Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-04-11
THE UNION FAST DAY SERVICE.


The union Fast day service, held SO sue
cessfully in the town hall last Friday morn.
ing. and the first of its kind ever held in
Brattleboro, deserved more than the pass.
ing recognition given it by our brief notice
last week The attendance, as then stated
WIS large Rev Mr. Parry, IN his felici-
tous opening remarks, gave Mr.. Day the
credit of originating the idea Of such u
service, and hailed with JOY the evidence
which it gave of "a step taken toward the
realization of the Masters ideal Of Chris
| tian unity. While recognizing the fact
that unity in matters of religious belief
/ and form are not possible Mr. Parry said
/ the occasion emphasized the fact that IN
work for the moral AID social uplifting OF
/ the community men Of every Christian
/ faith might heartily cooperate.
/ Rev Mr. bay, who gave the first al
/ dress, on THE dissertation of the home,
/ spoke of the false ideas prevalent among
/ young people as to the objects Of life, and
/ particularly with regard 70 marriage and
/ the impression that married life is too ex
/ pensive 10 be considered until a large in
/ come has been acquired In this way
/ young men are driven TO club life, TO board
/ ing houses, aud 10 other forms of artificial
/ life. forgetting that the home is the cen
4 tire of life
/ Rev Mr. Sprsgue, speaking on THE
dissertation Of the Sabbath, pointed out
4 the various ways Of the misuse of Sunday,
and said that one of the most common Of
these was that of going out professedly 70
/ worship in the great temple of nature and
/ then not doing il Ii wasn't keeping the
! Sabbath to sit around ali day IN old clothes
unbathed and unkempt, nor was it a prop
/ er keeping of the day To devote 1t 10 work
either bodily or mental, with the worship
/ full element left out. Mr.. Sprague sug
/ gested the opening of the free library on
| Sunday afternoons as at least less Objec
/ tionable use Of the day than many uses of
1 it which now prevail
Mr.. Phalen, on Bad literature, showed
| how much worse and greater Is the intu
/ ence of bad book than of a bad compan-
ion. A had person influence is circum-
/ scribed and more or less temporary, while
/ the influence OF bad book is worldwide
and cannot be estimated
Mr. Smithers. speaking on "Intemper-
ance, laid special stress on the evils Rsso-
ciated with that vice, the chief one being
/ that Of deceit. As an instance of this he
said that ten gallons Of liquor were sold
/ every day at the brAttleboro agency for
/ the grip-a good illustration of the grip
which the use Of liquor and its attendant
| evils have on the community and Of the
/ duty Of every good citizen to stand up with
/ grit in opposing them.
Mr. Parry's address on Profanity and
impurity' was the closing one. Aside
/ from the wickedness and cOarseness OF pro
fame swearing, he tTuthfully said it was
the most senseless and demoralizing of hAb-
its. Coming h the latter part of his sub
iect Mr.. Parry said while 1t was true that
the BrattlebOrO community had been re
markably free from an evil not 70 be men
toned IN that presence, he feared, from
the number Of young people whom he now
saw wandering apparently aimlessly about
at nightfall, that an influence or tendency
was at work which would bear evil fruit
They reminded him OF bats, which he had
seen fly about in the same aimless way
when disturbed in the deep darkness of the
Mammoth cave In this connection he
urged parents 70 beware of the folly of be-
ing in any haste 10 give their sons latch
keys If the devil were 70 come down
among men 70 demoralize the youth of the
world his two chosen weapons would be ar
dent spirits aud latch keys.
1t was evident from the close attention
paid that the services were highly en- loved
and appreciated throughout IL is certain
ly an important step taken in the right di-
rectlOn In any community when recogui-
tion is thus made IN public meeting ike
this that all earnest, faithful, reverent PEG
pie are one IN spirit, aud are working To-
gether toward the same great end-the
help aud uplifting of themselves and their
fellowmen