The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-07-22
Vermont.

1t is tomorrow that Vermont cclc.
brates officially the l25th anniversary Of
its admission TO the American union al
though the formal date of that adms.
sion was the 4th of March l79l Mer
of distinction and eloquence, including
Governor Mccall will. at Montpelier, ex.
alt the record and eulogize the charae.
ter of the Vermonters The orators can
hardly praise them too strongly. Yer
mont is a barometer state" in more
senses than the limited party one. Its
political drift, revealed in its September
election, indeed foretells quite accurate
ly whatever changes may be in process
in the country at large. But that would
not be SO il Vermont's population were
not strikingly representative OF the av-
erage and normal quality of American
thought and action. Americanism shines
clearly in the Vermont temperament.
There is nothing to cloud it or compli
cate it, Vermont never had an aristoc
racy; it was Democratic in woof as well
as in warp-typical stuff all the way
through. 1t has been overlaid with no
foreign strata. 1t has cultivated the
"little red schoolhouse" as few other
states have cultivated it, Its press has
been juicy and personal Vermont was
nourished in unqualified Americanism;
for though it was not one OF the recog-
nized colonies when the fires of American
revolt were lighted in l775 but was rsth.
er sort of No Mans land, congeries
of lshma mountains whose hand
was against New Hampshire and New
md all nlc hat cd 10
ern themy; it went to Ticonderoga and
captured that fort before Bunker hill
was fought, and set the fighting pace TO,
the banded colonies to follow From
that day to this 1t has been highly
spiced with aggressive patriotism
No doubt the recalling of the history
of Nermont's admission TO the union win
naturally bring up the records of the
eight years when Vermont was an indie
pendent republic, and will revive the cur
ious story of Ethan Aliens coquetting
with the British, in those years when the
Green mountain republic was denied ad
mission to the union of the American
colonies. There can be no question that
Allen acted as an intermediary for eer
tain influences in Vermont which were
da, since the American union would not
have them. But there is also little doubt
that the real purpose OF this negotiation
was to force the admission of Vermont
into the American union. Allen partic
pated with whole heart in that admis-
sion when it came, and later as a dele
gate in Congress, and every man in the
new state assumed with joy and loyalty
the duties of full American citizen.
Typicslly American as Vermont is,
there is a spice of individuality special
flavor, which is undoubtedly peculiar to
the state and its people. The Vermont
er has more individuality to the cubic !
inch than the man of any other state. !!
The future historian of the American So
cial structure may find the explanation |
of this in the fat limestone soil of Yer /
mont hills, which has endowed them with /
many special products, from maple SUI /
ar of flavor unattained elsewhere to /
breed of horses which Is all Vermont's /
own; or he may find it in the climate,
Dr. in the sloughing off of the social dis
tinctions which prevailed in the other
states. At all events the Vermonter Is
peculiar. In religion he may run to Ad- 4
Ventism or to some other eccentricitv.
Vermont produced Joseph Smith, Brig
ham Young, and Oneida Community
Noyes. But it has also produced the /;
'turdiest type of simple faith and de- 1,
'otion. Vermont, acting on Stephen A. /,
Douglas confession that it is an excel /,
ent state TO emigrate from, has sent ats
ons and daughters all over the union to
-italize the affairs of the nation and Of /
he other states. Not state, not even
or Virginia. has sent the ]
tream of its blood further or wider. And Il
With its enrichment Of other regions. K
t has not degenerated at home. I'M "a
has been the wstchword in
ecent years. Vermont has taken a new !
Ease Of life, educationally, industrially, !
II viii do still finer things )
a its next century and a quarter than {
has done in the lzst.-Boston Tran {
cript. !