USA > Vermont > A history of Vermont : with geological and geographical notes, bibliography, chronology, maps, and illustrations > Part 16
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The westward movement, thus stimulated by the war, remained active for another reason. So long as our
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interests remained agricultural, any increase in popu- lation beyond a certain limit was bound to overflow, because the agricultural density of population is not yet great in America. That is, when people live on farms they are not so thickly placed as when they live in cities or villages. We have seen that Vermont is a state of farms and small villages rather than of great centers of population. Until manufactures increase sufficiently to support large villages and cities, we must expect to find the population remaining about stationary and the natural increase of our families going away to other parts.
If you look at the census returns you will see the extent to which this has been the case. From 1860 to 1870 the state showed a very slight increase in popula- tion ; from 1870 to 1880 it dropped still lower, being only one half of one per cent ; while from 1880 to 1890 it reached low ebb, there being practically no gain in population for the decade. From 1890 to 1900 it began to increase very slowly. From now on but little gain can be expected. For a good many years the agricultural population is not likely to reach a much greater density; while the additional number of people who can be supported by new industries is so slight in comparison with the total population of the state that it will not be likely to have a large percentage of increase. This does not mean that Vermonters are dying out ; it means that they are carrying their influence into other communities, where they take up the battle for right and the struggle for good citizenship and good order.
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HISTORY OF VERMONT
GROWTH OF INDUSTRY
Any one can ascertain the extent and the diversity of the industries of Vermont by looking into the last census report. It will be the function of this section, there- fore, instead of attempting to describe the variety which. modern life has imposed upon our industrial arts, to point out some less apparent features in the develop- ment of our most important industries, separately and in allied groups.
According to the census of 1900 the ten leading industries of the state are : factory production of butter, cheese, and condensed milk ; flouring and gristmilling ; foundry and machine-shop work; the manufacture of hosiery and knit goods ; the production of lumber and timber ; planing-mill manufactures, including sashes, doors, and blinds ; marble and stone work; the manu- facture of monuments and tombstones ; the making of wood pulp and paper ; and wool manufactures.
Now, if you will observe this list, you will notice that certain of these industries - and they are the most important ones - deal with the natural products of the farms and the forests.
The milling of cereals had not changed much, but the dairying industry has been profoundly modified by the development of the creamery system. It is a fine specimen of intelligent cooperation. The factory turns out a uniform product, secures a market for it, does the accounting, and settles with the farmer, relieving both him and his wife of a great deal of bother, and securing for the consumer a better article. It is because it
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makes both the dairyman and the user of dairy products better off that this industry has had its rapid growth. The development of fast freight and express facilities has allowed the business to diversify, and the sending of milk, of pasteurized milk, and of cream daily to the cities has grown up. Condensed-milk factories take a portion of the product of the dairies ; while other farm products like corn and fruit find in some sections of the state a near-by market in the canning factories.
In a similar way a great change has come over the industries which deal with the forest resources of the state. The manufacturing of sashes, doors, blinds, rough and dressed lumber has long been a standard occupation of our mills ; but the manufacture of paper from wood pulp has caused a tremendous growth of the pulp and paper business in the state since the Civil War. A large proportion of the spruce of New England now goes into wood pulp. Great plants with costly machin- ery are established, and an interest in practical forestry is aroused with a view to the permanence of the busi- · ness ; for the great cost of such plants does not allow their abandonment in a few years, like an old-fashioned, inexpensive sawmill. Farsighted lumbermen, therefore, are attempting plans of systematic lumbering which will preserve their ranges as productive estates of increasing value, instead of leaving them, at the end of a few years, abandoned wildernesses.
There is an increasing tendency in the lumber busi- ness, as in other enterprises, to do more finished work near the place where the raw material is furnished. This is partly because it is expensive to pay freights on
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waste which is to be taken off in dressing lumber, and partly because it is less expensive to run business in the country than in the city. Large concerns, therefore, engaged in the making of boxes, tubs, piano backs, piano sounding-boards, etc., have located in country towns as near as possible to their source of supply, either local or Canadian or both. Bobbiif factories in many places have arisen to make use of the hard wood which in earlier days of lumbering was often left uncut in the forest on account of the greater expense of manu- facturing and marketing it.
If you will look again at the list of leading industries, you will see that a series of them starts with the work which men have taken out of the hands of women. We are apt to think that woman is getting very modern and mannish in occupation, but is it not true that man has entered her field and left her much less of the old kind of work to do? He invaded the kitchen and took the spinning wheel, the loom, and the dye pot. Presently he could be seen building a factory, and when it was done hosiery was made. there by machinery. Then another factory went up, and there shirts, underclothes, and women's garments were triumphantly evolved. But the man had not finished : not only would he make his own shirts, but he would wash them also. So the modern steam laundry was installed, and presently the woman found her own dry goods going the way of the man's. The domestic laundry was invaded.
But employment for women did not cease, for, although they may no longer do work in the old-fashioned way, they may do it with the most improved machinery.
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You will find establishments for making hosiery, knit goods, and women's apparel in the state for much the same reason that mills were located in the country ; girls can be hired for lower wages because they can live more cheaply, and in the country their work can be done under cleaner and more wholesome conditions than in the crowded shops of the city. Some of these shops are models of their kind.
. Turning once more to our list of industries, we find that the most important ones which remain for analysis rest upon the geological wealth of the state. Little iron is now locally produced. The three great geological industries are connected with the production of slate, marble, and granite. The slate industry, which has apparently changed but little in recent years, really illus- trates the development of modern conditions as well as the other two; for this is true, that although the slate business is not on the increase, its present status depends as much on the foreign demand and market as upon home consumption, - a condition which could not have prevailed so very many years ago. Now exports of slate are made to South Africa, London, Bristol, and Newcastle.
The marble business has grown for over a century, until Vermont has become the marble center of the world ; for not only does she produce the larger part of all that is produced in the United States, but she exports to the uttermost parts of the earth, - to India, China, Japan, and Australia. In 1898 Georgia and Tennessee produced more marble sold in the rough than Vermont did ; but this state furnished more art stone, nearly ten
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times as much monumental stone, and more than six times as much of both as all other states put together. Vermont, in fact, has supplied the need of the country for ornamental and building marble more largely than all other states combined. In recent years the sales of Vermont marble for building purposes have shown a notable increase. It is important that the coarser grades of stone can be thus used, since much of the product of a quarry would be wasted if only the monumental grades could be utilized, and some quarries could not be profitably worked at all on that basis.
The expense of opening and working a marble quarry is so large that only a firm with a large capital can undertake it. Most of the marble used in the country is produced by a few great concerns. This might well be remembered by those who decry the concentration of capital, for one of the greatest industries of our state is made possible only by such concentration. The Ver- mont Marble Company, which was built up by Redfield Proctor, is the largest marble-producing company in the world.
The increase in this business, therefore, is an increase not in the number of separate establishments but in their output, an increase amounting in the last decade to nearly fifty per cent.
When we turn to the granite business we notice quite a different set of conditions. This business has had an even more rapid growth since the Civil War than the marble business ; but while the marble industry is con- fined to a limited area, the granite industry is distributed throughout the state. There are quarries at East Dorset,
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South Dorset, Rutland, Proctor, West Rutland, Bristol, Burlington, Pittsford, Brandon, Middlebury, Williams- town, Woodbury, Dummerston, Kirby, South Calais, Ricker's Mills, Beebe Plain, Groton, to say nothing of the large beds practically untouched which will furnish an unlimited supply for years to come. Vermont has enough available granite to supply the world.
This granite is of the best quality, fine grained, compact, strong, of very even texture and color, and is found in all shades of gray. No red granite is produced. Great wealth has come into the state from these hitherto barren ledges. The capital invested in conducting the business is widely distributed, and there are many com- panies engaged. Within comparatively few years Barre has grown from a little village into a granite city. The state is rapidly becoming the granite center of the world. In the production of finer kinds of monumental work Vermont already leads, producing more than twice the quantity yielded by any other state. Sales of cut gran- ite for building purposes are larger in some other states, although of this kind of stone Vermont sells more in the rough. Very little of her granite is used as paving stones. There are many surface quarries, and since the stone can be used from the start in the ledges, a small amount of capital is often sufficient to start a quarry.
EDUCATION
The educational work of the state has progressed, not with unbroken uniformity, but with commendable spirit and in the main with practical wisdom ; for Vermont has
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arrived at the underlying principle of an efficient public- school system, - state control. The cardinal points of the system are revealed in state requirements put upon the schools, in state aid furnished to the schools, and in the centralization of administrative machinery in the State Department of Education.
These three features reach all the parties primarily
THE KELLOGG-HUBBARD . LIBRARY, MONTPELIER
connected with the schools; that is, the towns which maintain the schools, the pupils who attend the schools, and the teachers who teach the schools. For example, in the matter of requirements : towns must maintain a school year of certain length in order to meet the require- ments of legal schools ; compulsory attendance is re- quired of the pupils ; and examination and certification is required of teachers.
FROM THE CIVIL WAR TO THE SPANISH WAR 265
In the same way the state aims to aid all connected with the public-school system. State funds are appor- tioned among the towns; it is directed that free text- books be supplied by the towns to the pupils; and normal schools are maintained for the better training of teachers.
The centralization of the system is illustrated by the
THE NORMAN WILLIAMS LIBRARY, WOODSTOCK
requirement that reports of all schools be returned to the Department of Education ; by the system of examina- tion and certification of teachers ; by the maintenance of the normal schools at Johnson, Castleton, and Randolph ; by the teachers' institutes and summer schools ; by circulars of information issued by the Department of Education ; and by the general supervision exercised by the State Superintendent of Education. The county
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examinations form a sort of bridge between the local and central systems.
These features of our educational system have not all come at once. They are the result of an evolution. The normal schools began their work in 1866. The office of state superintendent was revived in 1874.
MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, ST. JOHNSBURY
County examiners were provided for in 1890. The town system was established in 1892. So little by little the advance has been made. The result is that to-day hardly a state in the Union can show a more generous support of its schools than this state, in proportion to wealth or population ; that no state can show better schools or school buildings or appliances than can be shown in
FROM THE CIVIL WAR TO THE SPANISH WAR 267
places of corresponding size in this state; and that Vermont teachers are in demand in other states.
The town system has done more to secure equaliza- tion of school privileges than any other one measure. The normal schools are doing progressive work. The spirit and zeal of the teachers of the state are shown by the support they give to institutes and educational
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THE MARK SKINNER LIBRARY, MANCHESTER
meetings. Popular feeling is indicated by the erection of better school buildings and the beautifying of school grounds. A few public kindergartens have been estab- lished and have met with favor.
The high schools are a feature in the school develop- ment of the last quarter of a century. The position they hold was formerly held by a smaller number of institu- tions of academic or grammar grade, dependent partly
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on endowment but mostly on tuition, - such institutions, for example, as Burr and Burton Seminary, Vermont Academy at Saxtons River, Brattleboro Academy, St. Johnsbury Academy, Lyndon Institute, Brigham Acad- emy at Bakersfield, Montpelier Seminary, Newbury Seminary, and the academies at Derby, Craftsbury, Brownington, Thetford, Barre, Peacham, and elsewhere.
THE BILLINGS LIBRARY, BURLINGTON
They did good work and some of them are yet strong institutions which fit well into the public-school system in their respective towns by filling the function of the high school which would otherwise be necessary. The schools at Castleton, Randolph, and Johnson became state normal schools in 1867. But the new institutions are high schools, not academies. High-school attendance has doubled in twenty years ; and recent legislation has
FROM THE CIVIL WAR TO THE SPANISH WAR 269
placed free secondary education within reach of the aspiring youth of the state.
The growth of libraries and library facilities through- out the state is a most encouraging sign of the times. Many of the high schools have libraries, some possess- ing as many as four thousand volumes. The same is
THE ATHENEUM, ST. JOHNSBURY
true of the normal schools. Other libraries have been established by bequests of individuals, and have perma- nent endowments and artistic buildings.
Of the colleges little need be said save that they have grown in their work, proving their worth, and that they have added to their buildings, equipment, courses of study, teaching staff, and number of students.
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THE SPANISH WAR
National politics once more involved us in war; but this time it was waged on foreign shores, not on our own, and was not so great a contest as to affect business and social condi- tions seriously. It would be a hazardous matter to pass judgment here on the merits of this war. It will ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY be sufficient to call atten- tion to the fact that in the war two of Vermont's sons brought added distinction to themselves and to their state. To Commodore Dewey was due the credit of the victory of Manila Bay; to
BIRTHPLACE OF ADMIRAL DEWEY AT MONTPELIER
FROM THE CIVIL WAR TO THE SPANISH WAR 271
Captain Clark of the Oregon was due the credit of taking that wonderful mechanism, a mod- ern war-ship, on a voyage of more than half the cir- cumference of the globe, from the REAR ADMIRAL C. E. CLARK'S BIRTHPLACE, BRADFORD coast of California around Cape Horn, to join the Atlantic squadron, a feat which was accomplished in a little more than two months,
without a rivet or a bolt or a gearing broken or out of place.
Vermont statesmen have taken a leading and intelligent interest in try- ing to arrive at a broad and liberal solution of the vexed problems of administering our new possessions, and not a few of her sons have been called to take up active duty in the field of civil and educational service in the Philip-
REAR ADMIRAL. C. E. CLARK
pines in as truly a missionary enterprise as any that exists to-day.
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HISTORY OF VERMONT
So here we leave the story of our state. More has been left unsaid than has been told ; but we have gained great glimpses here and there of audacious courage, sublime faith, magnificent statesmanship, true patriotism, and loyal devotion to duty. In the comparatively brief period of our state's history we have seen reflected the wide range of human life and development from an exist- ence the most simple and primitive to the civilization of the twentieth century. The best story and the greatest inspiration are the lives of ROWLAND E. ROBINSON Vermont's Blind Author the men and women them- selves,-the plain, simple people of the hills, whose characters stand out like great elemental forces as they moved through life, ever ready to take their chances with the hard things, ever responsive to the call of duty, strong, true, ardent, just, versatile, and independent.
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APPENDIX
PART I 1
GEOGRAPHICAL AND GEOLOGICAL NOTES
GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES
VERMONT
Latitude, north, 42º 44' to 45°.
Longitude, east from Washington, 3º 35' to 5º 29'.
Length, 15712 miles.
Width at northern border, 90 miles.
Width at southern border, 41 miles.
Average width, 5776 miles.
Total area, 9565 square miles.1
Water surface, 430 square miles.
Land area, 9135 square miles, or 5,846,400 acres.
Mountains
The surface of the state is thoroughly broken by hills, individual mountains, and mountain ranges. The configuration thus formed gives the state a diversified and picturesque scenery, which is enhanced by the beauty of the valleys and the numerous little streams, lakes, and ponds. The mountains of the state form four main divisions, which are known as the Green Mountains, the Taconic Mountains, the Granitic Mountains, and the Red Sandrock Mountains.
1 Census 1900. The area of the state has been variously given by different authorities.
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HISTORY OF VERMONT
The Green Mountains form the principal mountain chain, and consist of a range which takes a northerly direction through the state for its entire length, a little to the west of the center. The highest peaks in the state belong to this range. Beginning at the north, the principal summits are as follows :
Jay Peak, 4018 feet.
Lowell Mountain.
Sterling Peak, 3700 feet.
Mt. Mansfield, 4364 feet.
Shrewsbury Peak, 3737 feet.1 Saltash Mountain, 3278 feet.1
Bone Mountain.
White's Hill, 2922 feet.1
Camel's Ilump, 4088 feet.
Potato Ilill, or Lincoln Moun- tain, 4078 feet. Bread Loaf.
Moosalamoo.
Ilogback, 2347 feet.1
Haystack (Searsburg), 3162 feet.1 Bald Mountain ( Woodford). Prospect Mountain.
The Taconic Mountains are independent of the Green Mountain range and nearly parallel, in the southwestern part of the state, extending from the Massachusetts line as far north as Brandon. The principal summits are as follows :
Bird Mountain. Ilerrick Mountain, 2692 feet.
Equinox, 3872 feet.
Minister's Hill.
Moose Horn Mountain.
Red Mountain.
Danby Mountain.
West Mountain.
Eolus. Master's Mountain.
Bald Mountain (Arlington).
Spruce Peak.
Haystack (Pawlet).
Mt. Anthony, 2505 feet.
Bear Mountain.
Petersburg Mountain.
Seymour Peak.
Pico Peak, 3967 feet.1 Killington Peak, 4241 feet.1
Mt. Tabor, 358.1 feet.1 Stratton Mountain.
Somerset Mountain, 3605 feet.1
The Granitic Mountains lie in eastern Vermont. They do not form a range, although they extend for nearly the length of the state, but are disconnected, separate uplifts. The ascent to the
1 United States Geological Survey. This survey has not been completed for the entire state. Heights of mountains not thus marked may be taken to be only approximately correct.
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APPENDIX
summit is not infrequently steeper on the southern than on the northern side. The most important elevations are the following :
Granite Hill. Mt. Seneca. Cobble Hill.
Mt. John.
Joe's Hill.
Millstone Hill.
Bear Hill.
Mack's Mountain.
Ascutney, 3320 feet.
Bluff Mountain.
Pidgeon Hill.
Black Mountain.
Mt. Pisgah.
Pine Mountain.
Mt. Ilor. Knox Mountain.
The Red Sandrock group is a series of uplifts in northwestern Vermont, lying in Addison, Chittenden, and Franklin counties. They are characterized by a gradual slope on the eastern side, and a more rugged and bold escarpment on the western. The formation is usually limestone or calcareous slate, capped with siliceous rock, " red sand rock," from which the mountains take their name. These elevations are :
Snake Mountain.
Mutton Hill.
Pease Ilill.
Sugar Loaf, or Mt. Philo.
Florona, 1035 feet.
Shell House Mountain.
Mars Hill.
Rivers
The situation of the mountains determines, of course, the water- sheds and the course of the streams. Since the principal watershed coincides with the range of the Green Mountains, the rivers on the eastern side of the state empty into the Connecticut River, after taking for the most part an easterly or southeasterly course from their sources among the hills. The Passumpsic and the Deerfield flow south. These rivers are, beginning at the north :'
Nulhegan. Ompompanoosuc. Williams.
Passumpsic. White. West.
Waits. Quechee. Deerfield.
Wells. Black.
1 United States Geological Survey .. This survey has not been completed for the entire state. Heights of mountains not thus marked may be taken to be only approximately correct.
Buck Mountain.
Bridgeman's ITill.
Rice Hill, 2947 feet.1
Prospect Hill.
Snake Hill. Cobble IIill (Milton).
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HISTORY OF VERMONT
In the northern part of the state, in what is often known as " the Y of the Green Mountains," but really in the basin between the Granitic and the Green mountains, a smaller group of rivers rises and flows northward into Lake Memphremagog. These are the Clyde, the Barton, and the Black.
On the western side of the state, tributary to Lake Champlain, there is a smaller number of rivers larger than those on the cast- ern side, these being the Missisquoi, the Lamoille, the Winooski, the Otter Creek, the Poultney, and the Pawlet. The Battenkill and the Hoosac empty into the Hudson.
Lakes and Ponds
Although the Fish Commissioners' reports contain a list of the many lakes and ponds in the state, and the kinds of fish which they contain, there are no accurate data on the acreage of these waters. The following figures are approximately correct for the most important bodies :
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