The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-06-16

thought in regard to the latter that great
changes are sure TO come. viii they come
peacefully or by revolution and conhtCt2 In
closing, Mr. Wright urged the young people
before MN to remember that in the appli-
cation OF the principles of the New Testa.
ment the present generation, now putting
us hand to the pillow, will find a safe guide
in solving these problems for the best and
highest good of themselves and of the coun-
try.
REV. DR. e. NJ. SMITH preached the an
nua sermon before the graduating class OF
the Montpelier Seminary at Trinity church
last Sunday morning. The class was seated
in the front pews, and the church was filed
to its utmost capacity. DIR. Smith said in
part: or the two texts which / take az a
foundation of what l have to say, the first
Is found in the thirty eighth chapter OF the
Book OF Job, the third verse; "Gird up
now thy loins like man, for will demand
oil thee, and answer thou me-" Ny second
TEXTS from the frs chapter of the Epistle
OF james the twenty-seventh verse, " Pure
religion aud undefled before God and the
Father, is this, to visit the fatherless and
widows in their affection and to keep him
sell unspotted from the world" / am to
speak to you this morning about religion,
familiar word and one OF the most impor-
tant in the English language. The reli-
gious man is q bound man, man bound by
obligations to his maker. The texts have
used, suggests two parts, first, the personal
element of religion and second the social
element. When Christianity came to the
world 1t found men in masses end it began
its work of separating the individual man
from the mass. IL found one-half the race
in slavery to the other, with no opportu.
nifty to develop character. Then came the
command to "Gird up thy loins." God
calls men to separate themselves from the
Masses and causes them to feel that they
stand alone before him Morally and spir-
ltually each man stands alone before God
as though there was no other human being
in the universe. The slave could not feel
the obligation OF personal dignity, he felt
oppressed, that he was a brute bought and
sold like cattle, aad Christianity came to
break these chains, to say to every man, you
are man, made in the image Of God, you
cannot be bought or sold. The second con-
ception which came into the world was the
conception of personal obligation to duty.
Christianity brought into the world the
idea OF something to do in the world, mis-
sion, call to work, something which each
man could do for himself and which no
man can do for him, and thus each man
stands alone in the presence Of his God.
Nan has social nature as much az he has
moral nature. III there was only one ra-
tional being in the universe would that
man have any sense of obligation? There
would be nobody for him to be under obi.
CATION 10. He could roam through the uni
verse and do as he chose to do but he would
not be man. When you place alongside
OF him another man then obligation comes
1t is not until we enter into society and are
acted upon that we begin to act The So
cial problem is an important one. There are
different theories about it. One is that all
| men should be brought to a level, no rich
no poor, no classes, no masses, all Just
alike. Gods way for remedying the follies
OF society is not to make all men alike.
lie would have society living organism.
hnr 20 all TO- 10
the poor. What could we do without our
rich men, what would become OF our insti-
buttons of learning or our benevolent socie-
ties? We need more rich men. To the
members of the graduating class he said:
You know how strong is the tendency to
separate these elements which ought to be
united. We have the in world to-day, men
and women, devout and earnest souls, who
have seen only the personal side of rei-
gion, they have devoted all their enegies to
what they call spiritual communion be-
tween their souls and God. Some most
beautiful characters Of that kind are in the
church to-day. On the other hand you will
see noble, upright men and women who
have been absorbed in the discharge of
their obligations to society, they are men in
influence in education, in politics, in the
state, and in the nation, but they are not
men of profound personal piety. You have
heard me lament that to so great an extent
the most devoted Christians, the most
spiritual young men in the school had 80
little influence upon the school life in any
way. These thing are an element of weak
ness in this land Of ours. These elements of
personal religion and social religion ought
to be joined. l want you to be influential
Christians. l want you to make the world
better and to exert an influence in any COM
munity into which you may be thrown"
NEARLY TWO COLUMNS OF FRESH LOCAL
NEWS, AND THE FINAL PROCEEDINGS IN
WASHINGTON COUNTY COURT, MAY BE FOUND
ON PAGE TWO.