The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-08-06
"reminiscences OF the Past.

Mr.. Editor spending a few days in the
quiet and sleepy old town of Chelsea, now Just
ready to celebrate the centennial anniversary
Of its settlement, which will occur on the 4th
Of next September, my attention was called to
an old " Vermont Almanac and Register for
the year Of our Lord 1895 Printed and sold
Wholesale and Retail by Alden Spooner at his
Printing Office in Windsor" The above is its
title page, printed on coarse paper, yellowed
with age. How many of these little "periodi-
cal papers which the inside page of the
cover calls it-are in existence now your
correspondent knows not, but thinks this one
now in the possession OF Hamilton w. Dearborn
of this village should be in the possession OF
the Vermont Historical Society," unless this
society already has copy of it. Among
other items Of interest found in this Register is
the report of the first meeting (held in West
minister) where, in person or by proxy, each
town voted to form-or carve out-a new state
from the New Hampshire Grants Another is
chapter on the duties of freemen, which
copy, thinking the author must have had in
view the independents OF the present age
The copy is word for word letter for letter
emphasis and all, as found in the book:
"a Chapter on Electioneerin0, ON the first Tues
day this month"; the Freemen Of VERMONT to elect
ps g0Ip ed R Pnss pSS
SPhy is there in M Is mot a. of intrigue
all that fail in their elections -or nominations, perhaps,
the author might have saidl But the small number
On what principle does the whole proceed2 l. That
eminent services, eminent abilities eminent virtues.
The first of these. eminent services, seems to be the
surest ground to 90 uPon for when man has already
performed eminent services to his country it is the
strongest indication the subject will admit Of that such
man has BOD abilities and virtues and that he is dis
posed to be useful 10 ha fellow-men. And this ia that
do or aim to- select such for their most important of
And in aiming to do this, the multitude GER
nent services and men of eminent ability. And they
who d
tinguished by eminent qualification. 2. From whence
qay Which generally attends Never
from the body Of the people they mean to do right; 1t
who propagate falsehoods foies and lies to prejudice
the people to favor their views and designs"
Another item new to me was that Orange
county, as organized originally February 16,
1781), took in nearly all Of the towns running
north from Tunbridge to Canada line, includ-
ing pretty nearly all the towns now embraced
in Washington, Caledonia, Essex and Orleans
counties Randolph was then the largest town
in the county, containing population OF eight
hundred and ninety-two, Chelsea two hundred
and thirty-nine, Montpelier one hundred and
eighteen, and Hardwick only three Is the
town of Barre what was then known as Wilders-
burg? My memory runs back some more than
half century, yet have no recollection of
when it was other than Barre. Chelsea, which
WAS tubu kbiSuNy 'uluo years dSOJ
one of the most prosperous towns in the county
is now dying of dry rot. Relying almost en-
trely, as it does on its two or three sessions of
the county court to wake it mp, it must. per-
force, be a dead town, so far as push and
energy are concerned. Covered with moss and
lichen years deep, its inhabitants must bestir
themselves in the way OF some new manu-
featuring interests they will become so
deeply encrusted that the sound of Gabriel s
trump will fail to reach their ears ON the
resurrection morn. The people, however,
seem to live happy and, | suppose, die happy
and are saved What more ought one to ask
for? Some might reply, nothing. Looking
back fifty or more years, to my boyhood days,
when all communication with the outer world
between Hanover and Montpelier was by four
and six-horse stage-coaches, owned and driven
by those veterans of the whip General Wash
burne, Eiihu Norton and other drivers it
creates almost feeling of sadness that they
are no more. | can almost see the veteran
Norton, now dead and gone these many years
and he died in the poor-house at that after
all he had done for the town, very shame
for it-see him pick up his lantern, as his
quick ear detects the distant rumbing OF the
coach, and start for the door to meet that
veteran reinsman, John Snow, having just
come in from over those STAFFORD hills loaded
to the full, inside and out, with baggage rack
soaring skyward, and hear him remark, in
his quick, jerky way (no one will ever forget
it who once heard it), John Snow, nothing
but the providence of Almighty God and a
strong coach ever brought you through, be
Cad" Elk