Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-01-28
Nj. LAWELE,E's ArrE


The love We all bear 10 the land That gave
us birth finds its natural expression in the
organization of such societies as ours, and
such 4 gathering as Is here tonight We are
loval to the State of our adoption rs we are
to our common country, BUTT iswlha differ
ent and tcndcrcr sentiment that We look
back to the Land where We were born and
brcd.-to the mother that bore u. This
sentiment, doubt not, il quckcninE the
pulses of every son and daughter oi Ncr-
mont who is present At this table. We are
conscious of Il common sympathy. We feel
4 common bond Of fellowship. We are tray
Cling back together into the past, and or
memories are dwelling, with half sadness,
upon the same mountains, and lakes, and
skies We are again sitting upon the banks
of some bright stream, on climbing the hills
we used To climb in The short hut radiant
summer. or perhaps We are recalling the
glories of the ;uiumual landscape or ihc
grim winter and lis glittcriug stars as they
shonc down upon Us through the clear win
try air with 4 irl!iaucy We have never seen
elsewhere.
1t is an old Theory that the men oi the
mountains have i stronger sense of local at
tachment than the men of the plains. The
mountains make the grand scenery Of the
world and they print their images upon the
memory of those vino hlr- passed then youth
among them IN characters that time does not
dim nor distance obscure. They have mean
| ing and an individuality that We can never
FORGET. The Swiss soldier, serving in 4
foreign land has died of homeSickncss, and
the Scotch Highlander wander where he
NAV, hopes 10 pass lis last days upna hls
native mountain heather.
Il ~ l. 80 o. 4E
left our native hills 10 srcl. more promising
field Of labor but the love of the land We
| left behind us is sentiment that will never
| die. In tho late war, while You felt 4 Just
pride in every instance Of heroic galantry on
! The part of regiment from Illinois, did not
some story of slur!ou daring and sclf-sacri-
| flee told Of Il soldier from Vermont awaken 4
/ deeper emotion and touch even the touEtaiu
| of your tears Vermont sends forth many
| children. They firhl lifc's battle with various
success. hut until dust returns 10 dust they
| keep AN honest prii, in tn fame of all her
sons and daughter.
! We have reason to loyc h-.- We have 4
rirht TO be proud of her, proud OF her hat
ural beauty. prpud of her history, anil proud
/ of the character her people have achieved,
| and the fame they have won for her in the
DAYS that have gone. Her early settlers wcrC
of purc Puritan blood. stl.I in religion
/ grim in aspect, aud ascciic in life, hui tic,
| were the sinli that was needed 10 turn rasl
| forests AMI 'sfila soil into smilu' i.,.hs
and lay tn. i...t alians Of a stat" hIcl
may fairly l.. ,i,.. ! Ia cN mplar OF - pGr,
/ Republic tn, H,rc strong "i arm ant
brave in heart. 'ihcy hlI bought their land,
/ from the Governor "i New liamr-hirc ana
they counted not the odds in dclcnuinS ih'n
against the claims ot The powerful colony
that hnrlcrcd them on the west. No sheriff
of New lnrl, could b. permitted la scrv'
| his process within their limits. The only
authority thcv acknowlcdcrd was tirlt OF TIA,
committee of safety appointed 10y them
selves. and when the day Of Lexington an,
Concord came, gnl, in the language "i I'm
| crSon:
.Thc rmla;tlcd armci7 Stood ;.ni free
the shot heard round the world; these self
governed men. with Ethan Allen at thcI
/ head. crossed the Lake and. In the name g
| the Great jehovah and thu Continental CON
| gress. demanded the surrender Of liCundrro
! "a. 1t was quaint summons, and not i'll
| belitting men in whose veins IAN the blood q
! Cromwcn's followers at Nasty and Mar'tpi
| Moor. Thoush drujcd admission 10 TIN
! Confr,lcrlcV. these settlers of the Grants, Il
they were termed. hatrd nnl "a iu. ui thril
patrio,ism. The inlrjsurs Of the EuGlisl
agents to Withdraw them from the common
cause were vain, and they fought at Ben
uington the battle that made possible the dr
feat and capture of Burrovnr, the turning
polnt of the revolutionary war. Ia lett"
! from Eurr1ync to I.lrd German, WRITER
lust after the battle "f Bennington, hc says
'eThr Hampshire Grants in particular
country unpcopcd and almost unknown II
the last war, now abound in the most ac'iy
and most r,.hrlli1us rHr. ou lh' continent
and HANGS like gathering storm "n ml
left"
So too. when The second war with Ing
land came and an English force WAS march
ing upon phttsburc, a strong body "l Yer
mont militia crossed the lake ~ Simple vol
uutcers, without orders from the Governor
and helped to beat the curlay on land Will
the gallant McDunoush WAS dclomlnG then
upon the lake cur fathers were 81 religion
people. but they Nor>hippcd the tod ol Tat
ties, aud held il their Ldilr> 10 smile lhcl
enemies hip and thigh. This spirit has no
died ont I'm the late civil war nn STATE sen
her sons more freely to the field and no rcgi
ments won more honor for gallanlFy and en-
durancc than those winch cane from IN
mountains of Vermont.
We may hr equally proud OF the recon
made hy Vermont in riyjl lite Where els
in all the States can You find 80 people anon
whom property is sn fairly distributed an
domestic. comfort 50 universal There an
few vast fortunes. Lut there is 10 Hhlcci p"v
criv ,Ircm h,r fortunate in having n
nr,.oi city within her borders. Nltha Legs
lnturc that has never learned corruption,
Judiciary uron whom tn" Shaiow ol suspicion
has ncvcisfcstcd people stradiast IN lhrl