Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-01-13
The Use of New England winters.


IFrom a Sermon by James Freeman Carke1
But God sends winter to these northern
climates for other ends. He sends IL in order
10 educate some races to sterner virtues than
ever came to the children of eternal summer.
Winter is a great teacher to men, first, of
prudence, forethought economy next, of
benevolence and systematic charity; then of
freedom and independence in the state and
church. All northern races are capable of
these virtues the southern seem less capa-
BILE of them. Here in New England, amid
snow and ice, amid storms and the rigors Of
nature, there grew up race of men who
knew how to live on little, to live without
luxuries, to take care of the great interests of
religion and knowledge, to see that every
child was taught to read and write, that every
soul was taught TO know God and Christ
who made out of economy q virtue, and of
wastefulness and idleness chief vices who
trained up thoughtful, industrious, conscion-
tious men and womep-ft for freedom, and
able to help others to be free. Behind the
New England character stands as q stern
background the New England climate, its
long winter evenings, when by the light of
the fire children and parents talked together
Of God and virtue, and studied in the fitful
flame of the cracking log the elements Of
knowledge and religion. Let US thank God
to-day for having, in his wisdom, given us
the long winter of our climate, for by it in
part he has developed the strength of char
acter which enabled New England to be the
leader of the nation in its great agony. Dur
ing the civil war, New England in the csbi-
net, New England in the Senate, New Eng
land in the field, New England pouring out
the accumulated treasure of her long econo-
my-everywhere was the inspiration and
strength of the national mind, and no small
part of the power to do this was given her by
the harsh discipline of her Arctic winter.
think winter also tends TO promote all
systematic benevolence. In southern coun-
tries there is more alms-giving, but not so
much benevolence as in the north. In the
south, if you give a poor man a copper or
two, he has all he wants for the day for he
needs only food. In the north, in winter, he
needs also clothing, fire and shelter; so at
the north we have not merely to satisfy mo-
mentary sympathy by giving few coppers,
but to think about the poor, to consider their
needs and try to do them some permanent
good. Hence such institutions as the associ-
Rted charities, to provide friendly advice for
the needy, and to be the means of communi-
cation between those who need and those
who have; the provident association TO fur
nish helps the industrial associations, to
supply work; the homes for thu children
the hospitals for the sick, and thousand 9TH
er institutions which have grown up under
our severe northern skies. We provide men
and women with work we learn to build
proper lodging houses for them we invest-
| gate the problem of pauperism. 1t is true
that as yet little has been done thoroughly.
In q community like ours we ought to abol-
ish pauperism forever. Poverty will remain,
but it is not necessary that paupers should
exist in New England. There is enough al
ready given in benevolence to put an end to
lol1 sf ,,,l,, oNfr ra1
| The thing to be done and that which is now
being done, is: First, to see that all men and
women who can work, and are willing to
work, shall have work by which they can get
a modest but adequate support; second, to
| see that all who, iom age or sickness, are
unable to work, shall be provided for in a
way not only comfortable but respectable.
Then there only remains the class of pers ons
who can work, but will not, who prefer vice
and Incidence to honest labor and for them
there are appointed by the laws of God and
man restraint and hardship as a cure. By
| this mean, not three months in the house of
correction, and then liberty to prey on socie-
| ty again, but permanent restraint and educe-
| ton till they are cured. Our long winters
have educated us. and are giving us the op-
| portunity to take up, one by one, the great
social questions, and to do something effectu-
al for their solution. We shall do it all in
time Hitherto in New England we have not
been veXed by this question of poverty, for
the New England people, as such, though
never rich, have never been poor. We have
been obliged to import our paupers from
abroad. In many New England towns there
is still not a family to be found who need or
would accept aid from their neighbors. But
here, in the great cities, misery collects hith-
er poverty flows; here, all around US, are
constant tragedies enacted more piteous than
any told in novel or performed on the stage
to theatre dissolved in tears. During these
long winters, therefore, we need to consider,
to cooperate, to work together in order to
help the helpless.