Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-12-27
FOREFATHERS' DAY.
HOW 1T WAS CELEBRATED IN MIDDLE
nIrRX

HOW 1T WAS CELEBRATED IN MIDDLE
BURY.
The weather on Friday evening last,
the date set for the annual celebration
of the landing of the Pilgrims, sugges
ted that perhaps it was rain storm
amidst which they sang; the mud was
of unknown depth on the back streets
of the village and the country roads
were almost impossible. Notwithstand-
ing these facts, the Congregational church
was well filled at 6 80 o'clock, the hour
for the public services to begin. Hon.
John w. Stewart, president of the Mid
dlebury Historical society, under the
auspices of which the celebration is
held, bad not arrived home, and Presi-
dent Brainerd, the vice president of the
organization, was not present, so c. NJ.
Wilds, Esq, was called upon to pre-
side.
The service began with a voluntary
by Mrs. Miner, and then the quartette-
Mrs. j. W. Pitts of Worcester. Mass,
Miss Mary Simpson of Burlington, Dr.
W. II. Sheldon and Mr.. F. w. Thomas
rendered Dudley Bucks anthem. "We
praise Thee, O God" Rev. A. F. Keith,
pastor of the Congregational church,
read the 145th Psalm and made the in
vocation. The quartette and Miss Elga
Stewart sung Mrs. Hemans' ode-''The
breaking waves dashed high''-and
prayer was offered by Rev. F. G. Heaxt,
pastor of the Methodist church. An
anthem-"Bessed be the Lord Cod
was sung by the quartette.
Rev. j. +. Rankin, ID. d., of Orange
Valley, n. j., was introduced by Mr..
Wilds, and gave bright and instruc-
tive address on 'The Pride of Nation
alty." He said, among other things /:
This has been called the Blarney day
of New England and Plymouth rock
the Blarney stone of America. At any
rate it is the belief of New Englanders
that the Pilgrim fathers were among
the heroes of history. | have taken as
the basis of what | have to say the
words found in Acts xxi, 27-2S-'Then
the chief captain came and said unto
him, Tell me, art thou Roman? He
said, Yea. And the chief captain an
this. And Paul said, But | was free
born" Paul had tenacious clinging
to the rights of Roman citizenship; for
there was one thing which Rome did
for its own and for all time, and that
was to make sacred the rights of cti-
zenship. Every nation which has any
due sense of its reason for existence
has pride of nationality. The English
nation has light to be prord-not be-
cause the sun never sets Cn its possess
sions-but because it stands for so much
that is great in history, in literature a.l
in institutions. So has Germany, and so
have we, the third great empire. ."rater
than ever Rome was and drawing all
men toward us by the opportu: titles we
offer. America is the ultimate England,
where each man has the chanc, to make
the most of himself. True national pride
will concern itself quite as much with the
nations future as with its past. / Il - proud
of being an American chiefly for what we
are 10 become. Self-government, indeed,
has its difficulties, but that makes it he
oic. 1t is harder 20 govern oneself than
to be governed. Fore rs who come
here and are admitted - citizenship can
best learn TO exercise the rights of citi-
zenship by exercising them. True ma
tional pride in this country will co. .cern
itself to make good for all who are here
or who may come here the right of citi-
zenship. Our idea is to have for every
man an open horizon with stars in it
an opportunity to get where God intend
I'd him to be; that he is on an equality
with all the rest so far as the conduct of
'vernment is concerned. If we have
aIn- divine right, it is the right to the
balot. This great government stands
not for the vast industries of the nation,
but TO-. the rights of the humblest man.
Citizo lshiL to the Roman was sacred,
but Rome had no Pilgrim fathers and no
history like ours or England's. Our
duty will never be done till American
citizenship means at least as much as
Roman citizenship did to the ancients.
1t was American citizenship that made
our fOrefathers what tbey were. The