St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1899-08-30

oruer OF ability and OF character which |
Its corps OF instructors possessed. Other
members OF the association will doubt.
less, as opportunity offers, speak more
particularly of the instructors who pre-
coded, and succeeded my time at school,
W those whom | personally knew the
preceptresses and their assistants in all
the various branches taught by them
were always without exception well
qualified by nature and we'll fitted by
education for their respective duties,
added to which each possessed a charm
ing personality which endeared her to
her pupils and for whom l, in common !
believe with all the male pupils enter
tanned school boys love.
OF the principals OF the school without
desiring to be invidious when all were so
worthy, the two whose influence was
very great and upon whose virtues me-
mory particularly loves to dwell, were
the first and the last. / was too young
at the time to understand and appreciate
at their full value as did later the sterl.
ing qualities of mind and heart which
Thomas Scott Pearson possessed. Be.
meath somewhat stern cast OF counte.
nance as | remember him beat a kind
and gentle heart. A man OF sterling
worth, and exalted character, as well as
a competent instructor his whole life
walk and conversation was an impress
sive object lesson to his pupils of digni-
fed manhood. little later in the his
tory OF the school it was its good fortune
to secure the services as principal of Mr.
Charles O. Thompson, whose many
virtues, those Of you who were fortunate
enough to attend the centennial anniver.
sary two years ago heard very eloquent
ly and feelingly portrayed by one of his
pupils, Mrs. Augusta Hunt, man
whose lovable disposition, frank engag-
ing manners and winsome smile drew all
hearts, who governed through the affec-
tons, who had the happy faculty OF
being pleasant and sociable with his
pupils out of school, without loss of
dignity or impairment OF his government
in school who although a young man
just out of college when he came here at
once took leading part in all the affairs
OF the community outside of the school
both in church and state by virtue of his
high character and ability, who left here
for wider field of labor, but whose
physique was not equal to the demands
made upon it, he early succumbed to
disease, and life Of great usefulness and
value to the world was prematurely
ended, when Mr.. Thompson died.
II the spirits Of our departed friends
ever revisit the scenes of their earthly
tabernacle then surely the spirit Of
Charles o. Thompson must be looking
with intelligent interest on this scene of
his earthly labors, where for years he
presided over the destinies of this school
as teacher counsellor, friend, whose con-
nection with the school records one OF
the brightest pages in its history and
whose influence upon the minds and
hearts of those who were fortunate
enough to come under its sway will ever
live and abide with them. as cherished
possession as long as life and memory
last. AS the rivulet unites with other
rivulets from countless ravines to form
the river, so the graduates of our AGA
deny have gore out to mix and mingle
with the stream Of humanity. Some of
them achieved national distinction and
their names will be honored so long as
the history OF our country endures, aud
the great majority although to fame all
unknown have yet played no unimpor-
tant part in shaping, influencing and
directing the current of public opinion
in the communities in which they lived.
Carrying out with them from these walls
into active life the high moral principles
incucated herein, they have helped form
the warp and wool OF that excellent
moral fiber Of which American, and ee-
pecially New England character is made.
But it is not alone in the peaceful walks
OF lie, i'll the days of personal and ma.
tonal prosperity that their influence has
been felt. In the crisis OF the nations life,
when two great antagonistic moral
ideas met in deadly conflict, and it seem.
ed for a time as though the onward
march of civilization would be checked
and turned backward and the bright sun
OF liberty set in blood never to rise again,
the granite monument on yonder hill,
and the monuments on a thousand hill
tops throughout the country which re-
cord the names of the nations patriots
are silent bnt eloquent and unimpeach
able witnesses to the loyalty and devo-
ton with which the graduates of our
academy in common with many hun
dreds of thousands of their fellow citi-
zens responded to their couutry's call, in
the hour of its supreme need, when the
blood of heroes was spilled like water,
aud the very life of the nation hung
tumbliug in the balance.
When this school was organized our
country lay like a fringe along the
Atlantic sea coast, and with the English
possessions to the north of it, and the
French and Spanish possessions to the
south of it, it was westward, and neces
sarily westward that the course of
empire steadily and not slowly took it's
way and the broad egis of the constitu-
ton threw it's protecting shield over all
our citizens until now over all the land
where our flag floats. with two or three
exceptions only and they will soon be
added to the shining list, from the
furthest eastern boundary of the republic
where the land of liberty is first kissed
by the rays OF the rising sun to its utter.
most western extremity where it sinks
into the Pacific sea, we behold one
unbroken chain of sovereign states
inhabited by law.abiding liberty-lov-
ing people, animated by common
purpose, with common aims, common
objects and a common destiny, keeping
step to the music of the Union, marching
onward to the conquest of nature, and
sowing broad cast the seeds of duty and
devotion to country which shall ripen in
purer patriotism and in higher civil
ization to come. Among the pioneers
who blazed the trails, who braved the