St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-12-02
Moral and Religious Progress
During the Last Century.

EXTRACTS FROM SERMON BY REV. H.
w. JONES ON THANKSGIVING DAY.
The rule in climbing for prospect
is to wait till one is at the top before
looking off-fOr the sake of the sur
prise, of course. But so far as | am
guide or an adviser to my fellow trav-
elers l must break that rule to-day.
How do | know that | shall live to
reach the top9 Indeed l question if
the rule is exactly in accord with the
spirit of our travelling directions, which
enjOin us to watch, and to discern the
signs of the times. So at this Thanks
giving resting place, from our position
i'll this year of grace, 1881, ask you to
pause with me and look off. think
that what we see will impart a keener
zest to our festivities.
Through DR.. DOrchester's new book,
of which you have all heard, and other
optical aids, of which shall make free
use and whose help l here gratefully
acknowledge, have had lately Wis
ion of progress, especially for our own
nation, of which | will try in the time
allowable for the purpose to give you a
glimpse.
As preliminary let us settle it,-in
our own minds, at least, what pro-
gress in morals, religion, &C., in this
country, from the time when we be-
came a nation till now, might have
been expected, what would satisfy us
as reasonable, and on the whole not
discrediting Christianity as the hope of
this nation and mankind2
At the period when this country was
settled the force of the great Reforma-
ton in Europe was nearly spent, and
the reaction had come. Though its
work was not undOne and the stand
ard of morality never settled again to
near its former level, the state of the
public virtue in England was low.
The desecratiOn of the Sabbath-al-
ways sign of lax morality,-was so
general and fragrant that all the law
dare attempt was to restrain public
traffic in the church porches during
the hour of service, for that day,
throughout the rural districts at least,
was the favorite time for shooting,
hunting, hawking, tennis, fencing, etc,
and the harvest day for pedlars, stroll
ing players and buffOOns. 1t was there
that they gathered with bows and ar
rows, dogs and hawks, and dancing,
scOtfs, jests, wantOn gestures and ri
bald talk went on in the place and dur
ing the hour of Divine worship. Bax-
ter says that the dancers sometimes
came in, in their gay attire, with jing-
ling bells, and hastened out to their
sports again as soon as common prayer
was read. People of fashion, especially
men, utterly ignored the day, except
by perhaps an occasional attendance
at church, when in the country State
councils and dinners were constantly
held on that day, and Sunday card
parties were fashionable in the best
circles.
In America the case was hardly bet
ter. In Virginia, New York, Ohio
Michigan and the regions farther south
and west, Sunday trading, horse ra-
cling, hunting, gaming and visiting
were nOtOriOusly prevalent. In the
early part of this century the mail,
were transported and the post Offices
kept open on the Sabbath as on any
day. Public military honOrs were
paid to Lafayette on the Lords day
The evil penetrated not few of the
New England towns. The Sabbath
was desecrated, the sanctuary neglect
ed and the Puritan morals we'll -nigl
! effaced. OF the inland town of North
amptOn, the parish of Jonathan Ed
5 wards, he wrote, "the Sabbath was ex
! tensively profaned, and the decorun
of the sanctuary not unfrequently dis
= turbed." Indeed, such statements ar,
made of our own village in those days
. Profane swearing was in England tn,
constant practice of gentlemen. TIL,
chaplain cursed the sailors. Ladie
e swore orally and in their letters.
Profanity abOunded on this side tn,
water in the early years of the repub
lie, and was not regarded as ungentle
manly. Nor was political honesty
characteristic of those ages. Lavisl
! sums were spent by the East Indi,
company among members of Parlia
ment. Corruption in elections wa
universal.
Like other evils, political dishonest,
' crossed the water. The secret histor,
of some of the administrations an,
n some of the party movements after tn
example of Washington and his com
= patriots had spent its force, as far as i
has come to light, is too like the fore
going to be pleasant reading. That
n man with a private and public charac
Il ter like that of Aaron Burr could b
elected vice president of the Unite,