Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-01-26

VI tLtAL hOfNitl,uh Npulu per-
haps be crowned, and writer's would love to
begin a new work on the same suspicious
morn. For October % is not only memora-
BILE as the date of AgincOurt and Balaclaya,
but as the birthday of Alfred. On that day,
too, Stephen died, and the dreariest period
of our annals came to an end when the first
Plantaganet became king of England. On
October %, moreover, George Ill assembled
the throne, and loyalty to the person of the
sovereign once more became fashion with
country gentlemen, with the university of
Oxford, and with the rest of the community.
And If the day brought Us union, it must
have brought US strength as we'll Ii there
are more things In heaven and earth than
are dreamed of in our philosophy it may
well be that times and seasons have their
mystic power. Certain it is that recurring
days and periods seem to be fraught with
blessings or with ills to men or to peoples,
according to their appointment. Thus,
though we are beginning to forget 1t, No
vember . was once famous, in the language
of the old prayer book service, 4" for the
happy d-liverance of King James |, and the
three estates of England from the most trait
orous and blOody-Intended massacre by gun
powder and also for the happy arrival OF
his majesty King William on this day for the
dehverance OF our church and nation" No.
vember ., on which the prince of Orange
landed at Torbay, Is prOpitIous to the Pro-
testant religion ana the liberties of England !;
it is also the day of Rosbach, which almost
made Germany nation, and did as much as
Sedan to establish the line of Protestant
Cgsars and 1t Is yet dearer to England as
the anniversary of lnkerman. Our Crimean
successes, indeed, were all won on memoir
able days. On September 20 were fought
Al -. Elsh
blows struck for civilization against the pow
ers which opposed it in 1872 and 1854. Sixteen
years after this second date it appeared that
the lucky star of that day had not deserted it,
and on september 20, 1o7O-for the last time
in history. as one has good hope-an Ital-
ian army marched triumphant into Rome,
and the long temporal despotism of the popes
came to q close.
Here Is another day famous in English
chronicles-August for the accession of
the house of Hopover, Tor the battle OF the
Nile, and for the cessation of slavery through
out the British empire, June /, again, Is still
known as "a glorious" from Howe's victory,
and is equally so for another gallant feat OF
arms of more importance ut the time than 1t
may seem now. For there was dark time
In the g. IT war when We were fighting I'M
perial -ance and the United States at the
same time and our resources were severely
taxed, SO that we could not spare many ships
for the American station, and these of lessj
powerful construction than the American
ships. Hence o series of petty disasterG
which made foolish peopie at home institu
divers Ill-judged comparisons, till Captai
Broke accepted the famous challenge froA
Boston harbor, and the Chesapeake frigate, of
so guns and 376 men, struck to the Shannon,
British frigate, of 3S guns and $50 men, after
an action which lasted quarter OF an hour,
June !, 1913. Eleven minutes elapsed be-
tween the firing of the first gun and the
boarding, and in four minutes more the
Chesapeake was the Shannon's prize an
event which silenced good many persons
in Boston and nearer home. May l is day
of peaceful triumphs-of the union between
England and Scotland, and of the first inter
national exhibition, from which the genera
ton of 1851 hoped SO much. A sterner day,
but prolific of nobler results than weak
sentimentalism, is November 3, on which
two OF our greatest pariiaments assembled
the one in $780, the other in 1910. The first
severed the connection between this country
and Rome; the second is immortal as the
long parliament.
The dies nefasti, again, are numerous for
England and the world. May 90, 1860. is
still remembered as having inaugurated the
shameful reign of Charles IL, forever asso-
ciated with the loss of Dunkirk, the sound
OF hostile cannon heard in London. and a
host OF other SORROWS and disgraces brought
on the country by its =. Nell-Gwyne-Defend-
err" as Mr.. Carlyle has termed him. But it
is not so generally known that on May %.
1853, may be said to have been laid the foun-
dation OF the eastern question, with its peren-
NAL crop of wars and rumors of wars for
on that day Constantinople was taken by the
Turks. Fatal to the Teutonic race is Octo-
Der II, the day of Jena, and Hochkirchen,
and Senlac. which our fathers called Hast
ings. Fatal to the house of Bourbon is May
"A, marked in 1910 by the assassination
Henri ", and in 1G43 by the death of hfs
son and successor, Fatal to " the religion,
as in heroic times the faith of Luther and
Calvin was called by its defenders, is Augu
"a, the Saint Bartholomew of France, and of
England, too, though the cruelties of 1862
cannot be mentioned in the same breath 8
those of 1872. Never theless one cannot Loo <
back without bitter regret on the electmenI
of those 1000 clergymen for nonconformity
to articles which not human being in his
senses would now be prepared to accept with
out innumerable reservations. The act of
injustice continues to render the question of
national education more difficult after the
lapse of upwards of two centuries. There
are days, again, on which the powers of good
and OF evil seem to cOntend-now one now
the other overcoming. Cromwell's lucky day
became, as every one knows, the day of his
death, and though September 3, which took
away the protector from the scene of his
early tIiumphs, may have been happy one
for him, it was fraught with disaster to the
commonwealth. What inspiration of Ate
induced the pretender to set up his standard
ct Braemar on thesinnlyersary o. that day in
the year lis? Perhaps the same which
made Napoleon ILL., declare war against Prus-
STA on the same day rs that on which his IN
Gle delivered himself up to q British officer
(July 10, lSl5-lOl. But the most remarka-
BILE anniversary in the history of the French
revolution and Napoleon, so iuseparably
twined together, is May ). In 1883 it saw
the states general meet at Versailles in 1921
1t saw Napoleon die at st. Helena. In that
short space of SO years the revolution seemed
to have run its course, produced its greatest
man, lalsed him to the summit of human
power and glory, and left hun miserabiy to
perish. On the other hand the coincidence
Of the dates of the coronation of Napoleon
l., of the battle of Austerlitz. and of the
coup d'etat which established the second EN-
pire December >, 1904. 1905, lS5l) was not
Of these events for belief in the sun of
Austerlitz is common to every loyal Bona
parte. But not every one can turn an ami
Sersary TO an account. Lo.d Raglan may
have secretly auGured of success when on
The fortletb anniversary OF the glories of
quorum pars magma fuit, he di-
-ected The attack on the Redan But in
1850, June Is refused to favor us, though it
$ worth noting that the failure OF the as
'ault was mainly occasioned BY General
Nlazan installing blazing fusee sent up
rom the Brancion redoubt for the rocket
signals which had been agreed upon rs the
notice for general advance. On such a dav
he stars In their courses would fight against
,ur brave allies. and We were involved in their
ll-fortune. The day OF Waterloo was also
he day of Koiln, 1857, % a day which if the
ireek superstition still retained its influence
would be held sacred to Nemesis, day on
which the two greatest princes of modern
lines were taught by a terrible experience
hat neither skill nor valor can fix the incou-
fancy of fortune" June Is, it should be
dded, has not always been fortunate for
.ngland, for 1t Was on that day. in 1929,
hat Talbot was defeated and taken prisoner
y Joan OF Arc.
Admirers of America and Garibalii NAV
e interested to learn that the general wss
orn on July t. jefferson died on the same
ay IN 1876, having thus lived to witness the
iueth or jubilee anniversary of the declara-
ION OF Independence, as well rs a few other
hipgs perhaps not equally satisfactory to a
atriotlc statesman. Months, too, have their
of January being to dis
gree with kings. Charles l. coming to sig
al grief GU the Both and Louis WI. on the
LIST. On the other hand, one is bound to
INIT that February is not much more pro
ltious, rs the deposition of james II. by the
Ct OF the convention IN 1859 February l3l
nd the abdication OF Louis Philippe in 1913
february pa may testify. The wear ICsg
aturally recalls 1889. and this is only one OF
lie numerous instances in which history
ems to arrange its chronology neatly ami
18th the kindly intention of helping human
emory. Similarly l2l5, Ills, 1915 show a
irmonlous progression of centuries and
-ents; Magma Cbarta, Agincourt, Water
o. Our descendants may look out for great
ents IN 26l5-possibly the millennium.
hlch appears TO be good 800 Years off at
Q present moment. In 1855 expect a great