Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-12-07
Tcv. MIR. Putnnm's Discourse.

the College street church. Mr.. Pntnam's
discourse was interesting and instructive.
Our space permits Of a brief outline only;
Isev. MIR. Putnnm's Discourse.
For thou art an holy people unto the Lord
thy God. Deut. vii, q.
It was beautiful act when Columbus,
landing on the shores Of the New World,
called the land San Salvador, and planted
there the holy cross. Thus at its first dis.
covery America was consecrated to God, and
its history up to the present time has been
that of people holy unto the Lord. We
are instincivcly a Christian nation. Our
| government aud institutions arc founded up
on Christian principles our laws have their
| foundations in the prtccpts OF the Bible, and
our traditions point back to the religious
customs of our Puritan forcfaihers. The
| first seeds of our nation were Christian seeds,
and our whole life as people has been an
oulgrowth of the Christian principles im-
| planted on the bleak shores of Massachusetts,
by the Pilgrim Fathers. The permanency
OF the English Puritan colonies over those of
| every other nation which has planted itself
| in this New World, il proof and promise Of
| the fact that we are destined to be people
holy unto the Lord. At this time OF
national thanksgiving therefore, have
thought it would be well to seek the reasons
for .he distinctive Christian character OF our
| nation-what it is that has preserved and
strengthened within us the religious fidelity
of our Puritan forefathers. 1t cannot be our
material prosperity, for it is a truth univer-
sally attos,cd that material success, either In
the individual, or the nation, tends to lower
the ideals of life and suppress the loflier
aspirations Vast as is the growth Of our
material prosperity, we cannot believe tina.
its influence, in the main, has been advan-
tagcous to the progress of Christian ideas.
Does, then, the reasen for our national
righteousness lie in our educational advance
mcnt? Statistics do not 60 to show that
education reduces crime. In fact, it has
been proved that large proportion of the
criminals in our reformatory institutions are
educated persons. There is no apparent
dlminution Of lawlessness IN places distin-
gulshed for culture aud refinement. The
record of crime was never greater than 1t is
to-day, and vet our educational advantages
for the people are the admiration OF the
world. Plainly the secret OF the underlying
Christianity Of the nation is not to be found
in the progress of education. Where, then,
shall we find it? In the moral convictions
of the people. There is something religious
in the atmosphere of American life which
permeatcs all who come under its influence.
IL is remarkable how soon those who come
to us from other lands are AmericaniZed,
and at the same time imbued with the Pc
culiar religious convictions of the people.
The Catholic church is aware of this ten
dency, and is kept ever on the alert. The
Protestant element is being constantly
recruited from the vast number of immi-
grants who throng to our shores. And these
are not alone the otf-scourings Of European
society. The crowned heads of the Old
World are bcholdiug with alarm the exodus
Of the better classes to this country. The
farmer and the mechanic come to us, and
bring wealth with them. These are the
classes from which, in the second and third
generations, American Professionalism is
recruited. A recent estimate of the growth
Of our Protestant element, published in the
New York Indep6ndent, and vouchcd for by
the editor of that paper, may come with sur
prise TO those who have been accustomed to
look upon the dark side Of our religious
progress. The writer estimates, upon STA
tistics lately collected, that of our entire
population, forty seven millions are attend
ants upon church privileges. Our Protestant
churches alone furnish thirty millions of
seatlngs-amply sufficient for all who
at any one time may be expected TO attend
religious services. The moral convictions
of the people are embodied also in our
national constilu ion, in the constitutions OF
our States, and all our legislative and
judicial assemblies. Our government does
not assume to control personal religious be.
lief or disbelief, but it does claim the right
to regulate it so far rs 1t conflicts with pub
lie order or the proper observance OF the
Sabbath Being, then, people "holy unto
the L"rJ," how great is our responsibility
toward those who come to enjoy the