Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-08-16

QuirementS and education,
Is it strange that the sons and daugh-
ters of men like these were endowed
with spinal columns of such stiffness
and straightness that the high, straight
backed chairs which we now and then
bring out TO decorate our halls were the
only comfortable seats for them? | Of
fer as the next toast, "Our Own RevOlu-
Sionary FOrefathers," and ask Mrs. JeS-
sic Scott for response.
Mrs. SCOTS response was full of facts
and was very interesting,
Whenever we read or hear of the brave
deeds of the men who gave us the right
to belong to this patriotic Order, we al
inclined to ask "What were the Fore
fathers doing then?"
When our Fathers turned away.
From tn" homes winch smiling lay,
On the hill and mountain glen.
When they cast the bullets bright,
And TOOK their guns to fight,
What were our Foremothcrs doing then:
When they left the scythe and pl.w,
With the horse and pig, and COW,
With the turkey, duck and hen;
Left their gardens to the weeds,
While they followed q orys lead,
What were our Forcmother's doing then:
When the cattle cried fororn,
For their need of hay and corn,
Looking vainlv for the men,
Who took their burdens up:
Who provided bit and sup?
What were our FoIemothers doing then:
Who harvested the grain,
Who fed the hungry train
Of Mothers little men:
OF little maidens, too,
And the noisy BARNARD crew:
Wha, were our Foremothers doing then:
Who held the scythe and pillow!
Who MIXED The loving COW?
And fed the duck and hen!
Who carded, dyed, and spun,
Rising before the sun,
Working till day was done:
What were our FOremothers doing then:
There is no absolute proof that the
doctrine of reincarnation is true, but an
argument strongly in its favor is that.
now and then, one appears to possess a
spirit so like those of old that we are
forced to believe it the same. Mrs. Kate
Root is strongly suspected of having in
herited one of the souls laid by about
the year 1890, and we will ask her to re-
ply to the toast to Our Foremothers'
The response by Mrs. Root was full of
interest and contained many happy al
lusions to the past.
With such an ancestry, how can we
wonder that we are what we are? And
being what we are, it seemed wise that
we should join ourselves together, pub
fishing to the world the fact of our high
descent.
Mrs. Burdette, State Regent of the D.
A. R., will answer to the next toast.
THE National Order of the D. A. r."
Mrs. Burdette gave an interesting
sketch of the origin and growth of the
order.
The spirit of '76 has not died out of
Vermont, and nowhere does it scntillate
more brightly, more belligerantly than
in Bennington. If anywhere there are
Daughters of the Revolution, certainly
the home of Ethan Allen and Seth Warn
er should furnish its quota SO We toast
THE Bennington Chapter of The Daugh-
ters of the A. Revolution" and ask our
Regent, Mrs. Norton, to reply.
The response was one of the happy af-
fairs of the occasion.
The last of our tOasts was to have
been THE d. A. r. of the Future" No
one had imagination sufficient to portray
her; each one who was asked declared
the new woman to be beyond her powers
of fancy. The Toast Mistress rested her
tired head on ruffled down pillow, and
dreamed. And 10, she saw a mighty
crowd well badged with white and blue,
who held their heads in sturdy pride, as
i'll the Daughters do. Emancipated
from the tyranny of man, and looking
eagerly for new wrongs to right, and
new fields to cOnqueror, Woman had
turned upon her former leader and stern
est oppressor, Fashion, and ground him
under her heel. Her will was now law,
and each one had a will and taste of her
own. The result may be imagined. No
more high collars and big sleeves for
stout women, no more low necks and
clinging robes for thin ones. AS they
went their independent way, men dodge
aside to let them pass, shrinking into
corners, and making themselves as in
conspicuous as possible while the motely
crowd swept by. In short dresses and
long ones, divided skirts and boomers.
In sOftest silks of far Cathay, in stitfest
cloth of India. With hats and bonnets
great and small, turned up before, be-
hind. Their shoes were pointed as a
sword, the toes were broad and wide :;
the heels were high, the heels were low,
they buttoned, clasped, and tied. All
were young, and fresh, and fair, for
wrinkles had gone by; age had not
touched their shining hair, twisted both
low and high. On bicycles and tricycles,
walking with manly stride; in soft cleo.
trio carriages, and palanquins beside,
they travelled on, and passed from view,
through automatic doors; and the Toast
Mistress lifted her head, and thanked
Providence that she could not hope to
live to see the full development of the
stock joke of this decade, "The Coming
Woman"
The occasion was one long to be re-
membered by those who participated in
it.
The day was very generally observed
in town, business houses and the mills