Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-09-14

this institution was maintained by n
fund of nearly half n million dollars,
given by one lady, for this purpose of
blessing her brothers and sisters Of man.
Kind. II this be Il commonplace monu-
incnt, let us thank God that we live I'm
a commonplace land. They took me then
10 tho public library. They showed me
the Canadian immigrants from the other
side Of the border thronging the pass
ages that each might have his French
hook to read, the German immigrant
pressing for his book; they showed a
perfect administration for the supply of
these needs. And they showed me that
they had not only provided for the rank
md file in this incorporating. observe,
thousands of books in German and
thousands of books in French but they
showed the last sweet thing" in tho
criticism Of Dante, tire last publications
of the archas illogical societies Of Italy
books ard prints which had been issued.
well. let us say 1t among ourselves. for
as dainty people as you and ! are. for
the elegant students of Browning or of
medieval times. They had taken as
good care Of us in cur daintincss as they
had taken Of the Canadian wood chopper
or Of the German mechanic. This seem
I'd to me rather distinguished bit of
administration. And so might go OH
to tell you about ether arrangements for
charities of their forclook in regard to
| sanitary arrangements. And VIXEN
asked them on the particular matter
whereon I was sent for to give counsel
how many outsiders or people from
| other lands they had in the Blackwclls
| Island establishrients,-in their public
| institutions for the poor-1 found there
was momentary question whether
there wcrt three OF these people mt that
| moment in these public Institutions, or
| pos slbly four!
That Is SD DISTINGUISHED condition
| Of affairs that I shcvld not dare tell that
| story in any social science congress In
| Europe 1t would be set down as n
Yankee oxageration. People would say
It was impossible. 1t is not impossible
because the men and women Of Builing-
| ton have known how to give themselves
to the administration Of the wealth in
common. Among other things. may
say. In passing. that they have known
| how to suppress the open bar"
To the reader at a distance. VINO knows
nothing of New England life it will be
as well to say that such homage rs l am
thus paying 10 Vermont is a homage to
local government. What in Vermont we
call republican democracy. or democratic
republicanism, results in such a picture
as l have here printed OF Burlington. 1t
is what Eropotkin and his friends would
| call anarchy, by which they mean
| strongly accented local government will,
no central power. Given a region of in
te!irent men, and men who love God
and wish 10 serve him. a region where
| most people live where they have lived
since childhood. n region whore every
body can read and write; and let tho
| people Of such a region take care OF
| themselves, of their own schools. their
cwr roads, their own pcorhouses. with
out the Interference Of any central
| authority, and you come out on the
state of Vermont. or something like it.
rho annual session OF the Legislature
ranges from three days I" ten. tc) had
the pleasure of meeting one of Vermont :
governors once for n few days at a hotel
in western North Carolina. Every
morning at breakfast he brought in the
business Of the State of Vermont in an
envelope in which he mad received il
from tho secretary Of State. The whole
Of It could he transmitted for four cents
worth of postage. This governor. if the
Ph,listincs want to know, had n salary
Of thousand dollars year. and il il
were necessary for his wife's health OF
for his own studies that he she uld spe nd
a month in western North Carolina. why
he could do ~ and transact the guberna.
toriul business of the State through tho
postoffice. I'D Happy is that people who's,
history is not written! Happy is that
| Ar,,1o r;eix
, short. Happy is that state which AWAY.
votes the republican ticket! They in
vented n new motto for their Stat,
sohe 30 years ago. THE star which
, never sets"
There arc many. many ways to SCI
Vermont. There are many. many pleas
ant place 10 visit in Vermont. GO. i
YOU please. to Anterior, an imagirar,
town which I invented for ny unread
novel. "Sybil Knox" For myself.
never enjoyed life moro thar did when
, in 1864. started with my havcrsack from
, the mouth of the Ashuelot River an,
walked across to burlington and LAX
Champaign ! could make a book abo,l
, my memories of that walk. of the per
, sons who Joined me. of the scenery. anc
OF ;he glorious prosperity OF the fire.
people.
The State has Revolutionary histor,
which is well worth following; of thos
who are remembered and. as the Fool
Of Ecclt siasticus saws, of those other
who were not RENE mbcred Let me tel
, the story OF their Nathan Hale; for, a
have said above, they had IA Nathan
, Hale of their own.
, Wher Burgoyne was coming down Il
, triumph with the jaunty battle flag
+, which for a week "in triumph vail
= gay Haunted over blue Champaign
, when he dispossessed General St. Clai
Mt Ticondcroga and with his elegau
army marched southwark. our Unite
. States had nobody to meet Kim but tn
Vermont miiitia-the Green Mounta
), boys. These fine fellows were entire l.
8 outnumbcrei. They knew as much q
;, military tactics as the reader OF thcs
= lines knows and hut little more. Blu
- they knew how to fight and they kne,
= how to die. Almost every morning the
would attack Burgoyne's advance; the
would fling themselves against thcs
. we'll trained regiments and they woul
q he beaten, and then ttcy would forr
. again and do the same arain-perhap
=, the next day. There is something yer
: fine in Burgoyne's soldierly account G
y. this as he defended himself before II
!, House of Lords and told of their cnuI
a age the persstcncy of their oIpostio
j.. to his triumphant advance. In ono