Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1875-07-17

0UILDHALL. VT, Juiy IL. 1873.
Most Of our communities are re-
ported church-going; most OF them
have churches, ministers, choirs, Sun
day schools, sewing societies, and other
educational forces for moral work,
but in most societies these instru-
mentalities have failed In many essen
tials. In many communities where
the church sittings are nearly sufficient
for the whole people, less than one
fourth part are church-gocrs on an
average. Great occasions call out
more. What is the difficulty and
what the remedy; Of course all must
begin at one point, namely, the pre-
dominance of the animal over the
spiritual, putting the lesser interests
in way of the greater, caring more
for bodily ease and comfort than striv-
ing to gain that higher level of man.
hood, where the intellectual and spir-
itual command, and the body is the
instrument only Of development.
People have been sermon-kllled-
two or three a Sabbath and the Sun.
day school sandwiched in between.
This is folly and "vexation of spirit"
to pastor and people. Not one min
lister in thousand can do equal JUS
tice to two or three subjects in the
sameday, and no reasonable people will
ask it. The whole energy Of mind
and soul of the minister should center
upon one subject, and that subject
should be settled, Skinned, boiled
down and classified, so as to feed the
sheep with clear meat. 1t should con-
tain points and handles to be taken
hold of by the people and carried
away with them as mental and spir-
itual food, not only through the week
but ever afterward, and that, when
ever that subject is named, the time,
the place, the occasion and the man
may he fresh in memory that treated
it. The people are to blame. They
take their sermons, not as they do
their meals, to invigorate the body,
but in one indigestiDle lump, that
bothers the mind to retain or the soul
to appreciate. And this callousing
process is going on all the while and
many are getting needless and say
they can sleep as well at home as in
church, and save the trouble of going,
Let us have one good rousing sermon
on Sunday and we shall be interested
to go, and take our neighbors along
with US. There are but very few that
can tell the text even and much less
the subjects of last Sundays sermons
Farmers after driving all the weeE
haying wish for a part Of the day fol
rest. One sermon will obviate this
objection, and if clergymen cannot
put magnetism enough in one sermon
to keep even the overworked farmer
awake, do not disturb him, let him
sleep; it will do him the most good.
There is deluge of reading nova.
days scattered weekly all through the
country. The larger part of the com
munity, failing to get time in six
days to do their reading take the
seventh, and this keeps a very large
number away from church, more per
haps by the force of habit than any
fixed purpose. Some, alas! take
reading that kills for the purpose o.
killing the day. The tyrant, fashion
keeps many away, not so much the
dress as the way it is worn, and tht
social distinction it creates. True re
ligion, SO to speak, and the grave arr
the great Jewelers.. God will cloth'
the hearts of all his humble follower
alike, and many that wear the rag
to-day will wear the beautiful white
hereafter, and where will the outsid,
adornments, the show and glitter b
weighed, except it "be found want
ing" The pulpit is the great mora
educator, let US truly appreciate il
and try to extend its power and use
fulness log naakiug it stronger an
better, and by gathering the masse
under its direct influence. In th
press Of labor ard business men stud
the bible less and look to the pulp
more, and its voice should be s
strong and commanding as to caus
the evils of the day to skulk and hid
before its great and glorioSs light.
Vermont State Fair.