The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-02-11
col. HARvEYs AppREss
Tribute to Vermont at Banquet Of
U. v. IA. Alumni

WI -r AAt-i fN. "A que kllAANA vi Allr
alumni of the University Of Vermont
ar DomoniCo's February 8:
The shrevd observer. himself
Green Mountain BOY. VINO declared
That the chief product OF Vermont Is
men. spoke the truth, but not the
whole truth. You have only to glance
ar the statistics showing her pre-emi-
hence among her sister common
Wealths with respect TO school atten-
dance 10 perceive that her chief aim
continues To- be today what Il has IN
ways been, namely the producing and
sending forth of educated men and I
! ana happy to add, educated women.
You who are gathered here tonight
represent the flower of the harvest
You are of the elect-the alumni of
university which takes of its hat to
no other institution OF learning. how
ever great or venerable. except for
courtesys sake u is an enviable
position that you hold Second only
20 1t is that of an almnus of the Yer
mont district school 1t is i'm that
capacity that I have the honor of
speaking to YOU tonight True
seem TO remember a few terms
passed within the sacred walls of Yer
mont's oldest academy. but that is a
period which | am accustomed to
glide lightly by lest l invite com
parison Of my record for graduation
with my record for expulsion. There
Is this at least, to be said of us alum
nj of the district schools There are
more of us, so many, in fact, that
thus far we have shrunk from form
ing an association because Of the
magnitude of the undertaking. But
some day we may, and. if we do,
shall insist that you all be invited to
our first dinner in Madison Square
Garden in fit return for the compl-
ment you have paid to our alumni by
asking a representative Of theirs to
share In your festivities
After an we meet ON common
ground We of the district schools
are an Vermonters; doubtless large
majority of You are also Does a
stronger bond of sympathy exist?
Could one indeed be imagined? Our
/ little slate has always been so rustic
and shy and her children continue 10
this day so modest and retiring that
feel at times that both have been de-
lpriyed of the recognition which IS
lrightfully theirs Unless they have
changed the construction Of school his
tories since my association with the
educational system OF Vermont,
youth taught there would grow up I'M
der the impression that Massachusetts
land Virginia and New York constitu-
tied about all that was OF this nation
/ In its early days. and that all other
communities merely trailed along be-
hind. The truth is--and | weigh my
words ia an seriousness and am pre-
pared to uphold the contenti0n-the
truth is that the record Of Vermont
las "a resOlute champion Of individual
! freedom, as a true Interpreter of our
| fundamental law as a defender Of re-
ligious faith as an uusellish but indie
pendent aud uncompromising common
wealth of libertyloving patriots, is not
only unsurpassed but unmatched by
any other state in the union. That
sounds like an exaggerated statement
nut forth to meet the demands OF self
complacency It Is really no more or
! less than a proposition of plain fact
capable of easy and conclusive dem
onstradOn Not even the major points
Of differentiation could be summar-
! lied In the few moments available for
slch a purpose on an occasion like
this. But let Us note few. The es-
sence OF the demands OF the pilgrim
Fathers was individual freedom, from
which was expected to issue and did
! issue religious liberty and political
equality as represented to this day by
| the free state. the free church and the
/ free school But they comprised
vastly more than that. Those We're
not only God fearing men, but law
abiding law respecting law uphold
/ ing men, Second only 10 the AL
mighty Of Heaven was the judge upon
earth. And they linked the two to-
gether from the very beginning You
/ know" wrote John Robinson to the
! Pilgrims when they sailed, YOU know
! that the image of the Lords dignity
and authority which the magistry
beareth is honorable IN how meanso
ever person" There was the core OF
/ their creed Liberty first and always,
| but liberty under the law, Upon that
rock the fathers laid the foundations
OF the mighty nation of today and the
vet mlghter nation of tomorrow
Many were the times, even in the
early days. when the fidelity of the
people to this vital principle wavered
IN some OF the colonies before inner
tied craving of the colonies before in
herlted craving of the pomp OF ruiz
/ ers. but never for an instant was there
such wagering in Vermont. There
/ she stood unrecOgniZed, even unnamed
I'm those dark days preceding the Rev
olution. beset on all sides by enem-
lies who should have been her friends
fighting for her very liie-for the IN.
diyldual freedom of her people and
for the protection OF the property they
had wrought from the unwilling earth
and builded with their own tireiess
hands. And when the war was over.
back to the axe and plOughshare went
those sturdy silent men, only to be
compelled to take down the rifle again
to defend themselves against the
lneighbors whose freedom they had
helped to win.
The story Of Vermont during the
succeeding fourteen years Is the most
fascinating ever written OF any state
surely history does not record an act
more audacious than that OF those
determined men who not only set
themselves up as a free and indepen-
dont ranuhlic. hut successfully main