The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-09-13
NORWICH THE UNKNOWN
New President Will Open Campaign
to Make COLLEGES Name Familiar.

lOgy gfadllate--WeTe ldlhllS over d
climb to the summit of Mount Wash
ington this summer when an older
man joined them and remarking that
he was interested in their trip, said
81 too, was college man number
of years ago; ! graduated from the
old n. w
| There was a blank look on the fac
es of the younger men and the older
man. with a smile. explained that
IN. IT," meant Norwich University OF
Mortified, VT. "It's generally that
way" he continued. nobody seems
to know Norwich, although it is near
ly a century old"
1t is just this lack of information
about Norwich, counted by General
Leonard A. Wood one of best mill
ltary schools of collegiate grade in
| the country, that Nelson l.. Sheldon,
a Boston lawyer and a graduate of
Norwich, and chosen August 1 the
! acting president of the college, is go
ing to counteract Mr.. Sheldon is not
| sure how long he is going to be presi
dent, but while he does keep the
| place, he is planning to put Norwich
'on the map"
Norwich began its ninety7seventh
| year and at the opening exercises in
the chapel, at which President Shell
don presided, he said to the students:
| young men, stick, and fit yourselves
| for duties in the highest walks of
| life!' So in spite of Mr.. Sheldons
| stay on the job indefinitely, his own
words may be turned against him by
tho trustees.
| incidentally the entering class at
Norwich numbers sixty-three-one of
the largest on record
Il Norwich University, founded in
1919 by Capt. Alden Partridge, once
| superintendent of West Point, is
known as the Military College of
the State of Vermont" 1t had the
pioneer engineering school of the
| country and among its graduates
have been many men who have made
| their mark either in the army or the
navy of the country Norwich is
plainly a military school and its
corps OF cadets is organized as part
of the National Guard, Squadron
| One, First Vermont Cavalry. The
| four-year course fits man to be an
officer and the state of Vermont, by
| appropriation, provides tuition for
| 100 native sons annually. The
| scholarships are rarely taken up,
| however, and in fact last year Massa-
| chusetts had nine more students in
The institution than did Vermont The
| courses at Norwich include civil and
4 electrical engineering, general sci
| ence, and chemistry. and the col
Iege grants the degree of b. S. In adj
dition. of course there is thorough
military training for four years, day
| ir and day out
| It was almost ttree-quarters of a
century ago that Captain Partridge,
| speaking to the graduates, said:
! My fellow citizens. be not deceiv.
ed by the syren song of peace, peace,
when there is no peace, except In a
due and constant preparation for war
If we turn our attention to France.
what do we behold? league of
| crowned despots. impiously called
holy, welding tremendous military
force of two millions OF mercenaries!
Inflated Naples, and more Inflated
Spain. have both felt the effects of
their peaceable dispositions, and
were 1t not for the wide.spreading At
lantic, which the God of nature in his
indefinite goodness has interposed be
tween us, we also. ere this, should
| have had like experience The prin-
ciples of liberty are equally obnoxi-
Gus to them. whether found in Eur.
ope Asia, Africa or America. If rem
dering mankind ignorant of the art,
of war las a science) would prevent
wars, then would ! unite most cordial
~ with those usually termed peace-
men, for the purpose of destroying
| every vestiSe of it. But such, am
confident, would not be the result.
Wars amongst nations do not arise
| because they understand how to con
, duct skilfully and on scientific princi
pies, but are induced by the propensi.
ties and dispositions of mankind. To
| prevent the effect, the cause must be
removed. We may render nations
| ignorant of the use of the musket
and bayonet; we may carry them
| back, as respects the art of war. to a
! state OF barbarism, or even savagism,
| and still wars will exist. SO long as
men possess the disposition which
they now possess, and which they
ever have possessed, so long they
will fight"
1t is plain that Partridge, the
| founder, was a man of stern stuff,
who believed in preparedness; and
| Norwich has taught and is still teach
ing preparedness, which in recent
| months has had many advocates in
this country.
| Why then is the university still a
black number in way. Why do
| men look blank when it's name is
! mentioned, apd why is it necessary
| to explain, even to Vermonters some
times, that here is an institution with