Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-12-21
RITRIJNGTON VT. FRIDAY MORNING

When the cali Of President Lincoln, in lsGI. e
- coo n en-. and then Tor 10000 more rang throus
our valleys and the sens Of Vermont responded
nohlv and ith such glad alscrity, who OF all tbs
number of thinking and patriotic men did not r.
member the pride and glory OF The state IN III
| Green Mountain Poys who hrst won That name, an
hone tn at he too. light he worthy Of the satne q
tie and he numbered among the heroes vet
come That III appealed TO the best motives and III
highest principles nf the human heart, and struc
a chord in the soul Of the true Vermonter ever sen
ttive and ready to vibrate to such touch
The men who sponded to IL we're not mercenafy
Patriot sm, state PRIDE the rec'lect ion OF VIVA
veimOnters had done in the past spoke louder L
them than the hope OF gain or the voice OF ambition
Whatever might be true later in the grea
struggled.
| There arc hi cher motives in the heart 0t ever
man, that may 10 appealed to accordingly, thsI
those that prompt most Of the actions OF every DAY
| life. II 10 to those motives, hidden, unsurrec
'or the most part, that the examples of the heroe
| at old appeal IN the hearts o. the young
! In cur schools and seminaries of learning oui
youth continually incted TO othoushts anu deeds
aud aspirations OF the hi hest purpose by the pre-
cept and example Of worthy men of other time
But alas how soon does the young man Just out
| OF college and school, learn that the motives and
| purposes with which he is imbued from his studies
OF good and great deeds are not those that prompt
| and move the men that he meets in the business OF
| ordinary life.
| Sometimes when this discovery dawns upon him
startled and hal ashamed Of his own purity and in
| tegrty Of purpose, he discsrds entirely the pre-
cepts he has received and looks upon the lives and
| examples OF heroes and martyrs as not possible
profitable, at the resent day, and not Intended
iOr his guidance, and plungiDg into the current OF
| greed and selfish indulgence he takes the lead In
the struggle for whstevnr ls mtrcenary. base and
temporal and smOthers evsry high aspiration that
ever moved him. But this is not true of all.
| The high resolves and deep principles OF youth
| and early mamie cd are the hrm rock with sure
! foundation against which the waves of selfshness
| and everything that ia mean dash in vain.
| The enthusiasm and youth OF some men never
| y ito - tn han o. nal IRI
| eyes the earth teens with beauty freshness and
purity. Bright flowers, bursting foliage and the
songs Of birds seem ever about Them wh1tever
fate hetide them they are hopeful and cxutant.
The high purpose formed in youth, nurtured by
the stcri all the noble lives and deeds OF classic
lore and Of sacred and proiane history buoys them
up and carries them over the meaDnesss and petty
trials Of every day life To them lite never lOses
its romance. The ideal of II manly life formed in
youth Is never lost sight OF.
And there are more such noble lives than we
know OF. Casual acquaintance does 7 Ot reveal 10 us
sll there is of a nor Disclose all o. his motives
and purposes lie they high low The best int nti
Of the heart show themselves not in the social chat,
nor in the pleasant greeting. There are
secrets and purposes and high resolves
only known to the intimate lev OF only brought to
light by the presence OF great events; Among
Us this night, men whose deeds
interviewer N The history of cur nation and whose
high purpose and Lofty vaor upon the battle field
would put TO the blush the blustering courage Of
many hero OF history Yet how few would sus-
pect nom their gentle and quiet and mode t benr-
ing Whist they have suffered and dome.
rr.ore the outbreak of the rebellion, the North
filed with quiet st1dents, industrious
artisans. mCde.t farmers. And Who then dis
puted the boast, that enc Southerner was
match tor five OF them, IN fight But how aston
ishcd were you and the world to see these
students. clerks. mechanics and farmers, at tie
very first stride. step into the ranks OF the heroes
of old not in what they actually accomplished
at first, they ignorant OF warfare, but in
what they dared attempt The memory of Bunker
Hill, OF Tcondcrosa and Of Bennington tpoke
to every son oi New England and had already
done much to Ihame the patriotism OF our people.
No tedious es,a ay, no honly upon our duty to our
country. had done this Ii was tho traditions OF
battles fought and Of fields won, that had stirred
the hot blood of youth 10 do and dare again.
he stories that move the hearts Of the young are
always Of deeds OF daring and personal prowess
The victories Of the pei, OF the ledger OF the special
plea, OF the pow the loom and the anvil, STIR not
young blood. The useful dTudgery Of every day
life appeals not TO the Imagination. Hearts are
seldom moved to high endeavur BY The sight Of
we'll filed barns and busy machinery. Men
become sordd over these. but sing TO them
the wondrops tale Of Troy divine. Sing tho
wrath of Peeus' son, that brought woes number
less upon the Greeks tell them OF the bloody
struggle OF Monmouth and Trenton, Of Saratoga
and Saltwater, speak T. them OF the peril OF
kindred and country and home. and the blood
she'd 10 their defense, and you arouse feelings and
appeal to motives that nothing else eau reach.
1t Is under such impulses that men step from the
quiet walks Of private life and become soldiers.
But they tell US that the achievements Of the
military conquerer are not to be compared with
those of the moralisthc poet, and the philosopher
{" The pen is miyhtier than the sword" say they
that Napoleon and Caesar land Alexander were
great simply as military commanders, but that
they do not deserve that title as men. his may be
true and not conflict with what has been said, or
the idea that is attempted to be presented to you
The private citizen who sacrifices every thing
without hope OF gain or hope OF advancement and
risks his life ut his country call is actuated by al
together different motives from those that m)ve the
ambitious leauer.
Tbia is no ,Iaa word for
those whom love OF country has driven into Its
perls and word Tor the motives that sctuate such
men and how such motives may be lept alive in
the hearts OF our people.
The private citizen who willingly and gladly
steps forward from the duties Of civil life into the
ranks Of his country's defenders and does his duty
there stards out as the highest type OF heroic ac
tion. He fers his life that his county may live.
What higher tscrihce. among men, Is there than
this, How many mel from these hills in he great
struggle Ter the nations existeLce, laid down their
lives with feelings OF the highest p itriotism
IL may be taken true that tho traditions OF the
military achievements OF founders and preservers
OF natl ms are the traditions that give and mould
those patriotic CHARACTERISTICS OF people that are
necessary to it, preservation.
We have not YET reached that ideal, golden age,
when all nations shall be at peace with one
otaer and the lion and the lamb lie down together.
We still have within us and not always latent, the
same spirit Of strife and contest that the Assyran
the Greek. the Roman and the ancient BritOn had.
Human nature has changed but ntile. The saliva
lion brought by Christ renews the hearts OF iudi-
duils and i not inherited so that each one OF us
must begin life alone and for him not where
fathers left IT, be they good bad; hut where the
OF the race has lett it; nnd that is where
the Assyrian, the Greek, the Roman and the old
BTiton found it, ull of strife and conflict history
tells US that nations have always been ut war. and
me writers claim that warfare is the normal con
dtiOn OF ths. man. Certainly some OF the most war
like races prUuce the finest specimens OF the
human race-witness the CIrcassians and The Monte
negrins.
When uatiCus and races crasa IA Ia Narrior- and
become traders, students, artisans and husband
mcn, they lose the pati iOic feryor that animated
their youth in a great measure and altogether
unless The traditions o what was best Of the oden
time stIll in the hearts Of the people. Let US
then cherish the worthy traditions Of the past Let
sons OF Vermont, IN whatsoever battcoi life they
called upon to contend, feel that they are sur
rounded and reinforced continually by the tradl-
tons OF noble sIes. Let them ieel, in whatsoever
cline their lot may be cast, that their birth place
and early home Is mother county TO them in
every respect May they be able To look lot only
TO the iorrst-cOvered mountains lovely valley and
sparkling waters Of the dear old State but may
they see the very heavens above her brilliant
with the renown of tho decds Of Green Mountain
Boys OF the later well As Of the earlier years.
May the word Vermont call into the minds eye
Ci every chiId Of her green hills in iorrgn LANDS,
such proce of GOOD and great men, ol devoted
sons anu pure daughters, identified and cleaning
all over with the glorious events ct her history, AS
shall march before tho minds eye with -aUro Oi
pOmp and maghihcence than any triumphal pro
evssiOn OF a Caesar or NespasIan ever showed 10
thu Roman capitol.
What was II that stirred To deeds OF highest
daring and made heroes OF this Young hu>bandman
Of theso hills OF the students in our schools and
COLLEGES and Offices, OF the clerks the apprentices
aud the youth ali the mechanic arts in our State
unused 10 the sourd Of arms Tor four score years,
but the traditions vi cur fathers and gTandfathers
% l.;i aud l77s
what beardless hoy, rcmea herins the story oi
his grandfather's yalOr At Concord or Lexington or
BenninSton, did not BURN with the 2 orious fire
rom of hi country = altar and lun- 10 emulate the
deeds OF Allen and Warner, Of Bennington and
TicunderoSi What thoughtful man ho
placed his name upon the roll .. his
country ; defenders did not feel thar
he performing the highest duty that tall To
nober than sene Of duty alone aetuate and impel
him to noble deeds. lilo felt thai he Of State
that had history of it, own, whose traditions had
been hi nursery tales in childhood ant were part
of the history Of the whole country
Traditional, survives written history Oite1times.
Language is preserved and transmitted oitener hy
oral tradition than in written books. The games Oi
our childhood have. some Of them, come down To ui
from the days OF King Alfred. unchanged. often
times single Characteristic OF people IL prrserV
ed IN tradition where written history is unknown.
When the first Vermont Regiment. on board tho
steamer Alabama, entered Chesapeake Bay one
morning in May, lstl, ssucy gun boat mprOv'
ised from steam tug threw a shot across the bows
OF the steamer hnd as our speed slackened "A voice
cane ayeT the waters
Nv hat troops are those "
Thereby went back. The hrst Vermont Regi-
ment.'
For moment theTe seemed to be hesitation
and doubt board the tug and hurried
consultation the gun Was Omnuusy reloaded
Suddenly One in authority, as II n new idea had
struck him, -prans upon the bulwsTks and waving
his hand called out
Are you Green Mountain Boy 80
Aye, aye" was the prompt reply.
"All right, 20 ahead" came cheery across the
waves, and the little tug wheeled away from US,
while our pondcrOus wheels selin took up theil
pulse like beat upon The green water as We moved
slowly on our way
Vernon troops were hardly recognized as 10y al
To the Union cause but the memory Ul what hteen
Mountain BOYS had done Tor liberty almost u cen
tury before clung in the minds OF men, aud was Tho
passport tn the friends OF the ubiun.
And YOU my comrades, well remember how "iten,
after tnis during the long and bloody stri'e That
you passed through the Challenge came by day OF
/ tho darkness Ol tho night.
Are yuu Green Mountain BOy-'" And how often
Too A. soon a. You were recn niaed, came the Ap
proyiu. admonItion, IAN right-go ahead
II was all right shen you were there and GU
generally went ahead
The history rf our state in Revolutionary times
ia uuiuur She stands out alone, a. the only state
not OF tho coniodcracy Jet shedding her blood IN
its ,lst,u-e a low ui her men made an lhdohhle
marx upun the times and gave characteristics I"
aN.H.. 49, a. Ia