The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-01-29

hampSnlTe, MdSstCuuSSJlS anu VI
mont. The sentiment of the hour was
There are the red-cOats, we will beat
them to-day, boys, or Mullie Stark is
widnw"-Self-sacri devotion to
common country.
A vast concourse of people gathered
at that celebration. There were the
Sons of New Hampshire, the home of
Stark. and the no less famous Mullie.
There were the Sons of Massachusetts,,
the home of "the fighting parson,"
Thomas Allen, who one hundred and
fourteen years ago drove all the way
from the Berkshire Hills in his one-holse
shay, and, when the battle began, was
thoughtful and generous enough to first
pray for the souls of his enemies before
he grabbed his old flint-lock and blazed
away at their red-cuats. The Sons OF
Vermont were there. They had the
right to be.
The old Thirt 'en united fought,
Tn Resolution through
But singled tmded old Vermont
Fought them and Eng aud too
That Vermont, sometimes called the
Grelter Vermont. was there-that Yer
mont to winch you and | belUng-that
Vermont which UVerruns the country;
for where is it possible to go, throughout
the length and breadth of the land, and
not lind a Vermont Yankee. who, i'll IA
quiet and modest way, is trying to carve
out his own fortunes and not untrequent-
ly, that of his neignbUrs too.
But the munument-there it stands, Ion
the brow OF State Aims Hill, at Centre
Bennington. upon the the site Of the old
Continental SLurUnOuSr, which lured the
enemy on To his inevitable tate. Away
to the north and east rise the Green
Mountains, made famous by the exploits
OF the Aliens and the Warmers; on the
south is Mount Anthony, two thousand
feet III height, while on the west, tour
miles away, Ill the valley below, lies the
historic battlefield, where was fought
the first in that series of Incompatible
victories, Bloomington, Saratoga and
orktown, the last made possible by tile
first.
Higher than the shaftin London, which
celebrates the achievements of Lord
Nelson; higher than the Column Ven
dome, which commentaries the VIC
tories of Napoleon, the First; higher
than our own Bunker Hill Monument by
more than sixty feet, this splendid
memorial. rising i'll Grecian lines OF
monumental art, cleaves the azure blue
of the northern sky,tO the lofty height OF
three hundred and one feet,-the high
est and grandest battle monument ON
tile face of the earth.
The incidents of that day were many.
The imposing parade, with its long lines
of military companies, Respondent i'll
their gorgeous regalia,-hardly i'll keep
ing with the rustic character Of our fore
fathers, who rallied I'm their breeches
of deerSkin and jackets of brown" the
military bands piping National airs on
their glistening instruments, alter all,
somewhat out of tune" with those
hardy Green Mountain Boys of more
than ii century ago, each Of whom car
ried his own trumpet, and blew his own
horn, a custom which the VernOnters OF
this windy ciIy' are said to have pre-
served in all its pristine vigOr; the long
march from the Soldiers Home to the
monument, up the hill near the site of
the first meeting hOcse in VermUnt,-tor
our forefathers were a religious people
and, like the good old SCUtchman, kept
the SLUeath and whatever they could lay
their hands upOn,-passed the site Ol the
''Old CatamuumJ Tavern" where the
Council of Safety met Ill the piping
times of IT; the impressive exercises OF
dedication, i'll which our State was SO
well represented by our honOred guest;
the mastery Grafton by that prince OF
Vermont orators, who pictured i'll the
Queens English. ii not To the Queen
taste, how Stark and his cOmpeers met
the red-cuals and made them theirs; The
magnificent banquet, where were
gathered more supplies than Baum at
tempted to seize, and more PERSONS than
fought Oh both sides OF that memorable
contest; all these were features OF the
celebration, which only strengthened the
feeling 50 common to us all, that in the
bright galaxy of American Common
wedlJhS. there is no place SO Supernal To
be born III as ''Jhe Vermont that lOye."
but, inspiring is the OCCASION was, there
was one tming wanting. There was no
memorial to Molie Stark. Like the pole
star ON this wIutry night, she was left
out in tine cDd. Mothers are fire.
quently said to love their sons more than
Jneir daughters. HuwsUever that may
be, all good children should make up for
the deficiencies of their parents, and 50,
Tonight, the Sons of Vermont have sup
plied the taliugs of the 'uld lady" and
erected here III this elegant banquet hail.
if not ON Vermont soil, ut least III an ut
mUsphere suIcharged with its hallUwed
memories, this testimonial, made of the
sweetest of Vermont staples, to typify
the disposition of Mullie Stark and Yer
mont women. To employ common
quotation, it is a remembrance of
''sweets to sweet" allowing, of course,
to each man the right of private judy
ment to choose for himself which par
ticular one is the sweetest. AS for the
monument which crowns the hill at
Centre Bennington,
"Let the eaI hest light Of the morning gid ii,
And the pa, thug uay Huger aud PLY ON Its
summit"
But as for this which adOrns this ban
quet hail, l cannot say as much. Alas !!
/ know too well tile strong affinity which
exists between VermUnters, being one of
the snecles myself, and this Vermont pro
duct, and hence 1t is part Ot tie pro-
gramne this evening u transpOse this
monument into living movements to the
old State, three hundred OF which | see
before me i'll all their glory.
Ii the statue in New York harbOr re-
presents the Goddess of Liberty as hold
ing alUtt iii her hand q beacon light to
welcome to these shores the prosecuted
and oppressed of every cline, then let
that grim. visaged monument, planted
behind the everlasting hills OF old YER
mont, and erected to the memory of
those who died that liberty might live,
be to ali who have come or shall come
hereafter to live among vs., a solemn and
perpetual warning that this land of ours
is not tile aleinblc Tor the polluted OIL
scOurinuS of the crumbllnT mOnarChies