Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-02-11
fair that our people themselves accepted it

fair that our people themselves accepted it
as just. Speaking Of the progress Of the
race toward the West. De Tocqueville said
there was in it the solemnity Of q providen-
tiai event This march to the West has
been going on ever since the dawn of his
tory. All human progress has been from
the East to the West. There have been three
great tidal waves from Asia to Europe. First
came the Celtic race, W hose Westward march
took place in immemorial antiquity. They
came to the shore of the Atlantic and there
ten rillion still remain. Another emigra-
ton was that of the Goths-a people differ
ing widely from the Celts; men of large
stature. yellow hair, blue eyes, stout bodies
and firmly-knit muscles. The Goths were
our ancestors. They drove the Celts before
them to the shore OF the Atlantic, where
they successfully defended themselves.
The third race was the Slayonic.
branch of the same lndo-European
family as the other two. This IS
stationary race, but they will develop by
and by. Some time in the future there will
come an Eruption from the frozen wilds oil
Russia that will hurl the Turks from the
continent-and God speed the time All
these races came into Europe in the very
dawn of hstory-before Neptune raised his
trident in the Kgean and almost before
Father Time overwhelmed apostate man at
the foot of Ararat.
Some of the peculiarities Of our Gothic
ancestors we have inherited. They were
brave and warlike. Goth is said to
mean good" and in those days " good B"
meant brave, "" courageor " The best
man was the best fighter. .. ION means
"axe-man -, Angle. pear-man."
Personal independence was aracteristic
of the whole Gothic race.
The Romans occupied Eng md, fighting
and attempting to conquer III; Cells. for
five hundred years. when they were call
ed to Italy by their civil wars. The Picts
and Scots then descended on the people
of the South, and Vortigern invited the
Normans to come over and help him expel
them. They came, but stayed as conquer
ors, and in $50 years had established the
Heptarchy. These tribes-the Angles and
SaxOns and Jutes-brOught over their Gus
toms. laws and religion. At the close OF
the Sixth Century they were converted to
Christianity.
The Celts gave names to the mountains,
lakes and rivers. About one thousand Of
our common words are of Celtic origin.
But the Saxon furnishes the words of daily
use. OF the ia 900 words in Webster 5
Dictionary, 20 900 are OF Saxon derivation.
The Normans came over in 1866 and degrad-
ed the AnglO-Saxon, it being entirely dis
used by the nobility But the Saxons
would not learn French and finally the
mobiles were obliged TO learn Saxon. Grad
ually the languages were united, and Old
English is the result. The speaker then
spoke At some length of tho idiomatlc, Hex
lble, expressive character OF the EnglIsh
language, giving many examples IN Illus
trauOn.
There has been some attempt to throw
contempt on the study Of words. 1t Is q
noble study. You can't feed the mind on
tangents and cOsines and secantsi It must
| be cultivated by study and reading. Don't
read novels, novel reading Is what Cole
ridge termed beggarly species OF day
dreaming. Read good books, OF which there
Is no lack in our unsurpassed literature.
The speaker then spoke Ut our modern
poets-W hitter, Longtellow, 1ennYson and
Bryant, and closed his address with Car
| lyle's words "All that the best university
/ can do is what the infant school began
teach YOU to read. This done all the treas
ures OF science and literature are at your
! command
SATURDAYS proceedings will be fOund on
/ third page.