The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-03-18
Encourage Your Own.

secretary oil civil and Military Affairs.
Encourage Your Own.
Selfshncss is ever destructive. 1t is
so both to him who INDUCES it and to the
interests, respecting which, it is INDUCED
The individual suffers from the violation
of the laws of his own personal being, FOR
he was not made moral being for him
self. Thus when he regards himself as
identified with the community of which
he forms q part, and when, with such o
view he exerts himself for the good of
others, then he best promotes his own
real interests and most effectualy devcl-
opes his own manhood and character.
There are some persons, far too many for
congratulation, whose six per cent year,
or half per cent month is about all they
can comprehend. 1t don't take pro.
digious amount of brains to learn as much
as that involves. The ordinary course
and interests Of life will drill that into
one. But even to manage so small an
estate as this includes TO the best advan.
tage for all concerned, and for all inter.
ests involved, is, in itself, considerable Of
moral acquisition, and requires the
heart Of a patriot and a Christian. To
manage it to the best advantage is to
spend at least, some portion of it, in TAX
ing care Of all those who are inhabitants
in the place where we live. Not taking
care or them in the sense Of providing for
the helplessness which comes through age
or by calamity, though that is Chris
tian duty which must not be neglected
but while they are active, and more or
less thrifty and successful. In other
words, we should encourage our own i'm
mediate ncighbors, the citizens Of our own
village and town, in preference to any
one else. We should do it, even if it in
wolves apparently 4 loss that is, if we
can save few cents on days work or
a few dollars on job by hiring or con-
tracing with some person or persons out
Of town.
There is vast social, and economical
power in helping on a community, like
our own, when the policy of the employ.
ers or of the leading business men is to
help their neighbo-s, and employ them in
preference to any others. We have known
in many instances, this to lay at the foun-
dation of the growth and success of some
very thrifty places while, on the contra.
ry. We have known the opposite policy
to operate as blight and mildew upon
others. 1t requires but little from each
to encourage all. And when all pour in
their contributions, the Scotch proverb
is verified that "Many micke makes a
mucklc" And every one can help Some
by one method and others by different
ones, We can all speak well of our own
and thus all be Of one language and
of ono speech. And this last remark
calls out one method of helping
build up our village. which we fear, is toe
little thought of, and certainly too little
improved upon. The great majority Of
our villagers are persons in humble life
They have enjoyed but meagre advantag
cs for self-improvcment. They are com.
PEELED to toll for their daily bread. Theil
social position is comparatively lowly
one. But they are alive to these facts
sometimes over sensitively alive to them
They arc liable to be discouraged by sucl
circumstances. 1t is not in their powcl
to rise, by their own unaided efforts, to
higher level. Those socially above then
must lend them helping hand, at least
must give them chance, such a one al
they can appreciate, to rise in society, OIL
to make society such that they can, il
The best and highest sense, live in it ant
be parts of it. To effect this, the NOR,
educated and refined, the better livers
those Of better or superior fortunes, mus
come down to ihem--must, as the Scrip
lures teach, "mind not high things, bu
condesccnd to men Of low estate" Tia:
is a matter Of practical christianity
which, we fear, has, somehow or other
fallen greatly into disreputc, and iallel
greatly out of practice. 1t is turned owe
mostly to the clergy to exemplify this sor
Of virtue. And while it is their duty t
look, as pastors, after the humblest o
their people, it is also their duty as me-
to look after the interests of all Blu
what is their duty as men, is every man
duty And this brings US down to tn
level Of all, or rather brings all up to til
high plane Of really Christian society
1t makes the rich and poor meet togoth
er, from the stimulating motive that III
Lord is the Maker of them all. An
this makes society such as it should be
such as all enjoy; such as contributes t
the improvement of all such as receive
the approval and commentator Of all
such as fulflls the great and inevitabl
laws Of all moral and political economics
and renders any community who praC
tices il, thrifty one in all desirable a:
poets.
The nd-by-thyself- for I-am-holiei
than-thou" manifestation, is not only nc
proper manifestation for society, but
comes of spirit which is alien to an
society at all There can be no real con
munity-feeling with it. What there
externally of such, is such a convention
ally artificial and superficial matter, as I