HISTORY OF VERMONT. 369 



CHAPTER IX. 



State of Society. Customs and Manners i 

 JEducation, early Marriages^ Activity^ Equali- 

 ty^ Economy, and Hospitality of the Feople. 



THE customs and manners of nations 

 arc derived from descent, situation, employment, 

 and all those regulations which have an influence 

 upon the state of the people ; and they serve 

 better than other circumstances to ascertain the 

 character of nations, and to denote the state of 

 society at any given period in their history- 

 The customs and manners of the people of Ver- 

 mont, are principally derived from tt people of 

 New Eugland, from whom they are descended : 

 But in a few particulars they have received a 

 direction, from the state of society which takes 

 place among the settlers in a new country. 



Education. Among the customs which 

 are universal among the people, in all parts of 

 the state, one that seems worthy of remark, is, 

 the attention that is paid to the education of 

 children. The aim of the parent, is not so 

 much to have his children acquainted with the 

 liberal arts and sciences ; but to have them all 

 taught to read with ease and propriety ; to write 

 a plain and legible hand ; and to have them ac- 

 quainted with the rules of arithmetic, so far as 

 shall be necessary to carry on any of the most 

 common and necessary occupations of life. All 

 the children are trained up to this kind of knowl- 

 edge : They are accustomed from their earliest 

 years to read the Holy Scriptures, the periodical 

 VOL. II X 2 



