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

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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

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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

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f 1 12 THE DIAL as it grows still bigger. Federal aid is helping to solve the uirrigationists' problems, but it doesnlt answer the enigma of the water table. One practice that was used by the C. C. C. is the planting of trees on denuded areas in the headwaters. Another is contour plowing, that is, plowing with the lay of the land, thus forming many little puddles of water that will gradually seep into the ground. Another method is the use of grassed waterways, channels that are seeded to grass to prevent water from rushing to the sea, then there is the terracing practice. All of these countermeasures help the water to reach underground storage. One hundred forty-eight million people canlt live on this continent without drawing on its natural resources. We found that we could use and still conserve our trees. We can do the same with water. -Sherman Care Wright MODERN VERMONT HANDICRAFTERS fC0ntinued from page 72 However, a sportsman's show in San Francisco proved too great a temptation for her and, before she knew it, short while, an ofiicial had recognized her. Within a thousands of people, with open admiration, were watch- ing the visitor from Vermont demonstrate her skill. Mrs. Galaise, like Mr. Sweetster, the weaver, learned her profession through her parents. This capable woman can tie five hundred different patterns by memory. Her workshop is a haven for fishermen who come to sit for hours to watch her nimble dexterity with fingers and scissors as her two implements. One pattern might in- volve no less than forty-eight individual parts before it is completed. Annually in New York, Boston, and other locales the sportsmerfs shows and exhibits have found the Orvis's display the nucleus of attraction. Though perhaps the most popular and vivid factor, Mrs. Galaiseis adroitness is not the entire support of the Charles F. Orvis Company where she is employed. This shop is known for the making of all kinds of fishing supplies. With the majority of rods formerly of a heavier weight, Mr. Orvis experimented with a lighter one which proved far superior to the older model. These rods are com- posed of Tonkin cane from distant China. A 4800 pound milling machine is used for their construction. In 1940, D. C. Cochran of the company developed a new and better bamboo by impregnating it with phenolic resin. This waterproofed the cane against steam, boiling water, and snow. It was so successful that the U. S. Army adapted the method for their manufacture of ski poles which were later used in both the Aleutian and the Italian campaigns. AD Mrs. Galaise made her journey sooner, she might l'l have met a Californian who was returning to the same section from which she had come. Harry MacIntosh has now lived in the neighboring village of Townshend for four years. In a remodeled barn and quonset hut addi- tion, he and his employees are turning out approximately 3700 worth of copper merchandise a week. His applying a distinctive dark finish to the copper has brought praise from all customers, even those from the competitive state of California. A few machines are used to speed up minor stages, but the copper's being hammered and designed by hand places it in the handmade category. In the past years examples of his work have been in such exclusive shows as the Library of Congress exhibit and the National Academy of Design Print in New York. He also received notice in the Art Digext for his print of Boston's Park Street Church. Although the industries which have just been men- tioned are today the most prosperous in Vermont, there are numerous others still in the early stages which will soon flourish into prominence. Senator Flanders recently reported, Anyone who has driven about the state and visited a large number of its middle-sized and small towns must have had their eyes opened as to the number of vigorous little factories and shops that are to be found here. These cover a wide range of industries, including woodworking, metal working and textiles .... There should be more of these small new industries. Vermont is especially adapted to their successful establishment. These handicraft activities built up by the ingenuity of our Green Mountaineers have carried the name of Ver- mont over the vast nation, not only to the city stores, gift shops, and homes, but also to the country's lakes and streams. -jean France: Stockwell