Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-10-05
the home good. sweet and comfortable as
well as the dance merry and light.

There were at that time no class distinc-
tons, no hot water heating systems and
only potash fires. 1deness was a vice and
work a virtue, while the boy was taught
to emulate his fathers swing of tho
| ycythe in the field. Mothers taught their
girls to spin and knit cut and string ap-
pies. put UP preserves. make butter and
cook. Ncighbors helped each other to
| log to raise barns to draw crops and to
harvest. For mcrriment there were tho
huskings tho red ear kiss the quilting
party. immortalized in the college song
dedicated to Nellie. the country dance with
its matchmaking sequel. and the happy
snow wrcaths Of sugar making. Marriage
came early and WAS simple and safe. an
affair of the home and not wholly that Of
| society rhc farmer took pride in his
Merinos and his Morgan horse, while wood
and stream were true enough To his calls
for sport TO require no mortgage OF Cana
dian waters. Politics were warm but local
and we'll distributed. The representative
held reception at his home and then dill
duty at tho capital, entirely ready he had
To he 10 yield to the next best man when
session time rolled round once more. There
was love for the old man and the grand
dame. who closed their days at the fire.
side in the farm kitchen and sitting room.
f'ilia picty was Il virtue ami NO renal ms
our people never having yielded TO any
other doctrine of domesticity or social
| life than that sincerity and Kindness of
heart are more than coronets. The school
has dominated the Vermont idea Of public
life. No subject has more often consumed
| the time of it's assemblies. Its forefathers
from the start created a system of COM
mon. country and State schools. design
| ing TO give every child a chance. if it
would to run the full gamut from the abe
dcllrian to the humanitarian. 1t was so
ambitious for learning that even in its
union with the 16 New Hampshire towns
it brought and kept Dartmouth College
in the state in 17S5. Why. even at Mont
pclier. II years before the act establishing
the capital and only seven years after set
tement Il choice library of 200 volumes
had been made. Activity in publication
is marked by such a distinguished cata
logue as the Gilman photography. while
! Forbes but recently pointed out once more
the progress of the press in this State. u
press which has stood from the day OF the
Green Mountain Post Boy true to the well
fare Of the people, loyal to tho federal gov
crnmcnt. staunch to freedom for all men
and tho honest administration Of affairs.
No single thing marks its work nor" fully
than this. that the safe guarding Of free
labor by constitution, camp and court has
always had the strong defense of the
State press.
CENTURY Or POLITICS.
| Politics have stood for tho man aa
against the dollar as Allen 50 strongly
put tho thought when he spoke of tho
Gods of the Hills" and in this connec-
ton lot me say the proudest thing of all.
that. amid all the great civil, industrial,
commercial and financial changes which
have come in tho last century. our people
have kept intact the old standards of self
government wanted in IFS. and to-day
continue to reflect them in their town
me ctings and Legislative work. We ccle-
bratc to-day not merely the centennial of
the capital bat more than Il century of
consistent democratic government in this
State. True Il is that our people have
been charged with being behind the times
is some what sctn their ideas. slow going,
hide bound and unproercssivc. This
tchargc is not everywhere true and the last
thing in proof of II is that from Lincoln
To its choice of Roosevelt Vermont has
given its electoral vote to every republican
nominee. That shows our people as being
slow to take "A position but as sure il,
holding 1t, and also in very large sense.
| the acumcn and craftsmanship Of its
leaders in placing it in the front rank of
the nations council and keeping it there.
1t may not have figured so largely as
some of its ncignbors on a money basis or
as numbers go in the politics Of events
but it has tried and. we believe, succeeded
| in always sending TO Congress and to
important military. naval diplomatic and
! |CiNIl positions men of ability and honest
faith. who have done the country true
and lasting service. Vermont cannot hope
| tn discharge another century of politics
| to better advantage than to record Il CEN
tury of results as far-reachng and use
| full as those since 1905. Its Legislatures
have been made up for the greater part of
the townsinen. chosen for wit and wisdom.
| II frequent rotation resulted in inexperi-
ence, it also fostcred local interest and
sclf-governmcnt and may have kept the
| history of our legislation free from venal
| attacks. The soil was the thing and yet
is. and so it was correct that agriculture
and its devotees should influence our legis-
lative work. All this. however was
eQuaiZed by the strong selections of coun-
ty senator's by the constant re-offering to
| its councils of the highest professional
service in the State. by constant regard
for schools. temperance, religion and
economy of management. and also by a
| firE, adherence to the usage and practice
of the past. If Vermont has advanced. as
she has it has been upon the Roman prin-
cipe OF "fcstina lente.' She has made
haste slowly but surely and has not. as
often has been the case with others. been
Obliged to rctracc her steps or to say
| that the thrift of to-day was paid for by
any dminuton in any one of the safe
guards by which the liberties and lives
of Il free people are maintained.
| HISTORIC LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS
| There have been SO regular and eight
special meetings OF the Legislature at
Montpelier hut of these none are more
Interesting historically, perhaps. than tina,
which convened in 1896 to consider the
equipment, subsistence and transport alton
| of Vermont troops to the Spanish Amer
lean War, and the greatest session of all
in our history. that OF April %, lS6l. in re-
lation to public affairs as affected by ths
War of the Rebellion. The session Of 1861
lasted two days only, in ratifying tha
constitutional amendment prohibiting
slavery. That OF 1861 lasted five days but
long enough to prove conclusively that the
| man of 'G1 waro phipa of bc nlI Eraon