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


religious teachings, customs and OBJ
seryances of the New England of that
day, it cannot be decided that they
trained up a people mighty in the
Scriptures, schooled to great acuteness
of intellectual perception by study Of
the metaphysics Of theology, practice
of its dlaectics, and clash of discussion
of the mysteries of religion and the
entanglements of creed ; and that the
study of the questions of church gov
ernment educated them to knowledge
of the principals of all just govern,
ment, and their application to the al.
fairs OF the State. Blgots shall we
call them ? They were indeed relig.
ious according to the law and logic of
religion, rather than its emotions and
enthusiasms. | would rather say OF
them they were God-fearing men, and
so in tear of no one else; orderly, self
restrained, though self reliant in
thought and will, stanch, stable 3
men stiff In opposition, stout in resist
ance. determined in defence OF their
rights against aggression.
Though these first immigrants were
mostly farmers, not greatly convers-
ant with books, save the one book, yet
coming from the then most enlighten
ed part Of America, the heart Of New
England, the home of the school
house and the meeting house, and Of
those little town democracies, training
schools the science of popular self
government, they were by no means
rude, and mad that practical education
in the common affairs OF civil life
which books cannot give. The min
lister, if he did not come in their com
pany, soon followed, together with the
lawyer, the physician, graduates OF
college and men of culture, so that,
one hundred years ago, and from the
earliest CONTROVERSY about title and
iuri sdiction of tie New Hampshire
grants down to the final admission of
the State Of Vermont to the Union of
the United States, March 4, 1871. it
may be fairly DOUBTED, whether these
people were rot as intelligent as any
community Of equal number then in
New England. This may be safely
said, that none were better suited to
the turbulent times none who ever
conducted more wisely, astutely and
bravely than they managed the affairs
of peace and Of war, and of that half;
war, half.lawsuit, which SO long ragged
between the settlers and the land job.
bers of New York, with It's complica.
tions of boundary, jurisdiction and ii
tie, and collision of conflicting CLAIMS
of New York, New Hampshire aud
Massachusetts the men OF Concord
and Lexington not reader than they,
to spring up in resistance to the ag.
gressions of Great Britain upon the
liberties of the colonies nor any more,
patriotic, selt-sacriticlng, united and
steadiast in defence of the common
cause none shrewder and wiser in
the diplomacy OF war than the leaders
of these people, who, when the infant
State, unsupported by Congress and
deserted by the neighboring States.
was left alone to make such defence
as she could against powerful inva,
sion by the common enemy gathering
upon her northern border, repelled the
invasion and secured victory withou,
conflct, disarming the foe by the
charm of words, and by the tinesse Of
war, securing to the common cause
the results If successful campaign
and none who ever displayed keenel
sagacity and skill of polite admlnls
tration and management than they
who made 'the grants" State whc
maintained its independence as a sep
arate sovereignty for fourteen years
and then put it in place as one OF the
United State of America.
Upon plain grounds OF common JUS
tice, the rebellion OF the New Hamp
shire grants, so far as it was a rebel
lion, and the forming Of an indepen'
dent State, stand justified. The re-
bellion was against the injustice Of
robbery, and the State was necessity
as an instrument Of resistance. The
lands embrlced within the territorial
limits of this present State ofVermont
had been understood to be within the
limits and jurisdiction of the Province
of New Hampshire. Upon this un'
derstanding the Royal Governor Of
that colony, Benning Wentworth, had
granted by charter in the Kings name
about one hundred aud thirty town