The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1878-09-29
STRANGE NEWS FROM WESTERN
AASSAC CSETTS.

n L q.
As the traveller journeys through the
four western counties of Massachusetts, his
eye ls caught at every turn by the white
church steeple, glistening in the sunlight.
1t ia a constant and characteristic feature
of the landscape. We forget how many of
these steeples can be seen from the top of
Mount Holyoke on clear afternoon but
the count has been made, asd the total is
an impressive figure. AS rule they are
not models of architecture, but their quaint
homeliness is not without a charm of it's
own. Beholding them, the visitor from
abroad feels that he is indeed among the
''steeped hills" of which all good Yankees
sing on Than ksgiving and Fast Day.
The steeples are still there, but where is
the ancient piety that reared them Here
in a wellknown New England newspaper
we find letter from West Cummington.
The writer reports that one of the two viii
lage churches is now rarely opened, cave
when stray spiritualist lecturer comes
along, and then goes on to say what fo!-
lows:
There is one thing which strikes an observ
er with force-the deadDess of religious enter
prise IN the midst of an abounding opulation.
1t ia safe u say that not one farmer in three
atteads church in this valley. The great ma
Jorlty OF them spend taeir Sundays on their
farms. AS q consequence, one of the churches
is virtually dead, the other lives lsnguid,
feeble existence while common. and no doubt
well founded, report exhibits sad state of
domestic morals. Several couplee are living
together IN tire village or its peighb orhood i'll
defiance of cur marriage laws and of oecen.
public opinion. There is plenty OF work to be
done here by church or by churches that dare
to deal with living moral questions"
1t is of western Massachusetts town
that these things are written town
which, no doubt, has heard Jonathan Ed
wards preach, and in time past hae sent
ont missionaries from Williams College
and missionaries wives from Mount dOl
yoke Seminary to convert the heather.
Now it is itself relapsing into the heatheL-
ism.
We are sorry to hear such bad news of
West Cummington. Other considerations
aside, and even from purely worldly
point of view, it is bad thing for the
farmers to stay away from church. They
need the break in the hard monotony of
their week day lives which the old-fssh
| Toned New England Sunday gave them.
| 1t was as healthful for body and mind as
for the soul. The sooner they get into the
habit of churct-Soing again, the better for
| them.
But does the fault rest wholly with the
farmers Are the churches and the preach
ers wholly biameless in the matter These
are serious questions, aud we commend
| them TO the serious consideration of the
various ecclesiastical bodies that have a.
| lowed these western Massach usetts sheep
| to stray from the fold. A writer in the
| SStOoSl a tdItttC deSeTlS tudL IDe Oiu T6iIR
ious life and power have departed from the
cbprches, in western Massachusetts and
elsew here, and that the preachers "believe
even less than their people of the doctrines
of their creeds." In plain English this
means that the churches have become social
| clubs of a rather dull sort, and that the
preachers are hypocrltes. If this, or any
part of it, be true, it is not surprising that
the West Cummington farmers should
spend their Sundays on their farms.