St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1897-12-03
DR.. BARTLETT'S 80 YEARS, VIEW
The Great Changes Wrought Within the Span
of Single Life.

college, at public reception given him
last Friday at Hanover, N. H., in honor
OF his 8Oth birthday, thus responded to
call for remarks: You call for reminis.
cences. 1t is difficult Tor me, and much
more for you, to realize the stupendous
changes which my 80 years have wit.
messed. 1t is magnificent dream. No
boy of the present day, think, will ever
see the like. might say in word that
all the events which scores of pens have
just celebrated at Victoria's jubilee have
fallen within my lifetime, and much more
for l had charge Of country grammar
school in Vermont while the great and
good queen was still under the charges of
her mother.
Or could say all that was remarkable
at the Columbian exposition of 1868 has
been at least evolved within the period.
will, however, except the autograph of
Christopher Columbus and the letters
patent of Ferdinand and Isabella. but
not altogether the mummies from New
Mexico nor the prehistoric remains in
general, for these have been mostly found
and investigated within so years. And
to this may add the very possibility of
such collection from all four corners of
the globe, for | am older than the first
passenger railway in the world, than the
first little steamer, the Savannah, that
crossed the Atlantic.
The changes in the transition from nv
earliest days until now are almost like
the passage to another planet changes
in the art of war and the arts of peace,
and in the whole comfort, convenience
and healthfulness of living and working.
in sanitary precautions and in the relief
of the sick and the suffering. For single
example-l have seen the first surgeon of
the country chip away with his chisel
and mallet at the necrosis of the tibia bv
the half-hour, with nothing to deaden
the pain or prevent the suppuration, till
one by one we crept into the open air
from very iaintness.
Ny memory goes back to the flint-lock
gun and the smooth-bore cannon, to the
sickle and the scythe, to the open fire.
place, the universal wood fire, and the
Undertook; for saw the light a dozen
years before the first friction match
emitted light. | heard the hum of the
spinning. wheel, and have seen the shuttle
fly back and forth in the hand loom.
The land in which we live has mean
while enlarged the number OF its states
20 to As multiplied its population eight
or nine fold pushed its area from the
Atlantic 5000 miles to the Pacific, and
thrust out the horns Of Alaska, 5000
miles beyond. And the most extraordi.
nary thing of all was the wonder-work.
ing providence during the middle 80
years, which solved the insoluble prob.
lem, when the slave power, in its attempt
to null'fy the constitution and the ma
ton, stult6ed and nulified itself.
Human power has been multiplied by
mechanism until one mans work releases
ten or it may be hundred others, and
the helmsman of a great ocean steamer
holds the reins of nearly 10000 horses.
And so all business has taken gigantic
leaps. The importer can order daily from
London or Paris, and the country trader
replenish his stock every week instead of
twice year. The whole world has come
within speaking distance. Sixty years
ago it took letter two days from Bos-
ton to Hanover; 20 years ago | sent a
message from Jerusalem to Chicago in
the same forenoon, and the money lately
paid in Boston for Armenian relief on one
day was ready in Constantinople the
next.
1t has been the main era OF the great
work OF foreign missions. During my
lifetime the Bible has been rendered at
least into 800 or 400 tongues, in which
it has been printed, and probably one
writing for the purpose. Centeis of light
have thus been kindled in every part OF
the globe, till about nine-tenths of the
worlds inhabitants now have Gods
words in their own language.
In the heavens an eighth planet has
been added to the known seven; the four
asteroids multiplied to 400, and the OBJ
ject glass expanded from tour inches or
thereahouts TO 40 to tell u.s. it is said, of
the 100, 900 suns all bound together in
common bonds by the mighty hand of
God.
But must come nearer home. Of the
changes in this village l will not take
time to say very much. | can think OF
but one person now living who lived
here 20 years ago. The three most nota-
bic villagers whom recall were Mills o.
colt, gentleman of large ability, hospi-
tally and influence, father-in.law OF
Rufus Choate, the eminent jurist, Joseph |
Bell and w. H. Duncan; Col. Brewster,
another gentleman OF the old school,
sheriff Of the county and long marshal OF
the college, OF military carriage and po-
tent voice. whom his buncombe addresses
to the farmers insisted that much OF the
way from Canada to Carolina in the
Revolutionary was like his speech,
bleached with farmers bones.
In looking over thechanges OF 80 years,
what shall be said OF the retrospect I'm
mensity of progress; first material, sec
ondarily intellectual, and | may add
moral. Lite IS longer, lie is easier, life is
more powerful One would not willingly
go back to the environments OF that
earlier lime, although we did not mind 1t
then. They were tough and so were we.
But is Ef, HAMMER now? Taking the |