The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1921-01-20

tsmber p. 1920.
A. the fftieth anniversary Of Mid
dlebuTy College. August q, 1850
DaIiel 2. Thompson Of the Class Of
1920. author Of "The Green Mountain
Boys the book that gave Vermont is
fame. spoke as follows:
About thirty years ago, poor, un.
tutofcd. unfriended boy. who had
never seen books but in visions, whose
almost every merit. indeed. consisted
in
The dream. the thirst. the wild
desire.
Delirious, yet divine-to know
fourd his way out Of the woods 70
Hiddlehury College And during his
residence here, having been Injured 10
the active habits which a boyhood life
on a farm in a new part Of the country
naturally engenders, and which cannot
at once be thrown of; and being with
al m enthusiastic admirer Of nature in
her more undisturbed retreats, he
wandered. In his vacations and leisure
days, over nearly every square mile Of
the surrounding region from the third
Falls Of the Otter upwards, to its
mouth downwards,- the margin
Of the beautiful Champlain, westward
TO the SUBMITS Of the towering Green
Mountains, eastward. pausing in his
solitary rapture, over its picturesque
scenes Of hin and dale, lake and river,
and taking mental daguerreotypes Of
them all
"These, in after days, gradually
grouped themselves around the seat Of
tie Alma Mater which had made him
frtellectually what he was,--which
nd drawn 10 itself his fond and
clustering associations and which,
therefore, became the bright centre
piece Of a thus curiously composed
ideal picture.
"The impressions of such scenes
drawn by the glowing pencil Of youth
ful fancy upon the fresh, unvexed
groundwork Of youthful feeling, and
kept bright by such associations,-are
prone 20 occupy a prominent place in
the mind Of the maturer man, 70 be
constantly struggling up 70 the light,
and forcing Themselves upon the views
OF others. They aid 30. at least, in his
case; and in subsequently devoting his
leisure to the composition Of liter
AIRY work, illustrative Of the Revolu-
tionary action and early settlement of
Lis own loved Vermont, he laid the
scene in this section Of the country;
because, while his general purposes
would be equally well thus subseryed
il would afford him, besides the adj
vlntages Of eye-drawn description, an
opportunity-a gratifying opportun-
ity, 70 bring out many Of his long
cherished pictures And in following
the chain Of his partially assumed
events from place TO place in the
rounds Of his former rambles, he came
at length to the site Of the future
when pausing, in fancy,
on yon commanding swell destined to
be crowned by the proud and enduring
marble pile emblematic Of the honor
and permsnency Of the institution
Nesting within its walls,when pausing
tl.us, and pondering on what that spot
wls.-on what il has since become,-
What il had been TO him, and what
yreat and benign influences il had
scattered abroad through and upon
thousands Of others in the land, he, in
,is fullness Of feeling, exclaimed:
80, il there be a town in Vermont,
shose first set Of inhabitants deserved
he appellation Of high-minded and
rorthy. il was the early settlers OF
Distinguished from their
irst pitch on the fertile banks OF the
liter, for enterprise, frmness and in
they were among the fore
most 70 resist the aggressions Of
-overnmeut which, unwittingly per-
!. ps, had lent itself 10 aid the unprin-
ipled scheme Of a few rspaci0us land
while the opening scenes
Z the Revolution found them ready to
nrnFe. With the same nlacrity. and
-ith the best of their means in the
reAter work q achieving the inde-
cnderce q their whole country And
aarocly had the storm q var passed 7
ser ard the sunlight q peace began 6
, hresk g. on th-ir infant settlement b
af5ro they urittd. sith q zeal as OK n
1orIinafy. considering their means &
- circumstance. a. & was was com S.
,cnaable. = rearing. ty private ru-
'G-onca alare. q collegiate Institution y
hh. - Ery alccecdiHr years, d.3 If
are tau~ra glrgatirg th moral ard s
c-ary ctarzctsr cf Vermont than Il
7y one cause operating within her Il
orders AID her Alumri, rov many q
T then = cuineace at the bar, ard ia =