Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-12-02


than such hospital for the sick. Sometimes
one man of wealth gives such a hospital to his
town or city, but 1t is not necessary to wait
for such muniticenoe. The conioined action
of many public.spirited citizens is even better
than the munihcent benefaction of one. The
one might well covet the privilege; the many
do well not to wait for the one.
4. The prociding Of employment for The
people Of q community ofte1t deserUes c0nimu-
mtg action. Every employer, as an individual,
provides employment for his own employees.
By the wise use Of his capital and skill he
makes business, aud so gives employment to
other men. He may do this solely in his own
interest," or, with Christian love of his neigh
Dor, he may regard the interest of his en-
ployes as sincerely as his own. This is per-
sonal and private benefcence, but surely there
can come no greater blessing to town than
enterprising and skillful business men who
furnish employment to others, and who, with
genuine Christian love-the broad-mindedness
Of the golden rule-regard the welfare of
their employees with the same interest as they
do their own
But beside this private bene6cence there
is room for community action in this matter
of employment. And, first of all, it is plain
that spirited community will give its
cordial sympathy and support to the men who
do SO use their capital and business talents as
to give employment to many persons. What
is more ignoble than to berate such persons
as if they were public enemies-charging all
their measures to avarice and love of power
Judging them with rash and hasty judg-
ment, catching up and retailing every mangled
story and angry criticism of dissatisfied work
men OF business rivals What, l say, is more
ignoble than thus to treat the men who often
are carrying killing burdens of anxiety-with-
out whom our prosperous communities could
not existI Mistakes they will make, for they
are human; nor should real injustice or fraud
be concealed or tolerated. But he who loves
his neighbor as himself will not play the part
of bear towards those capitalists of his com
munity who employ their capital in business
that gives employment to their fellow men,
1t is not sensible, it is not publc-sprited, 10
do SO. A wise people will cultivate a gene
rous public sentiment toward capitalists, es-
pecially if these capitalists are themselves
public-spirited men. Happy the community
In which broad minded public spirit binds
men and women of all degrees of wealth and
intelligence together in the pursuit of COM
mon prosperity.
Such a spirit will lead the citizens to COM
bine for the development of new business en-.
terprises which will give employment to men,
especially such as require skilled labor, pro-
mote physical health, give opportunity for in
telectual development, and so provide not
only food and raiment but the means of spir.
itual elevation for those employed. Nothing
SO elevstes the standard of thought and feel,
ing, and so Of character and happiness in a
community, as institutions of learning, such
as academies, colleges, professional and in
dustrial schools. They give employment to
many persons. They give the best kind of
employment, aud they bring their employees
under the most ennobling influences Many
an old New England town stood every way
head and shoulders above its neighboring
towns because it had in it an academy where
the youth of whole region were educated; /;
and many such towns have lost their leader
ship by pieayunish policy or partisan divi-
sion of feeling, which has suffered the old
academy to decline. am speaking now es-
pecially of employment, and point out that
from this point of view public-spirited citizens
will lose no opportunity to establish institu-
tions of learning in their communities.
.. But dboCe all, public instruction re-
guiTes community action. Public-spirited cit
izens will look well to the education of the
people. Every home should be a school, a
perfect university, teaching something in ev.
cry branch of useful knowledge. But ideal
Christian homes are pitiably few. Many
things in our times tend to destroy home life.
Besides, how many have no homes Some
of the citizens are capable of giving in their
homes that varied and practical training in all
common knowledge, in books and out of
books, which makes the very best sort of
men and women; but the children and youth
are not in their homes. Their private libra
ries and table talk, and evening conversations
on men and things the world round, are not
open to the children and youth of the com
munity who need them most. What then /?
Shall they who have these sources of educa-
ton in abundance be content to leave their
neighbors without them That is not Chris
tian-thst is not public spirited Rather will
every public-spirited citizen interest himself
in every wise eudeavor to give instruction to
the whole community
For this purpose there are many agencies.
Every Christian church is, or should be, a
school of public instruction. place it first
in the order of importance. OF course the
value of the church as a public teacher will
depend like that of any school upon its teach
ing ability, upon the purity, breadth, eleva-
tion, simplicity and force of its instruction.
But give it the first rank in the teaching
forces of a community because it has to do
with the moral and spiritual life of men, that
which lies at the foundation of all mans
prosperity and happiness. believe there
fore that every public spirited citizen who is
broadly intelligent will bear his part in main
tanning the public instruction of the church.
II is not enough for him that he can find all
his own wants met in the retirement of his
own study. He owes it TO his fellow men to
maintain the church as a minister of public
instruction and TO give it his money, his SYM
pathy and his personal presence.
Our common school system is often called
the @gis of our liberties. We cannot over
estimate its value. What l desire to notice
in this connexion is the relation of public
spirit to our common schools. 1t is possible
for us as individuals to look upon them in
purely selfish way, merely as the means of
education for our own boys and girls if we
have any, and if we have not, to give them
no care at all. This is not public spirited.
The children of the community, whether l
have any or not, are the object of my concern
if am public spirited citizen. The public
schools as whole and in all their details
should receive the attention of all. Money
should be freely spent upon them. School
buildings should be spacious, well ventilated
and well warmed AS far as possible their
furnishings and surroundings should be a
constant source of moral and aesthetic culture.
What the best homes give to their favored
inmates, the public schools should as far as
possible give to all the children of the COM
munity. Love of our neighbors as ourselves
requires tnls- EuoHc hpiflt VIII therefore
give cordial and intelligent support to school
boards and teachers in their endeavors to i'm
prove our public schools. Every request
which they make for better facilities should,
if possible, be granted They should be
made to feel by generous public sentiment
that their business as public servants is to
give the schools continual growth in excel
lence. To satisfy an Indifferent public and
give the tax payers cheap schools is not
enough, Just to keep the schools as good as
and all the material comforts of life oontinu-
ally increase, shall the arts and sciences
achieve new and startling triumphs with every
passing year, and shall the common schools,
the very means by which the blessings of
human progress are distributed among the
people be suffered to stagnate? A broadly
intelligent Christian love promptly answers
these questions. Let the public schools have