The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-01-08

'.Sew England always in the van OF
education; her scholars and her teachers
have always been included among hel
patriots, and her schools have been the
Institutes of her citizenship" was the
toast TO which William Everett respond
ed. This is what he said; j.. :.
/ Mr.. Chairman; / suppose at Tins dln
lner-ou the Forsfathers Day-thetHst thlng
is fsFevery one to substantiate his pedl-
gree fromStlIe PilgrHns of ithe Aayfiewer,
and begito claim descent IRON JOHN
Howland, the young man VINO during
the voyage fell o"er the side and with
difficulty managed to swing himself up
by the stern chains, but who hyed 10 be
the last survivor in the town Of Plymouth
OF that sainted company. His daughter,
Desire Howland, married Captain John
Gorbam, of Bamstable, who died OF te7
yer contracted in the Swamp Fight with
King Philip; and from him descended
Nathaniel Gotham, president of the Con-
tinental Congress and sigherof the Com
stitution Of the, United States, and
whose great-grandson have the honor
to -betI (Applause.) II is necessary to
allude to this, MIR. President, because
some people have had the presumption
to make fun OF the Mayflower. tCr1es OF
"NoI Nor') They actually doubt the
existence of the miraculous furniture
which she brought over, which may be
multiplied at will to any extent.
NaughteE) 1t is necessary to begin
with the clear understanding that the
one hundred Pilgrims of the -Mayilower
and their descendants beat any Four
Hundred that ever. lived. (Great ap-
nj, fail k.ap. fnr ingtstnPn Whn
tried.bo do what lie could in his day and
generation to eXtond the faNe land pre-
serve the spirit OF the Pilgrims, always
admitted his .jiferiOritEto those who
sprang fromthat sacred band and treated
his children with proper respect as bet
ter born than himself Laughterl
The sentiment to Which you have
called me to respond, sir, is one which /
believe tells a great truth. | believe
that if New England has any claim to
tile respect or following Of the world tits
because she has always held in honor the
higher educatiOn-educatioR something
beyond the, three Rs-beyond what it is
supposed everybody ought to know, and
what the Stete ought to teach; education
in advanced subjects-in languages
spoken in other lands than our own, or
not spoken by living men at all and pre-
served only in literature; in science
which deals not only with OBJ
jects that we can see and touch, but.with
depending on abstract
thought or with matter as wrenched
from its surroundings 10y the resistless.
force OfpatiCpt experiment; in history and
philosophy which pursues man from the
present hour back to his origin, and which
trace the causes and motives of his life.
My revered and beloved friend, that true
son at once of New York and Of New;
England, the late George l.. Schuyler zap
plause), whose absence from your streets
makes to me blank in this city which
can ever fiji, used to claim, in
honor of his Dutch ancestors, that the
Pilgrims learned the freo-sehOol system,
which is the pride of New England in
Leyden. II that is true sir they brought
something more from Leyden; some
thing which is nobler leaf in the crown
of that ancient BatayiH city than the
seige; they brought
from Leyden the higher education, the
education to which the common school
is only the first stcpIing-stone. The in
sututiom of which have the honor to be
in charge was founded by President
John Adams 10 be one of those ,charae-
teristio seminaries of New England, the
foundation academy-in advance of the
common school, preparatory. to the uni
versity, but occupying It's own place in
that system of which the keynote is that
whatever knowledge man can acquire.
Jhat he should be encouraged to acquire,
without raising. THAI. paroW aud ihsidis
Gus question, whether lie may perhaps
dispense with its requirement. ZAP
plausGp /" :; = I =.