University of Vermont - Ariel Yearbook (Burlington, VT)

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24 ARIEL, 1907 Over that noiseless little ileet, drifting with the mist, the voice of the old hermit Hoated, at intervals, thin as the little puffs and streamers of fog, but clear, insistent, and with a wondrously thrilling and inspiring power, as if it were the voice of some cloud-invested God, inciting and encouraging his followers. Ethan Allen smiled grimly, as his quick ear caught the several commands, and he vowed within himself, If thou shalt help us on to victory, old hermit, I swear thou shalt not go without thy reward! Noiselessly the boats were driven on the shelving beach under the fort, and noiselessly, with the rising mists, the patriots climbed the slope toward the fort. Shadow and substance, they crowded in through the wicket-gate, past the surprised and overpowered sentinel- and the world knows what followed. But the Master of the Mist has not yet received his reward of honor!

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THE ARIEL, 1907 23 to march southward by land until opposite the fort, the other to proceed cautiously along the shore in such boats as had been collected at Chimney Point. These boats, with a couple of barges to be brought from Skeens- boro that night by trusted messengers, were to be used in transporting the Green Mountain Boys across the lake. VVhen all were assembled on the opposite shore, an attack was to be made on the fort, under cover of darkness. By midnight the men and boats from Chimney Point lay under the shadow of Mount Defiance, waiting for the arrival of the barges, and such volunteers as they might bring from Skeensboro. The dark hours wore by without sign or tidings of the barges, and Ethan Allen, wrapped in his great cloak, paced the lake shore impatiently. At last, however, just before dawn, the transports came stealing on, silently as shadows. A few hurried greetings, a few stern, brief orders, and the men began to embark in the boats, all eager to be among the first who should land under the walls of the frowning fort. Yet, so long had the barges been delayed, that it was already growing gray in the east before the little fleet pushed out from shore, and the mists of morning, damp and thick, were Boating along the surface of the water. Half-way across the lake, in their slow progress, the rowers suddenly stopped to listen, for, in the intense stillness of early morning, they thought they heard a far-off voice shouting quick and sharp commands. Ethan Allen started to his feet, looming like a giant in the distorting mist. K' By the' God in heaven! he muttered. We have been betrayed. The British have discovered us! Not so! answered a low voice at his side. Dost thou not remember the old man I told thee of-the shouting hermit of Mount Dehance? Listen! The voice is from the east, not the west. The breeze carries it this way, and sound travels far in a fog. The old man remains at his post, as T bade him, and this morning, I fancy, he sees among his shadows the army I prophesied! No wonder his voice carries far, then! exclaimed Allen, greatly relieved. Thou hast eased my mind much, Lewis, and I thank thee. Then he gave the low command to proceed. '

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THE ARIEL, 1907 25 University iLife in Germany Citrtel, 19075 FREDERICK TUPPER, JR. N AN October morning, some years since, a recent Vermont graduate and I entered together the Aula of the Friedrich- VVilhelm University at Berlin. Lectures were still two weeks away, but Germany is a country of leisurely begin- nings 'and this was the morning of matriculation. The great hall was thronged with an interesting company. At a long table sat the Rector Magnihcus, I-Iarnack, the mighty theologian, and the pro- fessors of the various faculties. Moving about the room were students of three types: foreigners like ourselvesg wanderers from other uni- versities' of the Fatherlandg and boys from the Gymnasium, who had passed the Abiturient examination and become mules or fresh- men. These last we regard with interest. They are unquestionably the best trained school boys in the world. For nine years they have been drilled by the best masters, every one a doctor, for some thirty hours a week. They have been taught not simply to remember, but to analyze, compare and classify, until, at the age of eighteen or nineteen, they stand often on a better footing than graduates of our colleges. But there is another side to the shield, as I learned when I grew to know them better. They have marred their sight- sixty per cent of Germans over eighteen wear glasses. They have hurt their health by long hours of work at home and by little play save perhaps skating in winter and gymnastic exercises on the Turnboden. 'With all his learning, the German Jack is often a dull boy. After presentation of credentials and payment of eighteen marks, the entering student now obtains three things. The first is a certificate of matriculation, a portly and florid document, twice as large as a college