Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1895-05-24
THE BRATTLEB0R0 r.
YOUNG MEMS j
CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.
Rev. G. o. Days Sermon Last
Sunday Morning

In which he Points out the Failure of
Work on Present Lines, and Suggests
n Plan for Broader and More General
Effort.
Cor. XVI, 49, Quit you like men; be strong
We have before us a timely subject. The
great convention at Springfield, the recent
loan exhibition, the possibility of special
effort in the near future in behalf of our
local association; moreover, the strong
feeling on the part of some against this
work, and the perplexity on the part of
many workers, all are circumstances which
lay upon the churches, especially, the duty
of free and full and prompt discussion
EXaggerations apart, which only hurt and
cripple all effort, there is no denying the
need that something vigorous be done in
behalf of the boys and young men of Brat
tleboro, as well as for the whole town. In
temperance is on the rapid increase, pro-
family is a common habit, a spirit of I'M
truth prevails, and lie is not held TO be
the crime it is, corruption of the morals of
the young has sho vn its trail, temptations
to sin are unrebuked, and the wsest men,
who love the village most, declare that our
morals-let us hope it is only temporarily
are degenerating. The call is for the
mastering, at the command of imperative
duty, of the honest and good men of our
town; and that they "qut them like
men," that is, with the patience, wisdom,
devotion and "masterfulness" of men; for
mastery is manhood, and these wrongs
ought not, need not, and must not go on.
Too much emphasis cannot be laid upon
the character and influence of individual
men and women; and yet our necessity is
that of organized and united effort There
is no such miserable spectacle in this world
as that of good people wanting the same
good thing, unable to unite because of
their important but overemphasized diff
ferences, while evil stalks up and down
the streets without a protest. United we
must be, and the question is, under what
form of organization?
There are three forms possible. One is
to relegate the work simply to the churches
but this continues the reign of sectarian-
ism, is confession of weakness, resolves
our unity into simply social relations, still
cultivates that vapid local "smile" which
sometimes is such WEAKNESS Certain
things demand cooperation, as for instance
temperance and the enforcement of law,
and it is burning shame that we do not
have it, and have it at once.
union, call it "Young Mems Christian UNI
ion," which has received some advocacy.
But the trouble is, although no careful
| plan has yet been formulated, that it would
probably lack conference and force; it
would not call out concentrated energy,
would lose in intensity what it might seem
to have in breadth, for it would involve
the loss, in some degree at least, of the
/ Of 10 In
earnest kind which must work to accom-
plish the end; and that, not merely in one
| church, but in all. 1t would be impossi-
BILE to avoid distinctively religious motives,
or their root in religious beliefs, and YET
there would be either the attempt to ignore
what we hope is vital to all of us, or there
would be the emergence after while in
some shape of old and unsettled questions
! Fullest liberty and sway of these influence:
must somehow be included in a strong plan
and all must be open, confessed, defined
and avowed.
| Concession and compromise are very
different terms. A simple temperance OF
| law and order league might be formed, but
! beyond that we should have a novelty, one
more local "scheme" dependent upon pres
ent feeling liable to drop down, because {
compromise as distinct from a unity which
conserves differences. When we started
union Fast day and Thanksgiving services
it was with the express purpose of making
| those occasions mass meetings of popula
and positive force. May they be long per
petuated, but thus far we have simply beer
able to make them interesting services.
union of the kind suggested had better b,
merely an understanding or Temporal,
alliance between the churches, for any
thing more ambitious would, in my judg
ment, be too unwieldly, too general, to-
expensive to command permanent success
And this might be true were not man,
good people strongly committed to anothe
course which, at least, as having the ground
claims fairly enough the right of way il
discussion.
The third way is the Young Mems Chris
tian association, with such changes as t,
adapt it to Brattleboro. This organization
is en- the ground, and commands man.
hearts, and tor it many have given a grea
deal of work, time and money. Suppose
now, in these times of discussion, it SHOULD
be abandoned, what could result but es
arrangement, charges of bitterness on on
side, narrowness on another, the triumph o
sectarianism again, an uncomfortable mem
DRY in our local religious history, an invi
| tatlOn 10 uncnrlStlan rivalry, and Stlll ina
everlasting "smile?" Good will, sympath,
in enterprises dear to each other, and thu
power over us of the greater issues at stalk,
are a crying need of the Christian churcl
today. An attack upon wrong and abus
is one thing; upon honest and SINGER
Christian judgment very different thing
But mark the words, with such changes.
The condition of the survival of this forr
of work is, it seems to me, very radica
Reorganization and that, in exercise of a
Christian sincerity, may we'll be insiste
on.
The word which stands out as the gift c
the Springfield convention is "adapta
tion." The earnest spirit shown, the re
ports from all directions of special work
addresses like that of Prof. Graham Taylo
of Chicago upon the crisis in the story {
great city association buildings to be onl
met by very different social work for tn
masses, all sounded the key, adapt you
work to your place" A misfit is a sin. Tn
local social and religious conditions must b
studied. / think the trouble with us Ina
been misfit. No one objects to the doin