Brattleboro Union High School - Colonel Yearbook (Brattleboro, VT)

Page 12 text:

ROYALLTYLER-JURIST EXTRAORDINARY ERMONT has always had many famous people of vwhom it could be proud. Although some of these noted persons have received world-wide acclaim, still others have been less well-known. One of the latter is Royall Tyler, a man who never received all the praise that he so richly deserved. Royall Tyler was born in Boston, Massachussetts, in 1757. His people were Wealthy and influential. The colonies, at the time of his early childhood, were in a state of great confusion and turmoil, the Stamp Act and the Boston Massacre were only two- of the intolerable actions of the English government toward the people in the new world. Despite the heavy taxation and political agitation, the Tyler family prospered, and they lived quietly in Boston for several years. Shortly after his fatheris death, young Tyler, than nearly fifteen years old, entered Harvard College. An amusing incident occurred while he was an underclass- man there. Tyler and his roommate one day decided to go fishing, their idea of the sport, however, was an un- usual one--they tried to catch a pig on their line. From their room directly over the main entrance to the dormi- tory they dangled a properly-baited hook above the heads of a litter of pigs in the yard below. Intently watching their novel experiment, the two young men failed to notice the approach of the president of the college. This stern, austere man paused on the steps of the building to remove his hat and wipe his forehead. The culprits spied him and hurriedly tried to draw up their fishing equipment, however, they hadn't learned that haste makes waste. In their great rush, Tyler and his companion caught their hook into the dignified gentleman's wig and jerked it high into the air, thus exposing the unfortunate president's bald head to the world. For their prank, the two classmates were severely punished. This was the only time that Tyler received a penalty for a misdemeanor at Harvard-he became more careful after this escapade. After his graduation Tyler studied law with john Adams for a few years at Cambridge and was admitted to the bar in 1779. Having serving in the army during the Revolutionary War, he returned to Cambridge to practise law. After he had taken part in the suppression of Shays' Rebellion, Tyler returned to Boston where he opened his law office. At this time drama was becoming more and more popular in America, especially in Boston and New York. Tyler was intimate with several directors and actors, and at their insistence he wrote his first play in 1787. This comedy was the first drama written by an American to be produced on the stage. Since the charac- ters were typically Yankee and different from any others evercreated, the young author chose for his title, The Contrast. One of the characters- Brother jonathan - is supposed to have been the model from which we have drawn Uncle Sam. He followed his first success with an- other comedy, May Day In Town. Royall Tyler be- came the pet of society, and he lived a carefree, easy, and free life. EVERAL years later, in 1790, Tyler decided to give I up his social life in Boston, and he moved to Ver- mont, where he settled in Guilford, then the most flourishing town in the new state. He had been engaged to Abigail Adams, daughter of john Adams, but she had broken the engagement when she went to England with her father. Perhaps this was one reason for Tyler's leaving Massachusetts. His practice in Vermont grew steadily, and his reputation spread over all of New Eng- land. His extensive legal activity, his literary ability, his wit and humor, and his sociability made him popular throughout the state. Once when Royall Tyler was attending court in Charlestown, New Hampshire, he was asked to deliver the sermon in the Episcopal Church because of the ab- sence of the minister. After the service Tyler was heard to remark, I was strongly urged to turn my thoughts to the Church, being assured that I had mistaken my voca- tion. He added that he didn't dare to become a minister, however, because he remembered the free, almost too gay life of his youth. He didn't want to bring any dis- grace upon the sacred cause. Several years later Royall Tyler returned to Massachu- setts, where he married Mary Palmer in Framingham. Many years before, when he was a young man of about twenty, he had gone to visit in the home of his good friend, joseph Palmer. It is said that Tyler took his host's infant daughter from her mother's arms and said, This child shall be my wife. Years later his statement came true, when 'he was thirty-seven years old and Mary was nineteen. The young couple was separated for a time while Royall returned to Guilford where he had bought and fur- nished a house. It wasn't until the following winter that Mary and her infant son were able to join him in Ver- mont. At that time the easiest method of traveling was by horse-drawn sleigh, so it was necessary to wait until February to journey from Massachusetts to the green- mountain state. On the night of her arrival in her new home, Mary Tyler's husband told her about the surrounding country and the people of the new neighborhood. He described the natives as friendly, open, and hospitable, they have no distinction among themf, Royall Tyler had indeed become a Vermonter, by adoption if not by birth. The Tylers later moved from their Guilford home to a large farm a mile from the West Brattleboro meeting-house. HILE he was living in Guilford, Mr. Tyler wrote wthe first American novel ever to be republished in England. The title of this work was The Algerine

Page 11 text:

THE DIAL 9 books to be purchased in the very near future. Some other rules and regulations read as follows: persons visit- ing in town or temporarily residing therein were re- quired to deposit live dollars when taking out books, at the expiration of the allotted time, the fee was to be returned to the borrower, provided that all the rules and regulations had been carried out, the librarian or the trustees were the only persons allowed to enter the al- cove and take books from the shelves, except by special permission of the trustees, gentlemen were obliged to remove their hats upon entering, and the use of tobacco was strictly prohibited in the reading rooms. MANY of you have probably heard of Mr. George Jones Brooks, for, indeed, he was a man of repute. His fortune was accumulated primarily on the Pacific Coast, where he had gone in 1850. He became the first, and for a time the only paper-selling agent on the Coast, after becoming wealthy he retired. Then he invested part of his fortune in San Francisco real estate, and returned to Brattleboro, where, in 1871-1872, he built the Brooks House at a cost of about 35150,000. Further to show his interest in our community, Mr. Brooks engaged an architect from Springfield, Massa- chusetts, to draw plans for the new Brooks Library Building. These were completed by january 1, 1886, and after receiving many bids, Bartlett Bros. was hired to construct the building. The main structure was 50 by 28 feet in size, with a wing 33M-3 by 40 feet for the main library. The foundation was of Dummerston granite, and the superstructure of pressed brick laid in red mortar with terra cotta and brownstone trimmings. The interior finish was done by many skilled jobbers, and their work certainly shows that they were true artists in their field. Two reading rooms, one for women and one for men, and a large lobby comprised the main part of the library, while in the basement were located a committee and trustees' room, one for natural history specimens, and a boiler room. just a few days before the building was to be dedi- cated, Mr. Brooks died suddenly. of heart failure. On the morning of his death, there were found on, his desk in his library two sheets of paper upon which he had com- menced a preliminary draft of his dedication speech, so it was thought proper that this should be read on the occasion. From his will it was found that he had appointed five trustees to carry out his wishes. It was provided that, in case the building was not constructed before his death, a sufficient sum should be set aside to complete and furnish the library according to his plans and specifica- tions. A further proviso stated that this amount, includ- ing what had been expended during his lifetime, should not exceed 3515,000. In a codicil to his will, however, Mr. Brooks set aside an extra sum of 357,000 or what- ever additional amounts might be needed for the com- pletion and furnishing of the building, including the grading of the grounds. Several days before his death, many prominent resi- dents prevailed upon Mr. Brooks to sit for a painting, so that upon its completion it might be placed in the library. Mr. Robert Gordon Hardie was engaged to paint the portrait in his studio on Canal Street, and just the expression of the face was finished when the end came so suddenly for Mr. Brooks. UST before the library was reopened in the new building on August 4, 1887, a gift of 351,000 came from Mr. Lucius Pratt of West Newton, Massachusetts, for the purchase of such books as the Board of Trustees might select. The first annual report after the opening of the new library showed the total number of volumes to be 5,999 in February, 1888, a substantial increase from those of the very first library. Many legacies and donations were received from time to time until there were so many volumes that space was lacking in which to store them. At a joint meeting of the Brooks Library Trustees and the Brattleboro Free Library Trustees, plans for an addition were submitted by Pellett Bros., estimated to cost from 357,500 to 358,000. A check for 352,500 was received from Mrs. C. A. Loud, and the Town generously contributed 353,000. The new, large addition was constructed in the rear in 1912. A regional station of the Vermont Free Public Library Commission was established here in july, 1948, from which the Book Wagon serves many communities. There is much proof that we appreciate our library opportunities today. Statistics speak the truth. In 1948, 13,250 people lived in Brattleboro, the library was open 301 days last year and 66 hours each week, new bor- rowers registered numbered 826, the number of vol- umes was 39,578, 2,053 books were added during the year, of which 228 were received as gifts, the largest number of books issued in one month was 9,924 in last March, the greatest number in one day was 554 in November, the average daily circulation was 304, mak- ing a circulation per capita of 7.5, adult circulation was 72,483, while the juvenile was 27,895, making a total circulation of 1o9,s16, the gain over the year before was 6,015, discards were 695, and reserves were 3,502. Brattleboro has indeed been fortunate in having a fine public library. We can sincerely thank our forefathers for this invaluable community blessing. 7 -Mary Frame: La Rom

Page 13 text:

THE DIAL 11 Captive, or the Life and Adventures of Doctor Updike Underhill, Six Years a Prisoner among the Algerinesf' this was a formidable name for such a small book. With its short chapters, spirit, and neatness of style, this novel characterized all of Tyler's works. In 1801 three new judges were appointed to the Su- preme Court of Vermont, among them Royall Tyler. His reputation as a lawyer was wide-spread about the state, and he was very popular. He served as judge for six years, and then he was appointed Chief Justice. He held this position until 1812, when ill health and party strife forced him to leave. Register of probate for Wind- ham County was the only other public office that he held. Tyler did a great deal of writing for The Farmer's Weekly Museum, a newspaper published in Charles- town, New Hampshire. This paper was widely read from Maine to Georgia, and one of Ty1er's great ad- mirers was George Washington. He also wrote for many other newspapers and journals, his articles were ex- tremely admired because of their sparkle, humor, and originality. Among his later publications was The Yankee in London. This book was supposed to be the letters of an American abroad, the descriptions of Eng- lish life and countryside were so just and correct that it wasn't until later that the public was astonished to learn that the author had never set foot in England. He had simply used his imagination and familiarity with Eng- lish people in writing the book. Among the smaller, less important works of Tyler is a poem showing his great love for Vermont, especially the area around Guilford and Brattleboro. The follow- ing are a few lines from this poem: There is a wild sweet valley, hid among mountains blue, And fairer, brighter vales methinks are 'far between and few.' 'Tis cradled in the granite arms, and 'neath the Sky serene Of all New England's lovely spots, the loveliest, I ween. Oh! if fond nature ever wakes the spirit's thrill of bliss, And stirs within the heart a thought of gushing happi- ness, 'Tis when she groups with wayward hand the woodland hill and dale A scene so true, yet romance like, as Brattleboro Vale. THE Tylers moved several times about the town of Brattleboro, and they finally settled in a permanent home near the Common. The street on which they lived still bears their name today. After his retirement as Chief Justice, Royall lived quietly with his- wife and their eleven children. He spent much of his time writing verse about Vermont and New England, one of these short poems The Chestnut Treef' was a forecasting of Brattleboro and its people as they would appear in one hundred years. Tyler's career as judge, writer, and man was ended in 1826, when he died of cancer. Although Royall Tyler's works are not too well-known today, he is remembered for his experiments in writing. It was he who pioneered in the American drama and novel, who paved the way for other new-world writers to follow, who created a new style of writing. He will also be remembered for his humor, his kindness, and his friendliness. He was a Vermonter of whom we can be decidedly proud. -Nanny Rae Loffledl OUR FALLING WATER TABLE fCw1ti1zuedf1'0m page 62 rates went up in the area. Bankers would no longer take chances on farm land that couldn't be irrigated. The state called in experts of the United States Geological Survey. They found that many wells were losing water through holes in the casings and that, in any case, the wells were being overpumped. Taking action, the legis- lature passed in 1930 a state control law which requires a person drilling a well to obtain a permit. It also em- powers the state engineer to force the plugging of leak- ing wells. From all standpoints, this has been a successful pro- gram. 45,000 acres were irrigated in 1930. Now they number more than 100,000 and the interest rates are down again. A New York State law requires everyone who is sinking a well in the four Long Island counties for purposes of air-conditioning to drill an additional well to return the water to the ground. Here are two of a handful of states that recognized a dangerous situation and went ahead to try to remedy it. When we lower the water table by excessive pumping, we are destroying a natural balance. Originally rain water seeped down into the ground, a natural bank. It then returned to the atmosphere by evaporation from plants and from large bodies of water. When we over- pump a well and, consequently, lower the water table, we are creating a run on the bank , if we continue this ruinous practice, the bank will fail. UT what's to be done about it? Prodded by West- I3 erners, Congress has authorized 354,35o,ooo,ooo for damming and diverting river waters to thirsty acres. Arizona and California are now wrangling over who is going to get how much of the Colorado River. There seems to be a million acre-feet of water there that they both want. Arizona is pushing a 3S780,000,000 bill in Congress to get it. Meanwhile, mushrooming Los Angeles is using a part of that disputed million acre-feet to pro- vide drinking water, baths, lawn sprinkling, and jobs for its 2,000,000 citizens, and it expects to tap the rest