St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-06-24

Philip Carpenter, ESQ.,, class of 70. 1t
was one of the richer features of the
day. After expressing his pleasure at
meeting old friends again he said:
Many a familiar face l see before
me. Among you l recognize old school
mates and friends, in whose breasts i
could awaken a responsive thrill by
illusions to the pleasant moments of
years gone by-sweet recOllectiOns,-
that the cares of business and affairs
have kept too long buried in memo
ry's grave.
But this is a reunion of all the alum
nj, not of our time alone, but of all the
! fOrty-fOur years of academical exist
ence. Our elder and our younger
brothers and sisters are here, and to
spend my allotted time in recOunting
our own particular virtues and excel
lencies would be an affront to them.
They would doubtless rather hear their
own descanted upon, and they would
be convinced with difficulty that any
academical age was more illustriOus
than their own.
But for these considerations, l could
allude to many facts most creditable
to ourselves. With what inordinate
zeal did we here pursue the fleet and
persistently elusive hare of learning
What a constant source of delight to
our teachers was our persevering en-
deavOr to conform to the spirit and the
letter of every rule of the school, and
especially to that one regarding the
keeping of study-hOurs Indeed in a
calm and dispassiOnate review of our
life here, after the lapse of thirteen
years, 1 can conscientiOusly say that
very few of us were ever caught viO-
lating this rule. The only instance
that | now recall, was that of young
student, who had so utterly worn out
his brain in close and severe applica-
ton to his books, at time when the
cOasting happened to be excellent,
that mental relief seemed only possible
in physical exercise in the way of slid
ing down hill, and he therefore one
evening in Il moment of abstraction,
permitted himself to be placed upon a
dOuble-runner, at the top of Hastings
hill, during study hours. At the same
moment some providence Tor possibly
the faculty., started a man with a
white horse and sleigh up the hill.
There was a collision, and in breaking
the rules of the school, the student
also broke his arm. This warning that
providence would attend to the en-
forcement of the rules of this school
was not without its effect and there
was probably no other infractiOn of
them during our time. Such was the
anxiety of the students on this subject
that it is said that whole parties OF
them used to frequently sit up nights
to devise plans by which they could
the better cOntrive to keep study
hours. Strikes for shorter hours had
not then been devised.
To be sure we were greatly assisted
in our virtuOus desires by the clear
and invigOrating atmosphere of this
town so justly celebrated for its good
influences. You will remember that
it was catalogned as "a village widely
known for the intelligence, public
spirit and high-tOned morality of its
people. Temptations are compare
lively few, and incentives to moral and
social culture are many and strong"
Indeed, so few were the temptations,
and so many and strong the incentives
to morality, that they have somewhat
lessened our pride in what in any 9th
er place would have been our almost
preternatural goodness. In other words,
it does not seem so very creditable Il
thing to have been good in st. Johns
bury, where to have been bad were
well-nigh impossible.
Some have claimed, and adduced
powerful arguments in support of the
position, that during our time at least,
it was the academy, and not the viii
lage, which was widely known for the
public spirit, and high
toned morality of its students, and
that it was the good influence of the
latter upon the villagers, which made
the temptations so few, and the incen-
tives to moral and social culture so
many and strong, whether the persons
so claiming, or the catalogues, are
right, is question which it is unprOf-
liable here to discuss. Acrimonious
debate would probably ensue, ending
possibly in a free fight and no good
end wonld be accomplished. l notice
by the catalogue of 1886 that the moral
standard of the village is at exactly
the same point as ID years ago.
But if we cOncede that the catalogue
and the villagers are right, they can
never take from us the proud con-
sciousness of positive merit, which we
know we possessed. Lack of tempta-
ton may deprive student of the OPP
portunity to be positively bad. 1t
may ipsO fdctO render him negatively |
good, but such was not our excellence.
Not good enough for US was the good
ness which results from not being bad.
'Lead us not into temptation" was not
our prayer. The reasons which in
duced us to waste our tissues in studi
Dus endeavor, by the light of the mid
night pine knot, were not those emu
merated in the catalogue. In our
breasts alone they had their dwelling.
After speaking of the advantages
derived from the policy adopted by
5he founders of this academy, "The
and improvement of the
mental faculties rather than mere ac
luisition," Mr.. Carpenter said:
1t has only known a half dozen prin-
pals throughout it's fortyfOur years of
existence. It's first and longest kept,
Mr.. James K. Colby, presided from its
until 1866. Many of
rou were under him. All of you that
Knew him sincerely love and cherish
lis memory. There can be no doubt
hat in his sphere, he was one of the
eading educators of his day.
From 1866 to 1871 three different
4 I. 4