The Bennington daily banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1877-1877, 1877-08-17

minute man to fight in the canse of inde
pendence. is there not some merit in m,
DelnR minute man now. Applausel.
At the close of the Presidents address
Secretary Eyarts was loudly called for and
spoke as follows:
Mr.. President, ladies and gentlemen. II is
fair that | should warn you that aIthon9b i
am very slow to begin to speak, am mneh
slower to end it, and know that yOnr only
safety Is in retiring before commence. TA1-
planse mp
Secretary Key being called for. responded
as follows: My dear friends. This call IL
csSt gpSteful 70 me; do not ac-
70 me, but as an indication of fraternal feel
ing on the part of our Northern friends 10
their erring Southern brethren. Applause
Ihe people were not satisfied until thev
2 nad q word trom Gen. Devens, and he said.
It Is said TO be one of the naxims of the
Chinese philosopher COnfucius, II have new
OF read them TO put few words in your
speech that more may be remembered So
VIII follow the example of my predeoes-
sors. But will detain you few moments.
to tell you short story, q story with a
tell the moral first, for know in studying
Aesop we used to skip the moral. The moral
IN this story is simply this For the cause of
revolution however, weak we NAV be. we
may all do something. The story is this
Although 10th to confess this IN the presence
Of so many ladies' 1t was something more
than 30 years ago that /. young LAWYER
was invited to deliver 4th of July orafion
before my fellow citizens at Brattleboro.
There were still mp at that time few of the
Survivors OF the great evolutionary army, 8
or OF them were waiting in the hotel where
was stopping, with my grafton simmering
inside of me. great deal embarrassed as /
am now. lApplause.l Constitutional BASH
fulness shall never get over. There came
in to these three or four eld gentlemen, a
line, hearty old gentleman, somewhat
younger than they, but considerably over 10.
" Gentlemen" SAYS he, " am not n Ieyolu-
tiOnary soldier, but should like to ride with
the revolutionary soldiers to-day. | would
like to explain my position, and ask if have
not right. OF COURSE they readily gave
him permission. He went on to say that
when he was boy about eight years old,
his father kept ferry somewhere on Lake
Champlain, at Putnam OF Wintham,
think. There came to the river
river to cross, while my father was away and
was at home alone, two men, one Of whom
seemed of superior rank to the other They
we're evidently soldiers though there was lit
tie uniform among the menin Revolutionary
times. They wished to cross the ferry and
said they must cross. l said l was only a.
boy and could not not row the ferry across
lf they assisted me ] could not get back.
lu6A hdlu lucy WOulu 06lp I0e 10 Cross anu
some Of the neighbors would help me back,
undertook it and when bad crossed to the
other side. said to the superior gentlema n
when my father comes home should like to
tell hin wuo 1 nave rowed across the Jerry
We'll, said he. "you may tell him it was
John Stark He said that six weeks after
hat he heard ol the battle OF Bennington,
'nnd now, said be, IL have claim, as was
he person who rowed John Stark across the
To E..i, ~. k,NI = D.. I
should like TO ride with you revolutionary
soldiers. OF course they answered that he was
/ good enough revolutionary soldier for
tem, rs ho was but eight years old
II the time OF the battle.
The party which attended the centennial
banquet now entered the tent and proceeded
TO despatch the tempting viands which their
now doubly sharpened appetites made invit-
ing in the least degree.
Alter the toast OF Mr.. Coffin, the exercises
were concluded by the recitation OF an origin
al poem by Wallace Bruce which was rendsr-
sd in very spirited aud effective manner.
The following is the poem
PARsoN ALnHsh RIDE.
The ''Catamount Tavern" In lively TO night,
The Boys" OF Vermont aad New Hamp.
Drawn t'f np 10 III iiDe ssis In t6e sioamins ieht
To greet Parson Allen Win shout and With
cheer
Over mountain and valley from PiIisfeld
Through the driving rain of that Angus.
day,
The flock" marched on with martial mien,
And the parson rode in his zone Horse
Shay"
"Three cheers for old Berkshire! the Central
said,
As the boys OF New England drew up face
TO iace
Baum bids us to supper tomorrow to spread.
And the PdrsOn is here 10 say US the race
The lads who are with me have come here to
Gght,
And we know OF no grace, was The Parsons
save tbs name Of Jehovah. our country and
night,
Which your own Ethan Allen pronounced
at Fort Tt.
Tomorrow, said Stark. there'll b, fighting to
do,
If you thiuk you can wait TIL the mornings
light
And Parson I'll conquer the British with you,
Or my Molly will be a widow at night.
What the Parsou dreamed in that Bennington
Camp,
Neither Yankee nor Prophet would dare to
guess
vision, perhaps, of the David stamp.
With a mixture OF Cromwell and good
Queen Bess.
But we know the result of that glorious day,
Aud the victory won ere the night came
down
How Warner charged in The bitter fray,
With Rossiter Hobart and old John Brown.
And how In lull OF The three hours fight,
Tho Parson harangued the Tory line,
Is he stood on stump with his musket
bright,
And spTinkled his text with ho powder fine,
The sword OF the Lord is our battle cry,
A refuge sure in the hour oi need
And freedom and iaitb eau never die,
Is article first OF the Puritan creed.
Perhaps tue "occasiou" was rather rash,
He remarked to his comrades after the rout:
For behind bnsh | saw flush
But l fred that way and put it out
And many the sayings eccentric and queer,
That were handed about The country side,
lnoted in Berkshire Tor many a year,
OF the Pltsdeld march a1d the Parsons
ride.
Honor 10 Stark and his resoln;s men,
To the Moubtlin Boys all honor and praise
And with shout and c1eer we welcome ngain,
The PArson who came in his one horse
chaise.
After dinner had been partaken of the by
guests and large numbers of
tizens the president of the Centennial
addressed those present as fol-
ows:
Ladies and gentlemen-The first gentle
nan to whom l snail call your attention
mong the very distinguished guests present
$ the chief magistrate Of the United States.
shOnld do an injustice TO myself and 70 you
omitted before proposing this sentiment
o allude to the high Office which he fillS-
nd fills i1 a manner that shows that he
means to be president of the whole of the
ountry and not of part. Applause A
sNrsI Its.. ~ ii