The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1891-08-21

BENNINGTON, VT, Aug. 90. 1t looked
yesterday morning as though Benning.
ton would not hold any more strangers;
yet every train that has come in sincs
has brought new crowd of distin.
guished guests or people from the sur
rounding country. The citizens have
thrown open their houses and cots fill.
all the halls and p~arlors, yet hundreds
slept in tents last night.
The celebration is the elimination of
along series OF events covering a century.
The anniversary OF the battle of Ben
nington is to Vermont what the
Fourth Of July is to the nation. For
nearly fifty years there has been more
or less preparation for the building OF a
suitable monument. The FIRST organ
lied effort was in 1858. Tho cost of the
monument and site has been. in round
numbers, $780, 600. Massachusetts con-
tributed $4,000: New Hampshire.
$500; the national government. $40,-
200, and Vermont, SIS, 200. The bal.
ance has been raised by private SUBJ
scrlption.
Governor Page escorted the president
and the distinguished members of his
party. from North Bennington this
morning, arriving at the Soldiers home
there and proceeded to the monument,
passing through the principal streets Of
Under the Arch.
Bennington is decked from tho eastern
boundary to the old Bennington on the
hill, and is one complete of bunt-
ing and flags. Midway in this pam
Drama stands the triulnphal arch. This
arch bears on its eastern side the motto:
ssl79l-the best legacy Of vermont's
ters-lsY1." On the opposite side are
the following: "l777-you see the red
coats; they are ours or Mollie Stark
sleeps a widow tonight" being the his
toric words uttered by General Stark
as he rallied his men to fight on the field
of Bennington. The other half of the
same side Of the arch has these words:
"Peace has her victories no less re-
howned than war-lS91." AS the pres
ident passed under this arch a choir OF
200 voices Joined in singing America"
'Hail Columbia" '.Star Spangled Ban
ner," and other patriotic songs.
The Monument.
stands on q commanding site 1913 feet
above the Wallonsac river. The foun-
dalton of the monument, is the solid
rock of the mountain, on the top of
which was situated the bennington of
the revolution. The structure is an
obelisk, built of native stone, and faced
with sandy hill dolomite. The height
from the base to the top of the capstone
is 300 feet lO1 inches. The monument
at the base is 81 feet 4 inches by SIS feet
4 inches, running to q point at the top.
The lookout room is 1873 feet above
the foundation, and is reached by an
iron staircase. From this lookout the
battlefield is plainly visible seven miles
away. In front of this monument COM
manding q fine view of Monument
avenue and the old first church, has
been erected the grand stand, where the
dedication services ore now in progress.
Society of American Revolution.
The Vermont Society of American
Revolution met here. Forty delegates
from the Rhode Island society, who are
here to attend the monument exercises,
were present at the meeting. General
j. q. Mccullough was elected president
to succeed Hon. RedGeld Proctor. Tho
other officers chosen were: Vice presi-
dent, ex-Lieutenant Governor N. A
Woodbury.; treasurer, Colonel M. K
Paine; secretary, Charles S. Forbes, and
register, Henry Leonard Stillson. All
Of these are reelected except the first
two.