Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1912-01-12
Address by President Thomas.

|
The Brattleboro Phoenix of January
has the following account of the adj
dress by President John M. Thomas of
Middlebury college delivered in that
town Sunday evening, December 81:
Some of the problems which confront
Vermont with suggestions for their So
luton were told in delightful address
by President John NJ Thomas of Middle
bury college in the Sunday evening insti-
tute in the Congregational church. The
weather was unfavorable, but fair sized
audience was present and was impressed
deeply with the facts presented. Presi-
dent Thomas grandfather was born in
Brattleboro and so this town claims a
share in the head of Middlebury college.
A good number of alumni live here and
three local young people are now stu
dents in the institution, Miss Laura
Walbridge, Miss May Thayer and Hugh
Thayer.
The subject of the address was 1.-THE
Spirit of Old Vermont, and the speaker
said at the outset that he considered that
Vermont had been distinguished sue
cess. In who's Who in America" a
work giving the names of living Ameri-
cans who have achieved distinction in
one way or another, the names of II, 500
persons are catalogued. Of these q per
cent were born in New England. Out
side of New England the state furnishing
the largest percentage of these II, 500
was New York which furnished 80 for
each 100, 600 of the states population.
Within New England this percentage is
equalled by Rhode Island, which fur
nished 80, and Rhode Island is at the
foot of the New England states in this
regard. The figures for the other New
England states are as follows: Con-
necticut, 48 for each 100 900 of its pop
ulation Massachusetts, SO; New Hamp-
shire, 68; Maine, 70; Vermont, 101, Ver-
mont leading the Union.
The explanation of this is that the set
tiers of Vermont were pioneers of pio-
neers. They were the most aggressive
of those who settled the lower Connec-
ticut valley, and the quality of the blood
of the founders of the state is in those
who have gone out from the state and
has caused them to do things. In the
disputes over the New Hampshire land
grants the early settlers were called to
contest and sacrifice and from this came
forth the spirit of old Vermont
If all the Vermonters had remained in
the state, the speaker said, there would
be in the state city the size of Boston
and another the size of Worcester
One of the problems now is as to how to
provide good opportunities for Vermont
boys to earn a decent livelihood without
going to some other state. New econ
omic conditions must be brought about
and that means agriculture, first of all
The titled acreage in Vermont had de-
creased % per cent in the past 10 years
Some of the causes are dishust of
scientific methods, the inability of the
people to cooperate in marketing their
goods, a spirit of Indifference on the
part of those who carry on the farms,
too much contentment with conditions
that give the fathers bare living with
out furnishing an opportunity for the
boys.
Improved educational facilities must
be looked to as a means of remedying
these conditions. The school buildings
are not what they ought to be, the sup
plies are to meagre and the salaries too
small. We need to have general spirit
of discomfort with our present school
system. There ought to be a state board
of education. The speaker said he was
riding recently with a Windham county
farmer whose duty it was to buy books
for a certain school, In conversation
wi n the farmer he found that the term
Of school was half over but the books
had not been bought because the farmer
was waiting for more scholars to
turn up.