The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-07-10
SCHOOL WAR IN VERMONT.
a PosTMAsTEB VINO rs TRYING TO
EXCLUDE RELIGION.
A Successful Combination Of spirituniists
and Other Heterodox Thinkerr-A First-
Class Tempest In a Very small Teapot.


and the religious mind, and with the intention
Nfmakng note OF II for the public beneht. Thus
ran the report, published in several Eastern
newspaper. which attracted my attention and
took me hither:
The resolution recently passed by the North ciaren.
The school was oirereG BY Pcs master b. Holden aud
The vote In favor of It was three to one 1t Is as fol-
"h,'2lrsd. Tina, PRAYER. reading q the Eiss and
cuded from this school from this date. and Il shall 90
teScSer Who viii not pgree 10 conform 10 the letter and
spirit Of this resolution"
The guide books made no mention OF North
Clarendon, and had some difnculty in finding
II on the map; but after a while discovered
that It was not far from this town OF Rutland,
on a branch of the Vermont Central Railroad, in
the midst OF the Green Mountains. l travelled
through the Nutmeg State and Massachu-
setts. As the train rolled up the banks OF
the narrowing Connecticut, and across
the border OF Vermont. began to
drop into conversation with intellieent-loo king
passengers, turning the discourse as speedily as
practicable to this new wave OF thought that
supposed to be spreading over the State, to have
made Its nrst practical manifestation In North
Clarendon; to this free religion, skeptcism, lib
eralism, or whatever 1t might be termed. The
passengers were well Informed on many sub
tects; they knew all about the soil and the
crops. the f5ctorios and mechanical industries,
the population and emigration hut they were
not equally well informed In relation to the sub
teot that ] was more particularly DESTROYS to
hear about They knew the latest popular sen.
timent about Beecherism and Grdntsm; about
temperance and prohibition; about womans
suffrage and the currency question. But the
question OF the Bible and religious exercises In
the public schools did not appear to have occu-
pied their thoughts within recent times.
At Bellows Falls We turned from the Connect
cut river, and rode IN anorthwesterly direction
through "A broken and mountainous country,
thinly settled, hardly ever a house to be seen
by the wayside between the stations, stopping
at villages mostly OF a few score houses and
As we opproached tho station Of North Claren-
don II was growing dark Inquired OF the con-
10 the district, and had held his position since
the railway was established) what sort of hotels
adorned North Clarendon. The old man shook
his head. lie did not know, but he promised to
Inquire. After while he returned to me and
said he had been unable to get any definite and
as to their number or quality. He thought had
better 60 on TO Rutland and put up there for the
night. They had One hotels there. A stranger
from civilized parts. with care and forttude,
could melntsin an existence there
Rutland e good-sized Place he said. ITS
The second place In the State-next to Burling-
ton"
II guess It's over isOOo." said the venerable
conductor, with an air OF satisfaction. Bur
iinglon's got 1900 or 300"
And Burlington is the largest oity In vor-
" Yes Its fine city,"
Al the railway depot in Rutland surrendered
my NhlSe TO inc TWO pOrterS from tne rival no.
tells Of the town They rushed upon me with
such violence and uproar that / entered
interpeader and allowed them to fight 1t out.
] had been unable to ascertain which the
better hotel. The conductor on the train had
Informed me that the company prohibited him
from expressing an opinion on that point, and
the passengers were equally divided on the
subject. siding with the rival hotels with I'M
Presently the battle between the porters
ceased, the smaller man. by reason OF superior
agility bearing on my baggage In triumph. and
following him resignedly. j am not certain
whether the result was fortunate for me or not
but found a large number OF Boston and New
York drummers at the house. anu that Is pretty
fair reason for supposng that there wasn't any
thing to be had In that vicinity that very
much better.
Rutland Is ike pebble in chinastone bowl,
or, II that sounds prettier like precious stone
in a golden basin. Whichever way one turns,
the wall OF the Green mountains meets the
through which the eye penei rates to the beyond.
The morning after my arrival took glstening
the bills at rat ting pace toward the goal OF my
pilgrimage North Clarendon.
And now let me sum up briefly the result OF
nv interesting quest, for II Is a record OF uisap-
pointed hopes. and the brevIty of life forbds
detailed narration OF how the truth gradually
In due course OF time accidentally found
North Clarendon-a village 80 diminutve that
country turnpike ends. ] should have passed
unwittiney through 1t mad not passing farmer
CHANGED TO set me right. Postmaster Holden
found to be an oldish gentleman Of medium
height, with craylsh hair and beard and good
beaten time-stained frame house. He was stand
log In the scrupulousy clean kitchen, working
with locksmith's tools. In the same room
the North Clarendon post office, consisting OF a
hne table, three feet by three case OF pigeon
se and Few ~ rides * Ined sates soSe 9Iy
IN the front room were few book shelves con-
taining number OF spirituaistc works and
several books on medicine.
soon discovered that MIR. Holden was I'M
COMPROMISING spirtualist. He became con-
vert nearly twenty years ago. His niece was one
OF tho first mediums that made tables rock ami
banjos play to the touch Of ehostly hands In the
Green Mountain State. she Is now a Baptist
and the wife OF n faithful church member and
the mother Of three children. and as a medium
she mas retired from business. Mr. Holden's
wife was also a believer In Spirituulsm. She
died year ago, and at her funeral her husband
burial service that was unique In that part Of
the country. ne invoked the benefcent powers
of Nature, like Col. Boo Ingersoll Of Illinois, to
intend upon the last tribute to the dead. He
called about him from the spirit world the
Of great believers m spirtuhlism, whom he
Knew only by reputation. The funere was not
equal To Col. Oicott's Masonic death service, but
II did well for North Clarendon.
Mrs. Holden had boon sick for many years,
aud though at times she had regular phi ysiclans,
her husband attended upon her and prescribed
for her during that period more than tho allo-
patnists did. He said the spirits would come
upon him at times WITH force that would ad-
nit of NJ resistance. would drag him from the
house and into the woods and hills, and lead
unnamed to him. that he would gather. take
home, boil, and otherwise prepare IA directed
WIFE and II invariably turned out that these
were precisely the medicines she needed and
they did her more good than all the prescrip-
tons OF the regular practitioners. was also
told that he has long been In the habit of I'D
minlsteIing medicine to such OF his worthy
neIghbors as have sufficient faith.
This then, Is the man that has been the lend
Ing spirit In the revolutionary Norm Clarendon
movement, and the dimensions OF North Clar-
endOn and the extent OF Its population figure
largely In explaining It's success. Clarendon,
North Clarendon. Clarendon Flats and various
other ClarendOns tina lie in the same vicinity
form one township, with total population OF
about l,20J, and avOting population OF about go
IL Is divided into ten or twelve school Districts
and enjoys several SCHOOLS that are entirely in
dependent OF each other. In one Of them not
less than about five pupils are led the narrow
path OF knowledge. In Postmaster HOlden's
school district there are about sixteen voters
entitled 10 n voice IN school affairs, ana there Is
"A school which y an average attendance OF
about twenty, This IL the school IN which
releious exercises re henceforth to be prohibit
ed. ana II WAS in this school district Of sixteen
voters that Mr. Huldonn resolution to that end
was passed. II Was about three months ago, at
areRular meeting OF the district. Eight voters
were In attendance, exactly half the eutire voting
population. OF these one was deaf, and not
hearing what was Transporting, did not vote upon
the postmasters resolution. Another abst lined
because he did not wish to commit himself
The others cast four votes in favor Of the reso-