Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1877-08-22
Bennington Centennial.

loiI, "l tHS DchHinS'oh Schtohhi"i VII
Wednesday, Aug. 18th, 1877:
Sons OF VERMoNr-MY BRoTnERs
Around this, her ancient hearth.stone,
our mother State has called her chill
dren together to celebrate her hun
Nredth birthday. 1t is well. The
call stands justified by the occasion,
and the place Of our gathering best be-
fits both.
The founding Of a State is a great
event in the worlds history, forming
an epoch in the social, civil and gov
ernmental reckoning of nations. The
names of the founders of States are
the great names of history. The
names of the founders of free States
demand reverence and special hon
ors for of States free created, the
number is but small, and the names
of the founders of such shine but here
and there in solitary brilliancy, too
few and too scattered to form conste-
lalions to the heavens of history.
Since the formation of the American
Union, the new States from time to
time added have, for the most part,
been but ordinary accessions to the
family of States, without special
throne of birth. These, born to an
Inheritance OF freedom, received
through infancy and adolescence a
mothers nourishment and care, and
emerged into free self.goyernment
through the regular process of growth
the infant become of age. Not so
OF Vermont, which was rather free
created than thus free born or, l
may say, developed into organized
life and form from the germinal prin-
ciple of individual freedom and liberty
of free choice. No mothers care era
died or nurturec it, but, rocked by
storm and tempest and nurtured OF the
elements, this child OF the forest and
mountains won for itself place, and
took it, as a free State, not only SIN
dependent of all" but in defiance of
all, Save the ,.mercies Of God" In
this regard, its case is quite exception
al among the American States made
so through the great sagacity and In
domitable will of a race of heroes, as
wise as they were brave. Thus Gre
ted free State, and having so lived
and hourished for a hundred years 1t
is we'll that her children of to-day
mark the event and celebrate it.
1t is well, too, that we meet here
for our festival ;-here in Bennlng-
ton, the namesake of the Royal Gov
ernor of New Hampshire who grant
ed this town Its charter, the first OF
the one hundred and thirty of the
New Hampshire grants. Here was
the earliest principal settlement OF the
then wilderness. Here, more than
elsewhere, occurred the stirring events
of our colonial life, pregnant of the
future State. Here was the States
cradle, and her early hearth.stone.
Here gathered the heroes Of that day,
the demigods of this, in Council Of
Safety, and of War, for defence
against the common enemy of the in.
fant nation, and against the special
enemies of the hardy settlers OF "the
grants" Those land jobbers and free,
hooters along the Hudson, toward
whom the catamount from Landlords s
Fay's tavern sign grinned angry def
ance. Here, early in May, ITS, mus
tered the patriot band whose ears had
but just caught the echo of the first
shot at Lexington, and from here they
went forth under the leadership OF
Ethan Allen, lin the name OF the
Great jehovah" to the capture OF
Fort Ticonderoga and from here
marched Stark with his braves and
the Green Mountain Boys, just across
the border, where they made the 10th
of August immortal and to this place
they returned, bringing their foes cap
tive, and their own dead for burial.
With such "reminiscences of these early
days and associations of place, l am
to speak to you, but cursoiily and
briefly, of what these suggest-of the
New Hampshire grants, and of Yer.
mont, and how this came to be State,
and somewhat OF its characteristics
an hundred years ago, and since and
now.
This land of oars, which we now
call Vermont, had before 1850 become
extensively known to the men of New
England by exploration, the visits Of
hunters, aud the numerous military
expeditions, which, starting from the
heart of New ENGLAND, had, for sue.