Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1897-12-17

ETHAN ALIENS "oRAoLEs OF REASON"
To the Editor of the Free Press: In n
recent issue you refer to Ethan Aliens book.
/ have this book i'm my COLLECTION of Vermont
books ana pamphlets, in It's original binding.
Its title is rs follows;
Reason
The only
Oracle of Man,
Ora
COmpcnduOus system
Natural Religion.
Alternately Adorned With Conversations
of a variety CT DOCTRINES
incompatible to it;
Deducted from The most exalted
ideas which We are able to form
of the Divine and Human Characters
and from the
Universe in General.
BY Ethan Allen, Esqr.,
Bennington,
State of Vermont.
Published by Iaswell Il Russell,
NJ. d. c. c. LNXXIV.
svopp AZ.
have also the edition of lS3j,-a reprint.
Respectfully yours,
WILLIAM PoRTUs BAXTER.
Mr.. Baxter is fortunate in possessing,
in his extensive and valuable collection
of Vermont books, pamphlets and man
uscripts. copy of the original edition of
Ethan Aliens "Oracles of Reason 1t
is the rarest of Aliens publications, the
whole edition, with the exception of
about thirty copies having been de-
stroved by an accidental fire. In the
/ introduction to the reprint of the work,
published by the Matsells, in New York
/ i'm 1876, it is stated that part of the
original edition, comprising several
signatures, was accidentally consumed
by fire, and that Mr.. IIasWell-perhaps
deeming the fire a Judgment upon him
for printing such a wOrk-soon after
committed the rest of the edition to the
flames and coined the Methodist connec-
ton" This, however. according to NJ
! -. Gilman, was pure romance, beyond
the fact that most of the edition wa;
DESTROYED by a fire said to have beer
caused by lightning. 1t is matter OF
record that the Vermont legislature, al
its session at Rutland in October, 1892
granted to Mr.. Haswell permission tC
establish a lottery, to enable him tC
raise funds to rebuild his printing
Office. which had been destroyed by fire
but whether or no this was the fire il
which Aliens book was burned, is 70
stated.
Ethan Allen subsequently prepared al
essay on ''rhe Universal Plentitude o
Being and on the Nature and ImmOrtali
ty of the Human Soul" which he in
tended to publish as an appendix to hi
"Oracles' in order to correct certain o
his errors in that work. 1t was neve
printed by him, however. In 1873, tn
manuscript of it came into the posses
sion of the late Henry b. Dawson VIII,
printed it in his Historical magazine
In a note prefaced to it, Mr.. Dawson
said, with truth, that it had fallen to tn
lot of few men in the United States t
have been more seriously misrepresente
as a man and citizen. and in regard t
his opinions on religious subjects, tina
was Ethan Allen. lie was, as on
readers know, bitterly denounced as a
atheist: but the inscription on the oil
tombstone over his graye-the las
: fragment of which, saved from TN
, ravages of the relic-hunters, was burie
: under the tall monument in Gree
, Mount cemetery-was more truthfu
characterization of him: His spir
tried the mercies of his God, in whoI
he believed and strongly trusted"
The state library possesses a copy {
the original edition of the "Oracles {
, Reason" with record of the place an
date of his birth, on flyleaf, in Allen
strong handwriting. = Burlington Ere
q Press.