged
the class from which he sprung; and indus
trial pursuits had given him that phy>ical
development, that iron nerve. by which
he was enabled to endure that fearful men
tai strain. under which the modern scholar
with his more etfeminate education, would
have been hopeles>ly crushed Through
plebian by birth. what royal lineage can
boast such herOisme What house of lords
OF noble descent can furnish an example OF
such E,r-seeing craftsmanship What
epoch in history can present such pure and
un>elfish p,tlioti>m9 What sanity roll
can present purer character? What
heroic age can furnish such unblemiShcd
honor? 1t was as if all the noble expert
ences of the past had contributed to endow
I character worthy of the age and of the
crisis in which the great question of the
be determined.
When, our navy, that indispensable bull
wark of defence. was about to be annihi
lated and our strongest vessels of war
borne down by that rebel iron r'ad. n
anu Oul I'LL I)lS ltll -tliCillN
defencelcss. and our chief cities exposed to
pillage and destruction by our enemies
what hand unseen in>tig,trd one Of our
brother mechanics to devise and construct
that apparently insignificant craft. the
Monitor. and sent it on its mission of sal
vation to the nation? Like the class to
which its protector belonged. it WIS ridi-
culed and despised by the slave driving
.l>.,1,
tlct. But how soon were their defiant
SCOTS turned to dismay, when it was found
that the 'cheese-boX, upon its deck. held
those thunder bolts of W II which We're to
drive them ind their craft with preci pitate
haste to the hidden Businesses from whence
they came. and teach them Il lesson of re-
>pect for mechanical genius.
When incompetency in our military
leadership had well-ngh ruined our cause,
when in consequence Of this our defenders
were dying by thousadis. of disease. in
>wamps and hospitals, their ardor damp
enrd by inactivity. with no military chief
tain who couli lead them on to :. success
sion of victories. which their vaIor p opcr-
" directed. would have ensured; when
murmurinyS OF dissatisfaction and distru~t
were heard on every hand; when division
.ttlt tllStoIil us WIS stJotll - l'th'
he place Of united effort, and ensure our
final defeat: whence came that military
genius whose untiriny energy, whose I'M
bending will and untlinching pers>tenry
led our bows to a succession of victories
.on that ine." which his profound sag ,city
md military skill had marked out? Was
he not from the common people, the tan
nrr. Ulysses S. Grant?
The rank and file of our patriot army
and navy. who served Us 50 faithfully and
20 well. were drawn from All classes; h II
i large majority of them Were from the
industrial class. And may we not he
proud Of our representation there? Was
ever an army made up Of better material? !?
Was there ever one more Intelligent, m re
susceptible of thorough discipline, more
patient and orderly. under trials and re
verses? Did ever an army before :" per
ectly comprehend the principles for which
they fought, and the Issues which We're
stk,.i in the con est? Were ever bullets
sent against ;tn enemy with less of muir
d,.rous hate and more Of Christian princi-
pie behind them? Were ever >:,bre-~trokc>
I-;.lt more re urtantlv. vet more cffcclu-
ally. thln those bv the >uu- Of our farm
rrs and mechanic, in the ranks
w Z ulht lo>l. i)N lll'' NpIlN 81 ~ 1t NV
of heroes. but we have saved our country.
We cannot recall them. The grass grows
green over their graves. No drum re-
veillc can wake them from the bivoulr of
cath For Them no blyle notes shall
sound the ch,rG" a~t'n. They fell ON
bloody fields while fighting for civil lib"r-
tv for the overthrow of caste, and The
elevation of labor and the ltbprcr. They
f,,, h,-,,it. l,y ,ynIrnl- Il
or diseases in uced wilhelm their country s
cause They expired in rebel prisons
where they hal suffered tortur,'S more
fearful and long continued than We're ever
! inflicted bv American >avagr>. No oSpartan
v.lor could save them from their vie per
secutor, No humln powers of en- iurance
could avert the fearful death 10y starvation,
to which ti"nl> in Ii .mln form had
doomrd them. NJ prayers and cntrcatieS
! could induce their tormrnt Is 10 remove
the causes of loathsomc disease which PIE
vailed among them. or furnish the ncrdcl
remedies when developed. We MORN
their sal fate. bat shall we Need the lesson
which it shoul teach IL?
African slavery in the south caused the
ruling classes there To dc~p>e labor and
he laburrr. Thi- lei To ignorance and
pride and moral ,lcpravty in the educated
,ri-torrarv. The degraded misses became
the helpless tools of the unprincipled aris
tocracv. thus combining the mental power
of civilization wi h the cruelty of the >av-
age. and hence the intensified b,rhari>m .
which have spoken. and its horrid conse
quences.
The only remedy for all this wolld have
Il. l. .,T- ~ III
d:,vs of tie rrpub!ic. and The, conscqucn,
increased re>pcciability Of labor. ~ Il tn,
elevation of the llborer; this would hav,
led to improve educational iacilitie
these to intelligence. virtue and integrity
in all classes, the degree of which in al
countries must determine the degree O
civiliz ,tion. $ 'cial happiness and politc,
freedom to which people will attain.
The true ideal of perfection, in the or.
ganization of society. is founl in thai
state where all lis members start in lif,
upon AN equal footing, with no distinction
save that caused by the unavoidable varia
ton in natural ability and inhcrite,
wealth; where every pursuit which tn,
leoi innate needs of society demand, i
equally honorable; where the members o
every calling have equal opportunities pro
vi,led them in youth, for self-improvemen
and for preparation for the Successful
prosecution of the business IL life whicl
they may select; where caste Is unknown
' and where the social staining If every in
dividu;,l is dependent upon his own cxer
ton and his own attainment in mental an'
moral worth
do not say that we, or any future gen
eration, will ever witness the perfect reali
z.tion of such an ideal. but | hold that t
be the goal to which true Christian civili
zation tends, and for which we shoul
strive.
If you would create caste in society
build no your colleges. and degrade you
common schools AMI academies. Educat
the few, while you neglect the cduc,tio
of the masses. But all of these should re
ceive our fostering care, and IN increa e
! number of Normal schools an also school
for practical education in the sciences EN-