Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-09-11
VERMONT Is NGT DECADEN T
Pseudo Refcrmers Brought to
Task by President Benton.
Pcopis If the Green Mountain state
psciarcd te De the Equals of Those
of Oner Co-~rno n -~scitb. ip In
tainEeuae and Morals.

vMuontsrs are not isgenerAte--in fact
thcy arc just as good as other people,
Just as Mt, jus. as intelligent Just as
moral. and the future OF the State Is to
be progressive, not retrogressve, de-
clnred President Benton OF the University
OF Vermont Thursday to 80 local business
men and their quests at the weekly roof
sa en- luncheon of the Burlington Mer-
chants association at the Hotel Vermont
Several local educators were among those
present
II was easily the largest body OF repre-
sentaf1ve men that has gathered Mt any
o. the popular series of luncheons, Near
" 70 were present the lay that Max L..
Powell entertained the business men. but
at none of the luncheons held strictly
under the auspices of the association has
the attendance approached the figures of
Thursday.
The luncheon was served at a single
long table extending the fun length of
the pavilion every inch Of space was
utilized, an extra table had to be set and
finally J. J. Kennedy OF the hotel staff
was obliged to give orders that no more
arrivals could be accommodated. Secre-
received many compliments upon the
growing success Of his efforts to Increase
the success OF the luncheons.
An ideal day made the view Of the city,
lake and Adirondack mountains perfect,
and Romeo's orchestra furnished music
of its well known quality, the various
selections. including the Blue Danube
Waltz" played by special request, re-
ceiving hearty applause.
President Wright introduced DR.. Ben
ton, who told the business men that
when he first came to Vermont two years
ago he heard quasi or pseudo-reformers
talk Of decadent conditions and of in
creasing iliteracy and immortality in Yer
mont
But even in remote towns" he de-
clared Il have found that moral and in
telectual conditions compare faNorably
with those elsewhere in the country. AT
our worst we have no reputation like
that OF New York for murderous police
the State Is not, like Chicago, refuge
for criminals; there is no stencil Of graft
as in St Louis; no exploitation of white
slavery such as dsgraces San Francisco
no state of affairs kindred to the Illicit
whiskey manufacture in Kentucky
Vermonters, however. should not h'
complacent, he continued 1t Is well tina
evils existing should he corrected. bu
their eradication should be made ;
domestic matter. not to be advertised
broadcast.
There is no reason why Vermont SHOULD
defe her garments before all the res
of civilization
Remarking that by intensive farminl
the yield per acre can be increased FIVE
fold, he struck note OF high hope, AM
declared.
II have no doubt that Vermont ca be
come one Of the greatest manufacturin
States of its size in the country, an
this can be done without spelling its at
tractlveness as a vacation resort"
1t is proper. he commented. that road
ways here be made good as those any
where. and that schools should be IN,
proved. Touching upon existing ad
vantages, he said;
You hear of schools without a ma
or a globe, and there undoubtedly +
room for Improvement but the wors
conditions here can be duplicated some
where In every State in the union.
The people of Vermont and New Eng
land are inclined to disparaee themselve,
But New England conservatism is
myth; Vermont's reputation for abandon
ed farms comes perhaps from clos
proximity TO New Hampshire, poo
schools do not exist here
Neither have ! found conservatism
among your business men. Not in tn
boom DAYS Of Kansas did ] see Their
such enthusiasm as among the bushes
men Of St. Johnsbury"
Already Vermont IS first in granite prc
ducton, he pointed out, and second onl
20 Pennsylvania In stone production
farms are owned by their occupants. an
the average size Is 143 acres; while value
I are fast Increasing
"A merchant, to be SUCCESS. mus
be a good business man A college ad
! ministrator, to be a success, must b
, good business man. There Is
strong movement for Improvement o
business administration of colleges
but not yet are they az we'll manage
as the business OF merchants W
need to find the golden mean betwee
the business and scholastic require
| ments"
Speaking of the business asset tn
! city fnds In the University of Ven
! mont. he said that the annual bulge
OF the university is a quarter of a mil
lior dollars; Of the 500 students Their
last year, each spend here, on the av
erage, $40 a week--a total of over S.
900 weekly. Then there are 100 pal
men and women on the faculty Three
quarters IT = million Is spent here an
nualiy.
The speaker urged appreciation {
the fact that the university exists M
only for the students on the hill, hi
for the entire State. and said that TIL
will be more readily felt through II
extension work to be inaugurated II
coming year under appropriation
the last Legislature.
In conclusion he suggested that II
city and the university act togeth,
on a plan to build a convention ha
TO be used Jointly for gatherings of
State and nationwide character