Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-09-30
M|OOLEbURY HAS
LARGEST CLASS
College Begins 121st Year With
Biggest Net Gain in It's
History |

~ 'o per cent HiCTNHHe III DOtn tultl0n ana
board and room over last year. MiddIea
bury College opened it's 12lst year with
the largest freshman class the largest
total attendance, and the largest net
gain In it's history. Up to this writing,
433 students were registered. a gain Of II
over the 361 of the opening day yeas -
ago. The freshman class numbers 1Ga.
Every available room in the four dorTns
tories. five cottages, three fraternity
housesc, and the Maison Franchise ID
occupied. and many students are quarI
tered In the village. When registration IA
complete the attendance will be about 4jN
rs compared with 3s9 last year.
vermont as an Educational Environ<
ment was the subject of President
Thomas address. Quoting from Thomp.
sons Green Mountain Boys" in which
the author Of that famous story attribute
ted to his Middlebury experiences the inS
SEPARATION of his writings. Dr. Thomas saidt
What interests me particularly in this
noble tribute is Thompson's testimony to
the Influence of his Vermont environment
In his education. His wanderings in fields
and woods up and down this valley. his
excursions in the mountains, to Lake
Champain and Lake Dunmore. wrought
nightly upon his mind and spirit The
hills and the forests were important ele1
ments in his education. He studied deeply
and Intimately also in the early records
of this region, so that in scaling moun1
! tains and threading forests he did not
! merely look upon beautiful scenery. but
he made real to his mind the charactei
| and spirit of the men who settled these
| valleys and won and saved the freedom Of
! the early Vermont commonwealth.
| I'VE look out to-day upon the same MAJ
| jestic mountains as greeted the eye oil
the author of the story which gave this
! world its fixed impression of the characs
ter of Ethan Allen and the early Vermont'
ers. The same documents and sources arr
open to us as those which so stirred hit
| Imagination. and every year is bringing
new ones to light We ought to make more
! of our Vermont environment. I trust WI
may soon find larger use in an educational
way of6he magnificent Green Mountaih
estate which Is the unique possession OF
this college. Many of you are Vermonters
by birth and residence; others have chos'
en- Vermont as the place of your college,
education. To all OF you Vermont has
much to give through It's rugged climate,
its beauty Of valley and mountain. and
particularly through It's marvellously in>
terestng and instructive history, espe4
cally the story of its founders, the men
who made Vermont"
From old documents in the possession
of the college President Thomas showed
that Vermont was once regarded as thu
Northwest. He pointed out the westerr
characteristics in the descriptions Of We're
mont by DR.. Samuel Williams. the early
historian of the State From an old
pamphlet by Elias Hall published IN
Montpelier In 1925 he proved the likeness
of the Vermont settlers to the pioneers
Of the West. The settlement of Ver'
: mont" he said, has it's kinship, not with
Jamestown and Plymouth and Massa.
chusetts Bay, but with the extension Of
American territory over the vast interior
= The original Vermonter was not thu
{ weak successor Of John Smith and John
Alden but the precursor of the western
, frontiersman. Ethan Allen and Daniel
Boone were brothers in spirit. pioneers Of
a new race, the stalwart men who subs
= dued the continent and wrought fol
America its home. 1t is far Cry form tha
. Pilgrim Fathers. with their Cambridge
I learning, their Psalm singing. and theif
missionaries to the Indians to the Green
a Mountain Boys, with their buckskin
> breeches their rude, brusque speech, and
their beech seal for Tories. but across all
the miles of forest and prairie the Green
! Mountain Boy is own brother to the
cowboy of the plains and the trapper of
the Atlantic seaboard have contributed
! much to the life of the nation. They have
promted culture, swayed national policies.
, deveope' American industry, and pre-
;. served a stable finance. But the
national domain, the continent whose
-, broad extent is the foundation of the dis
tinctive American culture, whose wealth
has enforced the will Of the nation. fur-
Wished food for industry and saved her
finance, was won by tho pioneer with the
, squirrel cap. He has had too little honor
, in American history. His rough speech
, and forbidding exterior have not espe.
. cialy commended him to those who write
books. His vices have been plain enough
In all to many instances-coarse language.
intemperance In drinl, anger that burned
fierceiy. hatred of an enemy that lasted
til death. But his virtues are also discern.
ble-he could fell the largest trees and
ford the widest rivers, he could shoot
straight and wait for his range under
> fire and take care Of himself alone In the
forest IN the dead Of winter; he was afraid
of nothing under Gods open sky and his
boy could take up his axe and rifle at
an age when European offsprines were
scarcely out OF the cradle. II virtues are
: qualities which God needs for Hts work,
be Judged less harshly than our drawings
Il room doctrines have been inclined.
V THE first stage of the march in the
i conquest Of the continent was accomplish.
II ed by the Green Mountain Boys. Our glory
e Is not alone In Plymouth Rock; it is far
# more the praries and beneath the
II Rockies. where the spirit that awoke first
a in the Green Mountain valleys has made
10 America great. Vermont. first inland State
II first proved the power Of expansion In the
II American people. She was the first State
10 which was never a colony. ne@er In bond.
h age to any man. Her closest kinship Il
A. with the free American pioneers, not with
n the old world colonsts"
Among the alumni present at the open
ing exercises this morning were SANFORD
n. Lane, 'OS, trustee Of the college
Charles b. Toleman, 1894; William Fl
]. Botsford, 1898: r. w. sherman, 1890; J. A
W Fletcher, 1885, A. W. Eddy, 1904: Rober
is c. Ryder. 1910; Marguerite Dyer, 1919
IT David w. Reid. Daniel Fl. Moreau. VIII
d, liam A. Huggard and William Il. Me
al Master Of the class of 1921. Messrs. Tole
In man, Botsford, sherman, Fletcher ant
a Eddy all have children in tho entering
st class this year.
he The preacher at the first vesper servic
Mt on Sunday at five will be the Rev. J
H. Percival Huget, OF the Tompklns Avenu
n Congregational Church OF Brooklyn.
w Hollis r. Cooley, who has freshman
8: work In mathematics, II unable to NEE
nd his classes because Of illness.
"a 'Ike" Hulihan of Rutland who was ~
he Gently approached by tho manager OF tn
IN Boston Braves and the Cleveland indiana
has decided not to sign n contract witt
any club for tho present, but has IA