Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1883-05-30
Good Work VS.. Talk.

And can walt y. q. BroNntnq.
Good Work VS.. Talk.
al charge Professionalism with putting not
enongh stress upon good works, as connected
wfa sa,vation. Good works will never save
man but If he has not good works he has
no real faith, and no practical religion.
There are men whose religion is for the
most part made up Of talk vigorous talk,
fluent talk, perpetual talk. They will en-
tertain you for an hour telling how good
they are. As nearly as l can tell they re-
semble an ocean craft which is mostly sail
with very little tonnage. They have top.
sails, and studding sails, and stayssils, and
maintopsails, and mizzentopsails, aud flying
jib, and mizzen spanker, but they make no
useful voyage. The world has got tired of
this, and wants a religion that will work
into all the circumstances of life. We do
not want new religion, but the old religion
applied in all possible directions. Yonder
is river with steep and rocky banks. 1t
waters no farm it welcomes no cattle to
drink it has no factories. No one cares
where that river was born among the rocks,
or where it is lost in the sea. But yonder is
another river whose banks have warm tides
it rocks with lullaby the water lilies sleep.
lug Ou lbs UOSOln IL luNlJtb tne ChJtle duu
the birds to come and drink it has grist
mills on one side and cotton factories On the
other it has wealth of two hundred miles
of luxuriant farms. Birds chant where it
was born in the mountains, and ships press
in to hail it as it comes down to the Allan.
tic. One river is the man who lives for
himself the other is the man who lives for
others. 1t is said that the site of Jerusalem
originally belonged to two brothers whose
farms Joined. Each of them formed the
idea Of surreptitiously giving part of his
crop TO the other. The two brothers sur
prised each other one night in the act Of
making the generous transfer. That is a
beautiful tradition, aud, whether it is true
or not, it suggests that whenever generous
act is performed, that is the spot for tenn
pie of commemorstion. "The great want
Of to-day is practical religions religion
that will correctly label goods; that will
prevent man telling you watch was
made in Geneva when it was made in Massa-
chusetts that will keep the ground glass
and the sand out Of the sugar that will go
into the shoe store and rip off the fictitious
soles aud show where the pasteboard is
saudwiched between the sound leather. We
want practical religion that will go into
the grocery and pull out the plug Of ale-adul-
terated syrup; that will dump in the ash bar
rel the cassia buds that are sold for CHINA
mon; that will sift out the Prussian blue from
the tea leaves; that will keep out of our -four
the plaster of Paris and soapstone. We
want practical religion that will separate
the one quart of Ridgewood water from the
one honest drop of cows milk; that will
throw out the live animalcule from the
sugar. These has been 80 much sdultera.
tion of food that it has been an amazement
to me that there is healthy man in Amer.
lea. Heaven knows what they put in the
spices, in the butter, or the drugs; but
chemical analysis and the microscope have
made wonderful revelations. The Board of
Health OF Massachusetts, analyzed alleged
coffee, and found not one grain in ten bush
els. In England there is law against put.
ting alum in bread, yet the authorities who
them all adulterated with alum. Physicians
are almost afraid to prescribe because drugs
are 80 seldom pure Wormwood warranted
pure was found to contain forty-one per cent
Of resin. Scammony, valuable drug, and
very rare, is the gum Of tree or bush in
Syria. The natives adulterate it with a
cheaper material, the exporters adulterate
it again, the porters adulterate it again, and
the wholesale dealers again, and the retail
dealers again, until finally, when it gets into
the sick mans medicine bottle it is differ.
ent thing altogether. Practical religion will
remedy all this. 1t will go to the hypocrit.
ical professors of religion who corner the
corn market in Chicago, the men who make
fortune of millions out of the miseries OF
their fellow men and then try to fix it up
with the Lord by founding a church, uni.
versity, or hospital. They think the Lord
will be so pleased if they give him a part Of
the swindle. Their liturgy ought to be this
90 Lord, we, by making corners in bread
stuffs and swindling for years, have ten mil
lions of dollars saved up. Thou knowesi
it was scaly job; but it was smart Now
we would like to compromise with thee at
one per cent Of the profits. You can build
an asylum for these poor, miserable weak
lings that suffer, and we will take yacht
and 60 to Europe. Forever and ever. Amen.
Practical religion will make the man work as
well by the job as by the day 1t will make
driver go Just as fast when you hire him by
the hour as he does when you hire him fol
the journey. The trouble is now thai
everything must be inspected. There is
boss to watch the men, and a capitalist Il
watch the boss. The conductor must have
bell.punch to mark his honesty while the
passenger gives him clipped nickel. I'm
perfections are covered with putty. Shoddy
is everywhere. Pinchbeck sbounds. Dia
monds are offered for 81 so. Books fal
apart when you get to the third chapter
Spawned horses are doctored to look good
few days. Imperfect car wheels detsin tn,
train with a hot box. Practical religio,
must prevent the man who works the farm
on halves from making his pay three quar-
ters. 1t must keep the elder from working
on Sunday afternoon in the new lot wher
nobody sees him. 1t must teach the law
! yers their responsibility in expounding tn
law in defending evil persons. 1t mus
teach the newspaper men to print the vir
tues of the world in as large type as the.
do the sins of the world. 1t will stop then
from misrepresenting people in interviews
Practical religion will come down with
heavy hand on what is called good society
elevated society, successful society, 80 tina
people will not spend more than their in
comes and lie when they have callers whom
they do not wish to see. 1t will keep innc
} cent receptions from becoming intoxicatin
convivialities. 1t will drive out the creature
with sharp-toed shoes, tightly pinched limb'
disconnected talk, infinitesimal cane, an
+ sickening appearance, seeking to ape tn
, English the nux vomica of our modern SC
, ciety, the modern dude. There is a gres
missionary work TO be done in the success
full classes of society. II is not an uncon
+ mon sight to see a fashionable woman il
!. toIicated. Society says she was taken SUE
= denly ill OF the german. The fact is sh
I, took too much champagne and mixed
' quors and got drunk. ."-Dr T'aimage.