Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-06-23
Letter from Boston.

The great celebration Of the nth Of June Is
over. The fact that hundred yearsago the cmei
followers Of the "Prince Of Peace" did here
cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war, has
been duly commemoated Wehayo stamped the
famous Sermon on the Mount" as all Christian
nations have universally DONE as system Of
"glitterins gonomlties, which are more hon
orcd In tho breach than in the observance" The
fathers having been "smtteu on the one check
in place Of turning the other also" turned the
ugly muzEles Of their flint-ock muskets In the
faces a their aggrcssors, and blazed away. Aud
when their powder was gone, they turned the
other end Of their muskets wherewith they both
cred few Of their advancing assailants until,
overcome by superior numbers, they were com
pced to turn both checks in the other direction,
and cut and run" It was bloody deed Of
gigantic wrong on at least one side but, after ALL
It was the birth Of a nation and ~ such we cele-
brate it,
And it is safe 10 say that the centennial ami
versary Of the battle Of Bunker Ilill has been
celebrated in Boston and Charlcstown as no other
event ever was. 1t was very like an ordinary
Fourth Of July celebration, only more So The
procession, made up mainly Of military organza-
tons WAS said to contain from ten to twenty thou
sand persons and to be from six to ten miles long
1t marched through the principal streets, commeuc-
ing about twelve o'clock, ON Dartmouth street, at
the South End, and terminating about six p. NJ,
at the foot Of bunker llil Monument in Charles
town
And the march Of the procession was witnessed
by nobody knows how many people, though some
Of the papers have estimated the number Of
strangers in town as high as two hundred and
fifty thousand. Atany rate, there were 90 lot Of
en-" And the scrambling for places whercirom
to get good view OF the great procession as it
passed, was exceeding lively Every householder
along the line Of march, had about every ayaila-
bic inch Of space occupied by friends or, il he
deemed it worth while to turn an honest penny in
that direction his room was rented to strangers.
And sometimes fabulous prices were asked and
paid, single window frequently renting for the
day for twenty-five dollars, and it was said that
one house on Columbus Avenue WAS rented for the
day or six hundred. At any rate, il was a good
time to rent front rooms on the streets through
which the procession passed, and besides this,
there were thousands and thousands Of seats
erected outside In front yards and vacant lots,
after the manner Of ordinary seats in circus tent
anu ilNNN iNiA'N ANA 'if' AN hffN ANfiAt'tN 'NfA
Aud it was not a bad investment, for to those who
are fond Of military display it was a grand sight
To see
The decorations along the line were also very
profuse, almost every building displaying more or
less bunting, making the display Of flags and mot
toes no less prominent than the sea ofhcads, which
WAS everywhere visible A great deal Of cnthu-
siasm was everywhere manifested the clappins
Of hands. and the waving Of handkerchief, cheer
ing ON the tired and dusty marchers As they passed.
For this the soldiers, except a few high in rank,
paid no heed with steady tramp pursuing their
way in soldier fashion, looking neither to the
right hand nor to the left but the generals and
noted civilians bowed. and scmped and smiled,
in acknowledgement Of compliments paid them,
in the most becoming fashion At least the most
becoming which they could command though
some OF them did it in manner more awkward
and unbecoming, venture 90 assert, than that Of
the revolutionary soldiers IN their fst attempt at
military drill aud warlike manner Not ,o hove
ever, such men as Gen Burnside. Gov Ilarmntt,
Gen Sherman, W IL Il. Murray Henry Wilson,
and Ben Butler. Aud Of all the riders in this
great procession, am inclined 20 think that ten
Butler occupies the most space on horse. Il was
said that after rest, somewhere on the route
during which the honemcn had dismountcd it
required the assistance Of three orderies 70 get
him on his horse again-one 20 hold the animal 10y
the bit, anothert to push him towards the General
sufficiently to prevent his being pushed away and
a third to assist IN lifting the old New orleans and
gubematorial war horse 70 the stirrnps Bat
when in the saddle he il At home There he is a
man Of royal presence. lie rode much ofthc way
in a group by himself and three cheers for Ben
Butler would raise him up in tie stirriIs, until he
was more than enough fora very respectable group.
A lady who sat near me- cheered Justify when
he came along, wheroupon another one asked her
II She would vote for him az heartily rs she
applauded to which she replied, No, wouldn't
vote for him at all, hut cheer him, 10 see him
Frecd himself" And that was really worth see
ing, for he can do it more handsomely and grace
fully than any other man We have seen. He rises
in his strups and swels up until his portly form
his full face and his bald head, seem radiant with
the inspiration which he draws from the people i
enthusiasm
Henry Wilson is on his best behavior before the
people, aud is evidently workin. busily for nom
nation to the Presidency, than whom a worse
choice might very easily be made
After the procession had reached it, destination
on Bunker Hill an Grafton was delivered by Cen
Charles Deyens, and some short speeches by Gen
sherman, Vice President Wilson and others, in a
large tent erected for the purpose on the monu-
ment grounds, all Of which were listened 20 by a
large audience, and were well worth the hearing
The State House and City Hall were Illuminated
in The evening, the latter being also ornamented
with some very large pictures Of Gen Israel Put
nam, who was probably in actual command at the
now famous battle, and Gen Joseph Warren,
whose life there sacrificed on the altar Of free
dom and his country Were it not for the Chris
tian teachings Of peace which We are apt 10 apply
to the hereafter more than the present, we might
imagine that our pageant had been swell,d by tho
invisible presence Of those old heroes; but pre-
fer to accept the sentiment expressed by Gen
Deyens in his eloquent Grafton, when he said
Above the plans Of Marathon even now as the
Grecan shepherd watches over his nocks. he
fancies that the skies sometimes are filed with
urid light, and that in the clouds above are re-
enacted the scenes of that great day when On the
field below, Greece maintained her freedom
against the hordes who assaed her Again
seem to come in long array, rich with barbaric
pearl and gold, the turbaned ranks Of the Persian
host, and the air is filed with the cans OF sword
and shield, as again the fiery Greek seems to
throw himself upon, and drive before him the
foreign inyader-shadows, though all arc, that
/ fit in confused masses along the spectral sky.
Above the field where we stand, even in the
widest dream, may no such scenes offend the
ealmness of the upper air; but may the stars
look down forever upon prosperity and peace"
And so let us hope aud pray. Peace not only for
our own land, but throughout the world as well.
And may the next centennial anniversary Of the
commencement OF our nations history find us eel.
ebrating the Geneva arbitration with more earnes,
enthusiasm than is ELECTED in commemoration Of
the battle of Bunker Hill WnLouGHpY.
SEVERAL. heads of mummies were shipped from
Egypt to Halifax, England. They were packed
In separate boxes, and one Of them got soaked in
salt water on the voyage This particular head
when taken out was found TO have recovered It's
natural outlines, the sea water having had an
astonishing effect n. d. Conway who was
present, says; " For few minutes we saw an un.
mistakably Egyptian countenance, with pleasant,
composed expresson-the face of a man who
! lived Mt least three fhousand ,-o,,. A. ~