Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1882-09-04
8eli9ions 9epartmemt.
OLD TIMES AND NEW.

OLD TIMES AND NEW.
1t is very hard for the men who
are welded to the belief that the old
times were better than these to admit
the possibility of their error. They are
so sure that they are right, and that
the times are wrong, that favorite
mode of argument with them is to
ask sweeping questions which they
seem to think will take a man S breath
away before he can answer them in
the affirmative. A well known cler-
gyman of New England has been
reused by some statements on this
subject recently given in the Sunday
School Times and copied into other
journals and he plies the Hartford
COurdnt with questions about the his
torical facts and differences involved.
He asks if the claim is really put for
ward that the world has made steady
progress from the beginning. He
says-and rightly in the sense he ev-
identity means it-''that the true test
of progress in any country or age is
it's attitude toward the Christian re-
ligion, and the power which this has
in moulding the natural character"
Then he asks series of questions
about New England, Gin respect to
it's reception of Christianity '-ques-
tons which he probably thinks can
be answered only in the negative.
Do men hold more strongly than they
did to the inspiration of the bible,
and great mysteries of the Christian
faith? Do they give higher honor to
the Lords day? DO they set a great
er value upon the Christian ministry
and sacraments. Are the marriage
ties held more sacred? Is divorce less
frequent? Does higher standard of
integrity prevail? Are the waterfalls
tic tendencies of our times weaker?
Is the spirit of obedience to parents
stronger?" Now for our part we do
not claim that the world has made
steady progress from the beginning;
but we do claim that it has been
while the world was at the higher,
rather than while it was at the lower,
levels of attainment, that the croak-
ing over the good old days of the
past was the most prominent. We
do claim, also, that the facts of his
tory will show that no golden day of
the past-not excluding the apostolic
age of early Christianity-has equal
ed the present day in the very lines
which this good man brings up for
comparison. 1t is hardly fair to
make a comparison of New England
of now with the New England of two
centuries ago; for that region was
then largely populated with religious
refugees and their children-a better
set of people than the average popu-
lation of any country. But it is fair
to compare the New England now
with the New England of a century
ago; and in that comparison we
claim that New England has made
progress at every point suggested by
the pungent questions above noted,
with the solitary exception of the fire.
quency of divorces. The marriage
tie IS now far oftener broken than
formerly by civil process but il
was not so wei, observed in letter anC
in spirit century ago as now. An(
we go farther in saying that, at every
point thus indicated, the United
States is now in advance of the stand
ard in New England a century ago
The facts of history will bear us gu
in this declaration. DR.. Dorchester
compilations of figures on the "fact
of religious progress are sufficien
to start any fair-minded student on
track of inquiry which will be over
whelmingly convincing in this line
1t is not that the present day is wha
, it should be but it is that the day O
a century ago was far behind this, i
positiveness of Christian faith, i
love of Gods word and day and hous
and ministry in social morals; i
political and commercial integrity
= = and in family love and reverence
The New England clergyman refer
i ed to says that it is plainly foretol
5 in the new testament that the la.
e days Of the Christian dispensatio
y shall be the worst" Well, if tn;
be so, then it is evident that thes
!; are not "the last days of the Chri
y tian dispensation p 1t is of no Us
to deny the facts of history even
d show the fulfillment of a prophecy :
we interpret it.-Sunday Scho
Times.
LITTLE SINS.