Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1896-11-26

blood of age. He lives in our imagination
like William Tell or WinkelTied. He sci
the example of daring and lofty courage
He scaled the walls and burst like q
cyclone upon the garrison OF Tlconderoga
His shout TO the commander OF that for
tress who asked for his authority, thal he
demanded the uncOndltional SURRENDER,
Sin the name of the great Jehovah and
the Continental Congress" was senll-
ment which carried many bloody field
in the seven years war, because the Coll-
tinental soldier believed that ms cause
had the sanction and approval OF the COO
of Battles The capture OF IlcOndefOga
over year before the Declaration OF IN
dependence by the Continental Congress
had an Inspiring effect upon the colonies,
TAR beyond ANYTHING which has usually
been credited TO this most important
event. 1t secured great store of arms
and munitions of war, but II dld more. III
demonstrated the quality OF the soldier
farmer, not only for resistance III defence
of his home but for invasion ana assault
where the veteran might well have quail
ed. The Green Mountain Boys, once
aroused. swept over Lake Champaign INTO
Canada. A handful of them came near
capturing Quebec. If they had been
properly supported they would have selZ-
ed the Province The crisis of the Revo-
lutiouarv War approached The most
perfectly equipped and largest army OF
veteran soldiers ever before assembled
upon the North American continent, was
marching under Burgoyne to JOIN the
forces of Sir Henry Clinton on the Hud-
son Had this union been effected the
,nuse of the colonies would have been
lo,t. Washington could furnish no help,
lint these brave mOuntaineers knew how
Ia helm themselves. They hung upon the
flank of this army, they ambuscaded lis
foraging parties, they cut off its source OF
SUNNY they haTrassed il upon side ana
nd rot arlnI its advance until
SCHUYLER and Gates and Arnold could pre-
pare nj Saratoga for the decisive conflict.
They met at Bennington the Hover OF
Burgoyue's army, and won victory
which had the most important bearing
upOn Burgoyne's subsequent movements
and the success of the American forces.
The churches were the recruiting stations
of the Continental Army. The Puritan
pulpit preached resistance 10 tyranny ana
the Puritan minister followed ms lock to
the field. II was ParsOn Allan of Pitts
field who came up with Il company of
Vi Massachusetts, militia, and took old GEN
cral Stark to task because the lighting dld
not begin at once. But stark said TO him.
As soon us the Lord sends us sunshine,
if | don't give You fighting enough I'll
never ask You to come out AGAIN. Nhllc
The hail of bullets was pouring from the
farmers upon the IIessian mercenaries and
their Indian allies, and they We're reply
ing in kind, ParsOn Allen mounted Il
stump, Bible in hand, and eXhorted the
Germans and the savages in his choicest
English TO surrender and lay down their
arms, A volley was the response TO his
appeal Then this fighting parson, laying
down his Bible and taking up his musket,
proved himself the best shot in the reg-
ment and the foremost in the assault,
lighting. ms he believed, against the enc
mics of the Lord.
II was the battle of Bennington which
- Of thnzp nlplsgS which
make up the vocabulary of patriotism.
They live when all else is forgotten; they
recall for the instruction OF pusterlty the
acts of the fathers when the mass OF his
tory had Obscured them. In every school .
house in the land, for more than hum
dTed wears the American youth have felt I
Il new impulse for freedom AS they have I
read the cry of old General Stark, rs he
led these farmer-soldiers to the assault {
''rhose Red Goats are ours to-day or Molly .
Stark is widow
The early citizens of Vermont We're .
forced to fight for their lands and their
homes against the whole official power of .
the Colony of New York Tor their lives
against maraudng bands of saVages and
for their liberties against the tyTannicul .
operations of the British Government.
The young colony was university OF
liberty. Its students We're every mau,
woman and child within its borders,
Because of the position of New ! ork and
New Hampshire at first, and of the slave
holding states for the fear of another free
state in the Union afterwards, Vermont
stood for 16 years absolutely stood among
the English settlements. She would not
Join Canada and continue a British Colony,
and she was not permitted to enter the
American Union; but in these trying
times the people justified the title given
them by old General Stark, who called
them 1.-THE turbulent sons of freedom.
af hl
Mountains, and in constitution and laws
demonstrated that hard experience had
advanced them farther in the lesson OF
liberty than any of the thirteen colonies.
They first saw the sin of African slavery
and recognized that il was both moral
and political crime. They first put into
their constitution perpetual prohibition
against il, and this at time when there
was no sentiment in the wide world ON the ,
subject which had any standing or power. ,
They established universal suffrage years
before other states had recognized that ,
is not republication Tor suffrage, ,
but manhood.
Though Vermont had captured Ticon- ,
deroga and Crown Point, though she had
fought battles upon the lakes, though she :
had contributed Il regiment To the Con- !,
tinental Army, vet her isolation cOmpell-
ed her TO bear the whole of her share Of :
the expenses of the Revolutionary War.
The United States found itself unable TO !
meet the Continental currency which II /,
had emitted i'm such enormous quantities.
in the crisis of its fate. This currency was
repudiated, and the loss fell wholly upon 2
its holders, but the young Republic Of the .
Green Mountains boldly faced its obliga-
lions and met them i'm that true spirit of .
public honesty which always promotes
the profit, thrift and prosperity of the
people. Every obligation of Vermont as !,
il mdtuTed was met and paid in full
When i'm 1871 the United States, recoguiz-
ing these long years of injustice, invited I
the Republic of the Green Mountains to Y
join the Union. Vermont, with liberty and !
democracy embodied in her constitution, y
enacted in her laws and instinct i'm her Y
life, added another star to the American =
flag.
Now, more than at any other period '
during the present generation, il is import =
ant to teach the principles upon which our q
government was founded, aud the policies a
which have made il great r
These patriotic societies have before I
them a most important work. Their first il
duty is TO educate the people. Both those a
who have landed upon our shores from Il
foreign countries, and those of later gem q
aratiOns which have forgotten the Revo- T.
luton. must be taught the dangers of u
moving the Republic from the safe moor u
ngs of the past. Ii is a poor rule, in pub Il
lie affairs. which despises the old and fol- q
lows the new, because the one is old and p
the other new. The first charter of lib q
srty was that framed in the cabin of the &