Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-06-12


science of your farming Put brains into
the soil, and you will reap both knowledge
and money. The farmer Of the future is
destined to be the representative man.
He has never yet realized his possibilities.
But the farmer, least of all men, can ac-
complish anything by running from pillar
to post. The fruits of his efforts can be
rcaped only where they have been sown
The Bennington Battle Monument.
The venerable Hiland Hall of Benning-
ton, Ex-Governor and eXCongressman and
historian of the early history of Vermont,
has addressed an open letter to the MEM
bers of the Bennington Battle Monument
Association, reciting his objections to the
design Tor the monument-recomme
by the committee on design, and adopted
by the board of directors. Taking up the
report of the committee on design, he re-
views the arguments by which they sup
port their recommendation of the Weir
design, for sculDtural monument-and
considers their objections to a towering
structure. TO the objection that monu-
ments like those of Bunker Hill and
Washington tell no story" he replies that
neither will monument of the accepted
design tell the story of Bennington as
distinguished from any other revolutions
AIRY engagement. Statuary, he slys, can
not be made a substitute for written his
tory. He says:
The form of the proposed design would
seem TO he modelled after Il class of monu-
ments that have been erected to the mem
DRY of patriot soldiers who lost their lives
IN the war of the rebellion, in which
general representation of the character
lstics of that war would be appropriate,
and might be properly typied. These
monuments are found in many cities and
towns. This design much resembers some
OF those OF about the same size and height,
with bronze statues at their four
corners, typitylng severally the in
seamen of the Union forces, with
other types of the contest. These monu-
ments are all III public squares or parks of
cities and large towns, where people would
expect to find them, or in the cemeteries
of smaller places They are not made to
dignity and bring into public notice an
isolated important event, like that of the
battle of Bennington, but to represent to
the beholder the characteristic features of
the war III which the heOric lovers of their
country and its union, ventured and sacr-
need their lives. Our monument is to be
erected to commemorate a particular and
single event in history, n battle fought in
sparsey populated rural district of coun-
try. 1t is to stand in IL village of less than
thousand inhabitants.
BY rejecting magnitude and grandeur
of dimensions as an element i'll the con-
struCtion of a commemorative monument
to the battle of Bennington | think the
committee have made great mistake
one that 1t is impossible for them to over
come or repair. They have failed to mark
the battle as distinguished event wor-
thy of special remembrance, and have
thereby rendered the alleged story telling
power of their structure of no value. A
story told without listeners would be
valueless Standing as our monument
must in the interior of the country among
the hills bordering on the Green Noun
tains, away from populous cities and
towns, and without any conspicuous OBJ
ject to call attention to it, the voice of any
small sculptural structure, however artis-
tic it might be, would be sounded in vain,
for the want Of an audience to hear it,
judgment, whether the proposed structure
would be proper and Just compliance
with the terms of the act of Incorporation,
which requires the erection of "a suita-
BILE monument commemorative of the
achievements of Gen. John Stark and the
patriot soldiers of Vermont, New Hamp-
shire and Massachusetts at the decisive
battle OF Bennington" And also, wheth-
er, in view of the character of the battle
and of the inland rural nature of the coun-
try where it was fought, it is possible, in
your Judgment to represent and properly
typify its magnitude and Importance by
any sculptural figures of the small dimen-
siOnS of those of the proposed structure,
however artistic and however skillfully
executed the work might be. | can but
think you will answer both these ques-
tions in the negative and that you will
N cnnrln npnnlp
of Bennington, that the only suitable
monument to the event of the battle must
be one of conspicuous dimensions. The
northern brow of Bennington Hill where
stood the old Continental Storehouse,
which it was the object of Burgoyne's
expedition to capture, furnishes conf
handing position for such a structure.
A monument erected there, raised high
in the heavens above all surroundings &;
overlooking a rich and extensive valley,
and visible from three States of the Mon,
would command the admiration and awe
and inspire the patriotism of all beholders
of the present and succeeding generations,
and would be fit type and representation
of the great event ii was designed to COM
memorate. That such structure will
eventually dignity and adorn that old his
toric hill, | can but hope and believe.
Gov Halls views are entitled.to weight.
Born within twenty years after the battle
near lHt ltltl NHclS II Was lOuSHl, am
reared among men who were engaged in
it, he has made the history of the battle
and the proper method of commemorative
it, the study of lifetime. He has with
him, in the position he has taken, the
great body of the people of Bennington,
and many members of the Battle Monu-
ment Association. The matter of the de-
sign is by no means considered settled.
The case, in effect, goes up on appeal
from the decision of the directors to the
larger court of the Association and.lt is
not unlikely, we judge, that the decision
of the Directors will be reversed. Then
will recur the problem of II suitable de-
sign, for lofty structure, tower or ODE
lisk. How this will be worked out, of
course, cannot now be stated. 1t is not
matter which can be tried and decided
by newspaper, or by town meeting, But