Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-02-09

the wheels TO run, ana Whtn 10 tul5 WIS "uN-
ed the large body Of dry, sleety, heavy snow
which fell last Saturday, serious trouble at
once began. The standard gauge trains were
more or less bothered on Saturday afternoon
and evening aud ON Sunday morning the owl
train was some four or five hours late. just
rs the down freight on the narrow gauge
reached the Bradley lodges on its way here
Saturday afternoon, n snow slide came down,
half buryng the train and chectually block
ing it, The other two locomotives were at
Londonderry with the big snow plow, aud It
was not till well into the night that they got
down to render assistance. Tho freight en-
CINE got out Of water meantime, aud the re-
suit was that the men had an all nights job
to dig out the train and pull it back on to
siding at the granite quarry. They finally
got into Brattleboro about the middle OF Sun
day forenoon, and about 2. NJ Engineer
Daniels started for Londonderry with his
o'clock Saturday evening" passenger tram,
the other locomotives going ahead with the
snow pillow. Everything went reasonably
well until mile and a half above Jamaica
the snow pillow left the track on account OF
the ice and went down the bank. The at
tempt to reach Londonderry with the passen.
GER train was abandoned and the mail aud
passengers were sent over the mountain by
team Monday and Tuesday the passenger
train made its trips without serious trouble,
the track between Jamaica aud Londonderry
having been cleared meantime by large
gang Of men with pick and shovel, but the
snow fall of Tuesday night made another
blockade, stopping the train for several hours
at Williamsyille. Wednesday night the pas
senger train went up with two engines aud
single car and made good time as far as Jamai-
ca, but above there the track was so coated
with ice that progress was exceedingly diff
/ NOS raorbfl till
late in the night, and then only with the two
engines, the car having been left at Pratts
bridge Between Jamaica and Londonderry
that night the two machines used 2OOO gal
lous of water. The trips last night and this
morning were made with comparative case.
The snow pillow has this morning been got on
the track aud brought to Bratteboro.
On the standard. gauge roads passenger
trains have been delayed and it ia almost i'm
possible to move freights. Two passenger
locomotives have broken down this week be.
tween here and South Vernon. Tuesday
evening the Connecticut river machine bring
ing up the $50 train broke a tender wheel
near the Broad brook bridge, and the next
morning the Williams, taking down the owl
train, which was six hours late, broke a crank
Just this side OF South Vernon. delaying the
up mail nearly three hours
The tracks in the railroad yard are 50 bed
ded in ice and snow that it is nearly imposs-
. ble to get freight trains in or out, aud cars
ard engines arc constantly leaving the rails
/ At all the stations as far south as Palmer the
sidings are filed with cars of western freight
/ which it is impossible to move. A few days of
weather warm enough to start the ice would be
a boon which the overworked and sadly har-
aSsed railroad men would fully appreciate.
Old railroad men say there has been nothing
like this weeks experience for IS years.
DIR. DIAPERS LECTURE IN THE CITIZENS COURSE
LAST EVENING.
The lecture given by DIR. Draper last
evening on "Tho Influence of Mental Inca
pacity in Rulers upon some of the great
events of History was an exceedingly care
. full and faithful historical study in the direc-
ton indicated by the subject For the gen
eral interest Of the discourse the leading his
toricul events illustrating the topic CO. the
stormy and bloody scenes in France from
. 1889 on, with their predisposing causes, and
our own struggle for independence preciptat.
ed by the unreasoung obstinacy Of George
ILL., were admirably chosen, and the atten-
lion Of the audience was closely held to the
cud.
The lecture opened with the declaration
that in modern times the struggle for power
has been between mind in the individual,
and mind in the aggregate and then the
lecturer proceeded to show that, in the histo-
ry of nations. it has happened that in hered-
itary sovereignty rulers have sometimes fall
su behind their subjects, and that the latter
have then become the sovereign power
mental weaknesses and perversions in kings
often underlying great political commissions
and overturnngs.
The French Revolution was taken as an il
lnstration Of the mschiefs growing out of
the incapacty of kings to govern, and the
American Revolution as the outcome of q
narrow, peryerse and obstinate policy on the
part Of the sovereign The acts of Louis
WI. We're reviewed in detail, as illustrating,
step 10y step, the development of the Revo.
luton of France through blunders of sheer
incompetency, and those of George III. in
like manner, as showing the steady precipi.
tation of the struggle with the colonies, by
the pursuance of blind and uncompromis-
ing principle, only to be accounted for on the
score of mental unsouudnes5 and inability to
the wiser way.
In connection with the reigns of these SOW.
cregns, the power Of those who most inhu
onced the prevailing thought of the masses
was also noted, particularly Noltaire and
Rosseau in France. and Pitt in England the
ondeavor being to show how far a morbid
psychology was responsible for these nation
al irruptions
Though Louis XVI. and George III, were
dwelt upon in detail as typical illustrations Of
the evils resulting from the incapRcity anC
perver,ity Of rulers, the lecturer particularly
desired that these 'be not supposed to be is
ulatod examples, aud that with them the sub
iect was exhausted ION the contrary
said he, 1t is only opened. The history Of
monarchies is everywhere thickly studded
with the drift deposits of sovereignty. Louit
XVI was the embodied resultant of eigh
centuries Of royalty. The record of the
royal family Of Spain is particularly instruc
tive in respect to its psychology, aud know
Of no dynasty whose genealogical tree is moi
deformed by dwarfed or dying branches.
The reign of Philip H. aud his relentless
persecution of the Protestauts in the sixteenth
century, illustrated by a brief account of
visit to an inquisitorial torture room in the
Netheriands), with which was coupled an OPP
portunity for prlestly absolutiou, by which
this monarch chose to fatter hims If that h,
was doing his work in Christian spirit wa
next dwelt upon, and the question, IVA
this hypocrisy or was it delusion z" tho speak
or declared could only be answered when thu
distinction between fanaticism and mono
mania was more sharply defined. From thu
lecturers point of view not few of the mo
mentous events of history hinge upon thos,
half responsible for power, as the massacre
of St. Bartholomew resulted from the imme
diate act of the imbecile Charles IL. o
France.
Al some points in the course of the lectur
reference was made to some of our own chic
magistrates as having shown some of the roy
al qualities especially dwelt upon in Loui
XVI. and George Ill, and at the close some
thing of home application was made of tn
lessons deduced from the historic review
While the rule of the majority, or mind il
the aggregate, has governed successfully il
our national affairs for more than a century
the same cannot be said of our sister repub
lie in France and if the standard of patri
otism and intelligence be lowered we ma
read our own future in the distractions tina
now agitate that unhappy country.
MONDAY EVENINGS BALL.
The Masonic and civic ball given at tn
: town hall on Monday evening was a yer
, handsome party, and the occasion one o
: much enjoyment for all who attended. Tn
floor of the hall was carpeted with heav,
canvas, and the walls were effectively deco
rated with the national colors and a profusio
of Masonic banners and emblems. The mu
sic furnished by Austins Seventh Regimen
band of Albany, N. Y, was very fine, an
attracted a considerable number of visitors j
: the early part of the evening. Some 80 G
a. 80,