Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1917-09-21
5000 AT THE STATION
CONTINUED from Page y

the thought that the lads wouldn { eve
come back, II was Just what even tn,
war worn soldier himself feels when III,
flag comes down at the booming of tn,
sunset gun-an overwhelming sense OF
devotion to their cOuntry's emblem anC
gratitude TO those who will defend IL
when Roy Harris, bearing the colors
led his men through what must have
been to them as hard an ordeal as any
battle they will every face,
They were boys who had they al
ready been in uniform would easily
have taken for seasoned soldiers, Their
faces were tanned, many Of them from
a summers service on the farms, aud
Of them were strong fellows lt TO do
It big bit in any fight.
/ There was half an hours wait al
the station, but for once no one fretted
because the train was late, Would it
shonldn Z come must have been the
wish Of some mothers and fathers who
embraced their boys time and again,
until the strain seemed to have siezed
everyone in the throng, There were
some men who left children behind. Is
there any fine writing that can EN-.
bellish the fact that they lust left
children behind, themselves to 90 TO
war; Is there any need to strain for
words to depict the scene of man
kissing his baby goodbye1 They
kissed and they cried, but they went
where they were called.
Sacrifce9 You don I have TO look
the immortal charge of The Light Bri.
gade for it, You could see it in Il
dozen phases among the group around
which the crowd centered at the sta.
ton There was one "boy" leaving
bride of few months, There was one
leaving an infrm parent, And there
was the man who kissed his baby.
Who! Almost every man left some.
thing dear that he would have never
left but for one great call, his country IS
honor; the full roster of those who 90
is printed elsewhere
President Thomas of the college re-
licved the long wait by little speech
that was roundly applauded 1t seems
it was something he felt pressed to
to say, and he stepped right into the
center and said it. 1t was good homclv
advice to the boys. As Chaplain of the
First Vermont on the Mexican border
service he had come to know what the
new soldier faced, and he told them
squarely some Of the work that was
before them. He told them they had
rough, tough work to do and that it
was their S to sustain the reputation
of Vermont soldiers
There were several Middlebury Col.
lege boys in the draft, and. with the
opening Of college only day off, there
was a big group of students who had
come to give them a cheering send off,
Time and again they got together to
give the yell, and called each hero by
his name.
There were those in the crowd who
got to the station roof, the water tank
md other vantage points reserved for
he climbing boy, so dense was the
'rowd packed throughout the station
ward. The bank opposite the station
vas lined with the school children wav.
ne myriad of flags.
Then the train came. The boys clam.
'ercd on. Some trippod in the effort
o get aboard and to stay behind at the
anne timc-to give the last handshake
n kiss. But there was not much halt.
NC. Soborly dumb from emotion, they
ook their seats and while the band
'layca 'Amo'ica" and some chokcd
hroats tried to sing, the 9;2G pulled
MT