Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-05-02
Notes from the Northwest.


Notes from the Northwest.
CHAPTER I.
Mr.. EDIToR:-Thinking that possibly
few notes, as yet untouched by any for
lei communication TO the FREEMAN,
anv interest the numerous readers of your
aluable paper, 1 will venture TO draw the
In and dip in. After stay in this
North Star State for nearly three
BARS, except one summer in Texas, we
te prepared to draw some conclusions
bout the social and religious elements of
lis part of the world. We have here
.hgments of humanity from all parts of
he known world, and we should judge
.Dm the twist of the unknown tongue that
IA tower of Babel was erected somewhere
Il these plains, for truly the fruit is found
4 the l." confusion of tongues" on every
lie. We sometimes get brick for mortar,
Ia mortar for brick, socially, as we are
Fought into contact with these stray
eaves of the body of mortality. 1t is cer-
ainly mixed sight for one to stop on the
.neet corner in Saint Paul, the capital, and
Bok at the faces that PASS. Some marks
f the original inhabitants of this land are
aft, reminding us that the Poor Lo " has
.Aen here. We noticed the female por-
Dn clothed and ladened and some of the
anles attired in regular costume of eye
bciente days. Then passeth the sons
Ia daughters of emancipation, Germans,
Ipt few Swedes, Norwegians, Bohe-
Hans, Italians, men and women from the
mother country" last, but not least the
4orld renowned YdnkCe, and they differ
bmewhat from their Eastern brothers in
Ihving their insight or sharpness in busl-
Mss transactions filed to n very sharp
bint. These mudsills" " are hard to beat.
4ow vou will readily see that state
Made up of this conglomerate mass of the
|bman family, will be hard to harmonic
b social equality. Each one will bring
BIZ their peculiar early training (here we
.ee very vivid illustration of early i'm
nes,ions), and the consequence is that
6me elbows get in the way, and the
bngue, although an unknown one, will
u brought into play, and hence strife
9ontentions and bitterness, in many cases
Il the result. But leaving the social realm
Id MS look into the
RELIGIOUS.
There are about eighteen or twenty
kousand Melhodists, five or six thousand
3hptists, six or eight thousand Presbyte,
|ihns, three or four thousand Episcopa-
|hns, besides other fragmentary parts OF
u other religions found in the world, in
His state. These churches are made up
ID all nationalities. for it is not I'M uncom-
Hon thing to 90 into n prayer meeting in
IL NJ. L. Church and hear Il prayer in
IL Danish, German or Swedish language.
ADwever, these people generally, in the
A pre- thickly settled places, have churches
u their own badge or nation. But let us
/. samine the English-speaking part you
~ III meet members from all parts of the
4orld, the educated and the uneducated.
1sery one has received more or less train
in the peculiarities Of his former place
ii residence, consequently each one has
d |eir peculiar views, and path to success,
I'd unless you subscribe 10 their way
here is u species of war in the camp.
here are many church difficulties, Qm-)
ous quarrels in these parts, within the
|bdies who bear the same name, and that
ahimal with horns, called bigotry, is on
ne alert TO gore and destroy the founda-
bns of one 10 build up another. With
6any you will observe more creed than
9hrist, more of self than the glory of the
Easter. This being the case it is thorny
bad TO travel, to try to harmonic the va
fious religious bodies and elements of this
nalt of the northwest. Your correspon-
lent would pray to be granted one re-
NEST as touching this case. Assemble all
he churches of this state in one taberna-
IL and let Moody preach and Sankey sing
5ser them for about six months, and my
ssdgment is, with God to help, the horns
II this religious dilemma would be broken
a Our revivals as q general thing are
mall in the harvesting results. All the
season we can detect for this is, small, wa
fering faith in the minds OF the churches
md this bone of contention across the patl
81 life. The subject of holiness is laic
side as II general thing, except by very
kw, and it is quite common thing to lis
sen to Methodist preachers tugging at The
Bur against the doctrine. Many of The
eading men in our church here raise th'
band and voice against it, or leave it un
lDuched, as a relic of the days of Wesley
Ashury, Fletcher and Hamline. What il
he result? Our communites-many o
hem-are called hard whiskey-that Ike.
b the door of misery unbolts the same
nd lets in the tide of death upon us.
While this state fights the Canada this
lc as an enemy. the religious element
Allow the big MjSticS of some of the isms
with all their concomitant evils, to groy
auxuriantly in our midst. When will tn
thurch understand that it is higher-lif
piety, taking hold upon the promises {
God, with Jacob-like grasp of faith tina
will remove these sycamore trees, root
4and all, into the sea of oblivion? 1t is til
New Testament standard of piety-" IIol
ness unto the Lord" that will beat ava
sthese mountains of sin, and cause them t
sink out of sight in the eternal fountain
of Redemption. Harmony, shouts
triumph, songs of victory will be hear
from the walls of Zion, if Coils peopI
will only walk in the Highway cast up f,
thcm: "Thc way shall he called the wa
of Holiness" QUILL.