Edmunds High School - Oread Yearbook (Burlington, VT)

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It would be impossible, in an article of this character. to pay proper tribute to the services of Mr. Edmunds as a national legislator, but he is conceded to have made a greater impress upon the congressional legislation of his time than any other senator. Many important measures bear the stamp of his statesmanship. Among them is the famous electoral commission actnof 1876, which settled the controversy between Hayes and Tilden, and in the estimation of leading men of the time, averted civil strife over the Presidency. Other noteworthy acts with which his name is identified are the present law for counting and determining the electoral vote, intended to avoid a repetition of the conditions prevailing in 1876, and a measure changing the presidential succession from the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House and the Chief Justice or senior Associate justice of the Supreme Court to the Secretary of State, and other mem- bers of the cabinet, and assuring the retention of the executive department for four years by the party to which it is voted. He also formu- lated the anti-polygamy law, which, according to the late Senator J. J. Ingalls of Kansas, strangled polygamy to death, and which with other acts caused the latter to call Mr. Edmunds the most practical legislator of the age. But as great as is the legislation standing to the credit of Mr. Edmunds, he is entitled to almost equal distinction for the number of bad bills which he helped to consign to a timely death, the Vermont Senator having been the fear and despair of all lobbyists in the aid of iniquitous measures. The general recognition of his marked ability and his sterling qualities led many members of his party to favor his nomination for the Presidency of the United States in 1880 and again in 1884, but all efforts of this character were made without his solicitation. His name was also frequently associated with the position of Secretary of State, and with a place on the bench of the Supreme Court of the United States, but he has courted private life, and since his resignation of his position in the Senate in 1891 he has given his time to his family, to whom he is tenderly devoted, and to his law practice, mostly confined to cases before the chief tribunal of the land. During the course of his public career Senator Edmunds has frequently shown his interest in the cause of education, as well as his con- cern for the city with which he was so long identified. In 1898 he proved his love for Burlington by generously ohfering to present to the city a site for the proposed new High School, donating for this purpose the handsome lot attached to his homestead. The gracious gift was accepted by the city, which decided also to retain the residence on the property in accordance with the terms named by the donor, and the magnificent structure, dedicated to the cause of education, which now crowns the site thus donated, will stand for generations as a monument to his beneficence-the Edmunds High School. 17

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Senior Editorial. No one can speak with truth of the Class of 1901 without offering it well deserved words of praise. What class, pray tell, has ever surpassed or ever will equal ours? What class has ever entered more heartily into school life or taken more interest in all school affairs? Four years ago when we first entered into the weather-beaten walls of the old B. H. S. we were neither fresh nor green. We realized that we were a part of the school and we certainly succeeded in making the other classes think so, especially the class of 1902, during our second year. What a time we had that second year ! Who does not remember that, now famous, sociable in Red Men 's Hall ? There, although greatly surpassed in numbers, after a long and hard fought battle, we finally overcame and completely routed the whole male population of 1900 and 1901, and held an enjoyable sociable in peace and quiet. During that delightful year we held twice as many sociables, sleigh-rides and dances as the sum of those held by the other classes and gained for ourselves the reputation of being the jolliest class in school. In our junior year, although we did not win the foot-ball game, we furnished the captains for both the foot-ball and base-ball teams, and one of our number took the prize for having the highest standing in the classical course. As we entered upon our fourth year of school life, we took upon ourselves the dignity of seniors, and, realizing that this is our last year, we have striven to maintain our good reputation and that of our school. Let us carefully examine the ranks of 1901 . How many geniuses one may see therein ! There is Conway, our great politician and orator, who possesses the brains of a Richard Croker combined with the talent of a Daniel Webster. Monty also stands forth as the greatest horse jockey the world has yet seen. Casey, our well-known poet, must not be overlooked, while the beaming countenance of Elliot, who will soon be Professor of Mathematics at Yale, can easily be discerned. But this is not all 5 think of the literary talent in our class. There are Miss Catlin, Miss Gulick, Miss Southwick, Hilton, Cobb, and Nay, who will become famous before long as novelists of the first order. Then there are Ollie, our big foot-ball captain 5 Kip, our musical prodigy 5 Bond, our talented president 3 Hicks, the famous singer of coon songs 5 and many others who have lines of genius in their faces 1 but we stop for want of space. I9