St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1911-11-15
INTELLECTUAL FEAST
Continued from page IL

N page l.
to that conference urged the estab-
lishment Of a great international
court and that body in the past 10
years has disposed of eight import
ant controversies.
Never before has the world seen
such powers engaged in securing the
peaceful settlement of international
disputes. In the first 10 years of the
goth century 100 treaties have been
made agreeing to international ar
bitration. They are not all ideal
and many of them have excepted ma
tional honor, but at the close of the
10th year the world is ready to sub
nit questions of national honor to
arbitration. President Taft declar-
ed there is no difference between ma
tional honor and private honor and
challenged some one to come forth
to be hailed as world leader in
the cause. Already England and
France have come forward and
completed such treaties These
treaties are now before the United
States senate for ratification. We
must either ratify them or become
stumbling block in the way of in
ternational right, and become a by
procrite. But they will be ratified.
While the work has much inspira-
ton we should not be misled by
those who see the end of war. We
must remember that wars are nee
essary until all nations are able to
develop strong national life. There
is great portion of Africa without
nationality. Turkey, Russia and
China yet lack a nationality strong
enough to be free from war; Nor
must we be discouraged by those
who cry that our attempts will be
futile. While it is true that men
do not change, methods do change.
We shall not see the result at once
but we must go steadily forward in
our task in full assurance that our
efforts will hasten the day of the
lasting peace of God.
Five Academy boys then gave
'fShakespeare's Girls in Song" They
were costumed in white and their
selections brought down the house.
Mrs. Wood presided at the piano
AS they left the hall they gave the
Academy yell.
Pres. Benton.
In introducing Pres. Benton,
POSTMASTER Hill spoke of the close
interest st. Johnsbury had in the
University of Vermont owing to the
frequent visits of the late Pres.
Buckham, and the fact he had taken
his wife from this village. He said
that while it had been thought in
the past that a college president
must be clergyman, then a money
getter, now the demand was for a
great human man and he was conf
dent the university had found such
man in Pres. Benton.
Pres. Benton said that the new
was everywhere supplementing the
old and today there was the new
loyalty. Patriotism is loyalty to
ones fellow countryman and his
country as a whole. Loyalty includ-
es patriotism but also is fealty to
the smaller civic units as the indi-
vidual and the home. Here he di-
crossed to say that he did not believe
the American home is passing away.
1t is the climax Of foolishness to pre-
dict the extinction of the American
home. There is no diminution in
the desire for home and so lSng as
that desire exists there will be no
decrease in the loyalty to the home.
Then there is loyalty to the COM
munity and the town. But patriot
ism is the greatest. For it's develop
ment one must cultivate loyalty to
Tie Sud110I uulIS
A man should have confidence in
himself, that is he should be loyal
to himself Heshould have confidence
in his locality Therefore local 10y
atty should be cultivated. A man
should feel that st. Johnsbury is the |
best town, Vermont the best state |
and the United States is the best ma
ton to live in on earth. If the |
only ground for such loyalty is
the fact we happen to live within
these limits our loyalty is superb
cial. The man of superficial loyalty
simply loves what he has and hates
all that others can possess A man
with true loyalty can admire what |
others have and reaches out for
justification for his loyalty. He seeks
the opportunity to cooperate with his
fellow citizens.
We have real ground for loyalty to
the state here in Vermont, first in
our history, in the men the state
has produced and in the history of
it's educational institutions. The
largest ground for loyalty is in
our possibilities. We have every
reason to believe in the future
progress of our state. Our
agricultural resources are great and
we have hardly begun to develop
them. The popular notion that YER
mont is not a productive state is
wrong as the statistics show that it
surpasses many Of the leading states
in the yield of crops per acre. This
knowledge is inspiring but it is only
an earnest of what is ahead.
Our manufacturing interests should.
be an inspiration to state loyalty be-
cause Vermont can utilize it's pow
ers and become an important manu-
featuring state without destroying
its natural scenery. Vermont should
keeps it's natural beauties and be-
come the vacation ground of Ameri-
ca without sacrifice of it's independ-
ent manhood.
The states educational possibi1i-