Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-11-29
Caln,age
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee. D. D.

It's patriotism. The text is Deuterono-
my viii, 10, "Thou shalt bless the Lord
thy God for the good land which he
hath given thee"
In former Thanksgiving sermons I
have spoken of the corn and the wheat
and the rye and the apples and the
pears and the oranges and the sheep
and cows and horses and the machines
and the manufactures and the homes
and the stores and the railroads and
the ships and the public buildings
which have been produced during the
year, but today l would dwell on the
four great geographical developments
which took place in our American his
tory that have given US this good
broad land for which we give thanks.
| would dwell especially on the heroic
men to Ahom, under the providence
Of God, we owe those vast regions of
land rich in fruits and minerals. We
heard Of those men in orr schoolboy
days. but as we reach middle life their
names become unfamiliar, and we for
get their splendid achievements. This
ought not SO to be. Our gratitude as n
nation Is due and we owe it to them
that in our national thanksgivings their
names are remembered.
Let us first study the causes which
led up to the famous treaty OF Paris
Of 1873. In order to do this we must
turn back the dial of Ahaz to the be-
ginning of the Revolutionary war. And
as we enter the town meetings of New
England and afterward attend the SEES
sions Of the Continental congress we
do not hear one word uttered or find
one public document indicating that
the thirteen colonies set any value on
| the land of the northwest or even on
that land lying just beyond the Ohio
river out of which the great states of
Ohio and Indiana and Illinois and
Michigan and Wisconsin have been
carved. The thirteen colonies took no
more interest in this region than
Americans do today in Manchuria.
A Hunter and Dreamer.
Their awakening was the work of
one man. out of the wilderness a man
came who knew its value. He was a
hunter and dreamer, a man who had
lived with the huge mountains and
great rivers, who had rested under
trees hundreds Of years old, an athlete
who used thousands upon thousands of
square miles of land for a playground.
George Rogers Clark is his name. He
Is one of the most influential factors in
American history. He was one Of the
great pivots upon which the Paris
treaty Of 1888 turned. He first came
east in 171S rs delegate from the
modern state of Kentucky to the CO.
lonial assembly of Virginia. with n
petition that Kentucky should be in
cOrporated into the colony Of Virginia
the exact words of the historian
Fletcher Johnson in reference to this
petition.
After his mission was ended he re.
turned home. While east he heard the
story Of the uprising against British
rule. Then he commenced to brood as
only a worlds dreamer can brood. He
saw In Imagination not only the thir.
teen colonies winning their independ-
ence, but he also saw that vast terri
tory extending from the Ohio to the
Mississippi joined to the government
est days Of the Revolutionary uprising
in the winter of Valley FORCES horror
George Rogers Clark retraced his steps
to Williamsburg, Va and knocked al
the office door Of Governor Patrick
Henry. "Come in!'' called Governor
Patrick Henry, What do you want"
he asked the strange western pedes
trian. II want" answered George
Rogers Clark, IAN army to 60 and cap
ture the great northwest from the
British" Absurd" said Governo,
Henry. Eve have no soldiers and nc
money" ''Then," answered Clark. iii
you have no soldiers or money l want
letters of authority to organize the
hunters Of that region into an army
and l alone will do the rest" Gov
ernor Patrick Henry gave to this vi
sionary schemer the letters he request
GU ~ iuuhe ioiiS StoIy SHOrt, beOTSt
Rogers Clark gathered together Isl
men. They were u Gdeon's band o.
intrepid heroes. With this little hand
} full Of followers he plunged into thu
forest and attacked the British at Kas
kaskia. He then marched on, gatherin,
up his army as he went, until at las
he wrested Detroit from the grasp O
the British Commander Henry Hamll
, ton. Such is the history of the con
quest of the great northwest 1t wa
all due to the foresight OF one brillian
dreamer, George Rogers Clark. / wlsl
had time to go more into detail
However, before we leave the fores
tracks Of this valiant American patrio
l would say be careful and do not con
; fuse the name of George Rogers Clarl
with that Of William Clark Of tn
Clark and Lewis expedition to Oregon
They were two different men and O
d, no relation, although they bore tn
same family name.
Tho Scene Changes.
: The scene changes. The war 70
American independence has practically
ONE to an end. We are now in tn
most beautiful capital OF the world
This is Paris. We are now In the pres
, ence of the four American commission
prS who had C..... ~ q. liz. :, .-... al, ..