The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-08-08
MONTH ELIER.


A "FOreigner's" Impressions of II.
| Will you permit one who is mot to the
manor born" to give his impressions of
| the capital city in your valuable paper?
/ came to Vermont expecting to find a
| ''backwoods' country and community,
rude, rustic and half cizilized. l had
| heard Of the Vermonter's alleged re-
mark that "the great drawback to the
Green Mountain State was the fact that
we have to drag around on wheels for
two months in the year!" Instead of a
''backwoods" country and community /
found highly cultivated farms, good
| roads and polished, intelligent people,
whose clothes and manners are as up
to date" as those of our central states.
I found the climate more equable, more
healthful and far more endurable than
that of Massachusetts, and Connecticut.
I found excellent graded schools, hos
pitfalls and public libraries, literary
clubs and reading circles, and a general
spirit of thrift and intelligence far in
advance of many Of the states in which
have sojourned, In word, l am de-
lighted with Vermont and Vermonters
ion than Vermonters, and yet they
have a state pride which would be ri
diculous if it were not well founded; if
it had no real and genuine 'raison
dete." They take pride in the fact that
Vermont was never subject to foreign
power; that from its first settlement to
1893 when it Joined the Union, it was
a sovereign and independent republic
which was not and could not pe coerced
by New Hampshire, New York, Massa-
chusetts, Congress or Great Britain.
They take pride in the fact that the
first blood shed for American indepen-
dence was shed in Vermont, and that
the only battle fought within the Dor
ders in the struggle for Independence
was an American victory. OF these
things, and more that l might mention,
Vermonters are proud as we'll they
may be.
The whole appearance of the city of
Montpelier, from outskirts to center, is
spruce and tidy in the extreme. Well
kept lawns, macadamized streets. with
clean cutters, elegant residences, and
fine, solid public buildings dispell any
'backWoods" ideas which the writer
may have imbibed before coming here
Among the latter / may mention the
Capitol built of Vermont granite, small
but architecturally correct in all its
proportions; the Federal building. of
Vermont marble, in which are domiciled
the United States courts and post-offce,
the Heaton hospital, the two public IL
braries, one of which contains a well
a. TIA
lery, the latter the gift of Thomas
Wood the celebrated artist of New
York city; the Episcopal church, an ee-
giant granite structure: the Montpelier
seminary, the opera house block etc,
etc.
Among the more elegant private resi-
dences, the following are worthy of
mention: Red Stone" the palatial
summer mansion Of Prof. Burgess of
Columbia university, the Brock house,
the Houghton residence, land the houses
of Hon. Charles and Captain Edward
Dewey.
/ have explored all the streets and al |
leys, and thus far have not found sin
gle dwelling that is shabby or out of re-
pair; which is more than can be said of |
most American cities.
The church edifices are all neat and !
well kept. Bethany (CongregationaD |
church is large Gothic structure, more
elegant and costly than one would ex-
pect to find in city of the size Of
On Easter day I attended divine SER
vice at Christ church, and was sur
prised to find "a wel-drilled vested
choir of thirty-six voices. Though I
was born and bred a Puritan of the
Puritans. 1 could not help enjoying the
sublime ritual of the Episcopal church
as carried out in this congregation. 1t
S high" but not too high" with none
IF the ritual eccentricities which Ito me) 1
seem as much out Of place in an Episco-
pal as in Congregational chant The
'ector preached 'gospel-sermon,' in