St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-08-17

homes have gathered to honor
the centennial birthday of their native
state. am charged on her behalf to
extend a kindly, cordial, a generous
welcome. (Applause.) Larger and
richer states might offer you more SPLEEN
did Inequalities, more imposing cere-
monies. a more magnificent display.
Ours are plain and simply such as befit
the habits of our people and the char
acter of those institutions whose origin
we now celebrate. This day is conse-
Grated to the past. All the history, all
the memories of the century that is
now closing upon our Commonwealth
its early struggles, its vicissitudes, its
hopes, it's fears, its steadfast march
the glory it wears, the serenity of its
peace all these crowd upon us to-day
and are the appropriate topics of the
hour. Especially is this day sacred to
the memory of those men who laid
broad and deep in early days the foun-
dation of these institutions under whlch
we live; and not only do we remember
at a time like this, those distinguished
leaders whose names are as household
words among us, but not the less do we
honor the rank and file, the whole no.
BILE generation of men who all the
days of their lives, and through all the
avocatiOns of their lives, gave to the
service and welfare of the State-their
State-the best they had, unarmed. I'M
heralded for the most part they stand
out against the horizon of our history
like the stately trees of the primeval
forest, which like them have passed
away (applause).
Without their virtue the patriotism
and their efforts the master spirits
would have planned and tOiled in vain,
and we are to remember that if there is
anything in our institutions that is
worthy of being cherished, if there is
ANYTHING in these traditions which are
stronger than institutions, and on which
the life of institutions depend, it is not
our achievements, it is our inheritance
from them. (Applause.) They have
all passed away-that noble race. Some
of their immediate descendants are here
among our most welcome guests to-day
but the last of them has long ago been
gathered to his fathers. Few mOnu-
ments mark their resting places; few
vestiges of their individual life remain,
but all around and about us, in the sal
utOry laws that protect liberty and the
enlightened liberty that upholds the
LAWN everything that is comprehend
ed to us under the beloved name of
VermOnt-is to be found their mOnu-
ment, more durable than marble, mOIe
beautiful than gold ; and if the business
of this day has any significance, if the
memories we are here to recall have
any value or serve to point any moral,
it is in teaching us that if we would
preserve the Inheritance we have re-
ceived, we must perpetuate likewise in
our people the character of the men
from whom we received it. (Applause.)
iii fares that land to fastening ills prey
Where wealth accumulates but men decay"
If we are to preserve our institutions
we must maintain the old land marks
and stand fast by the old traditions.
Anu now as we pause on the threshold
of the coming century and review the
lives and character and the labOrs of
that first generation of VermOnters, let
us take to heart as the great lesson of
the hour, that if we are to achieve the
salvation of our country, our institu-
tions, we must do it by emuIating their
virtues and by initiating their example.
(Applause.)
The address of Mr.. Phelps was fol-
lowed by the Grafton of Hon. Daniel
Roberts and the poem written by Mrs.
Julia C. NJ. DOrr.