The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1869-08-10
Notes Of Travel.

OTHER CITIES.
The racy, piquant, and interesting wri-
ter, the Rev DR.. Hatfield, correspondent
Of the New York INDEPENDENTS now occu-
ing the pulpit in the lst Methodist church
in West Chicago. nour first Sabbath in
the city, we rode five miles (by rally and
had the pleasure of hearing the disting-
uishcd preacher in one of the finest
churches in the city. We were amply |
paid for our trip. His church cost sl0O,-
900, The organ $4,000.
After the sermon we sought the class,
room. One, who had known something
of the sea, gave in this testimony. "Well
do | rccolect the time when | was poor
lost sinner. My heart was proud, my
eyes We're covered with thick scales, my
sails were all SET for death. 1t was II
stormy day with me, when Methodist
local prcacher-an old theological seventy
four pounder-bore down upon me, and
poured in a broadside of doublc-headed
shot, hot from the battery of mother's
prayers. 1t took me between wind and
water. Twas raked fore and aft and at once
lowered my peak and came up under the
lead Of the cross and signed articles Of
eternal allegiance to the King of Kings.
Another said, he felt to day like good
old Simeon. He had seen Jesus, and was
his old weather beaten bark, long long at
sea, had reached the millcnial trade
winds, had entered the latitude Of the
Island of the Redeemed had passed Cape
Fear, caught the light on Good Hope.
Thus he had entered and was navigating
the River of Life and was booming up
to the City of Gold Soon he hoped
to be moored within the picr-hcad of
Glory and as a christian warrior lay down
the weapons of his warfare in the hall Of
his King.
But we must not omit to mention that
besides the large number of Evangelical
churches, Chicago has a society called
"The Chicago Scientific and Free Re-
ligious Association"
The Rev. Charles Balch, Pastor, though
sadly driven from his former faith and
mornings, Che was formerly an Episco-
pal clergyman,) is very genial and cdu-
Gated gentleman. He gave us their ar
ticles of Association. The object ofthc
association shall be- to discover the truth,
and to induce humanity to live and act
that truth. And to these ends, there
shall be no restraint upon thought, nor
upon the expression thereof, as to any
subject, matter or thing, and under thl'
banner we welcome alike, the believer,
and skeptics."
Under this guise, those who do not car,
to take upon them the VOWS, duties and
restraint of a godly life, manufacture .
substitute, and build new way to heav
en-. Mr.. Balch does not open or close hi
services with prayer, pronounces no ben
ediction, and does not say grace hctor'
meals, nor return thanks thereafter. ll'
does not believe in the plenary inspiration
Of the scripture, and quite as Otter
breaches without a text from the Bible q
with.
Surely his religion is free, very tre,
We have often heard Of " religious free
dom" Poets have sungand orators haN
spoken of this noble sentiment and prnci
pie but alas it is reserved for these lar
times so pregnant with new and falls
coinages, to foist upon the public atten
ton tieeish religion, free religious as
socation, very free religious association
a tieeish religion, that ignores all "rc
straint upon thought and the expression
thereof"
TO Mr.. Balch and others, who light
esteem the Bible and its entire teaching,
we commend the words of D'Aubigne.-
:" Not to believe that the Bible is God
message, is voluntarily to deprive one
self of all true, well-founded knowledg
about God and our future state. 1t
returning to darkness, it is to ruin on
own prospects also the welfare of man
others with Us.
There is even more than a tendenc
in the present day topit reason against til
bible, to defy the former and dethron
the latter. 1t is lamentable and great
to be deplored by all sincere and Tn,
christians, and calls upon the defenders {
the bible to stand at their posts, girdc
for battle.
Possibly, Mr.. Balch and his adheren
may return. 1t is human to err an
wander II is divine to forgive and r.
store.
e 1--WE are the mariners, and God the sen,
And though we make false reckonings and n
Wide of n reigious.course, and undonc.
Out of hi, depths of love, We cannot he"
: To conclude these hasty and miscell
E neous notes" we will crystalize OF
a views of the marvellous growth of Il
r west, by brief review of the definite al
t tangible growth Of Chicago. "The Ca
, den city"
1 If one wants the western definition
r the word, let him look there.
:, In 1928 Chicago was an Indian tra
f ing post. In 1880 there were four viii
: families there as settlers.
f In 1884 forty wolves were killed
one day, on the site of the present We
u ropolis. In 1898 the city exported e
seventy eight bushels of grain. In is
she had never heard the whistle of
d locomotive, and in 1852 the first tra
y of cars reached her from the Fast,
: Now the city and its suburbs nul
:, bers 100000. Now instead of rs, s
exports over j0000,000, of bushels
grain every year, and the railroad syste
% of which Chicago is a center, embrac
: over 5000 miles of track, while trains
:, " cars are arriving or departing eve
y fifteen minutes of the ~ hours,
"a Those lands where wolves We
/. slaughtered in a. and which one wou
q have considered dear at 10 shillings P
,e acre, are selling to day at $4,000 70
!. front.
,e Instead of wolves she now slaughtc
h hogs enough every year, to make sol
line of " porkers," standing in single fl
n II ~ Il 4