Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-05-04
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
"DecIine of Religion in Vermont

l. l.
''Decline of Religion in Vermont"
To tho Editor of the Free Press.
TIE article in the FREQ Press of the 22d. l.
which attempted to show the decline of
religion in this State by copying from
Walton's Vermont Register must be ex- +
ceedngly misleading to the readers who
aAe not personally acquainted with the /
facts in the case. For the past fifteen
years | have been a faithful student of
the Register in connection with my reg
ular work, and | have also visited many
of the towns in the State, spoken in
large number of churches and become
personally acquainted with many of the
pastors and | have become convinced that
the reporters for the Register are not in
fallibe They do make mistakes Bishop
Hall has told us of the mistakes that were
made in regard to the Episcopal churches.
There are some other mistakes in that
printed list. Let us examine 1t. Among
the towns named as having no church we
find Bolton, which has church in which
there has been preaching a greater part
of tho time for years and some or that
time by a resident pastor. Moretown,
which has Methodist church and for Il
great many years regular preaching by
a resident pastor; and Newark, where
there is a Methodist church with regular
preaching every Sunday by its pastor,
who resides at West Burke, and West
mO4c with a Congregational church and
a resident pastor.
Among the churches reported vacant
find thefollowing that had resident pastors
last year: East Charleston, Methodist;
Enosburgh, Baptist Hartford, Wilder
Congregations and Methodist; Hunting
ton Baptist; Randolph, Baptist Reads
boio, Methodist; Topsham, West Baptist
and Methodist; Weathersfield, Congrega-
tional.
Many OF the ministers in the State sup
ply regularly two churches in the same
or adjoining towns, preaching as regu-
larry in the church in the town where
they do not reside as they do in the 9TH
er. In the list given l find several
churches of this class reported vacant,
simply because the minister does not live
in The town. In this list may he placed:
West Bradford, Methodist; East Brook
field, Union East Concord, Methodist;
Dover, Congregations Granville, Metho-
dist; Holland, Congregational; Morgan
Four Corners, Union Plymouth Union
, Congregational; Richmond Jonesville
Baptist; Rockingham. Cambridgeport
Union Stockbrdge, Union; South Tun-
bridge, Methodist; Westford, Methodist
Whitinghlm, Methodist and Winhah,
Methodist. For several years union
house of worship at Binghamville was oc-
cupied alternately by the resident Metho-
dist minister AMI a Baptist minister from
, Fairfax or Westford. Since the Baptist
minister gave up preaching there the
Methodist minister holds service every
Sunday.
| understand that the material for the
Register is secured sometime between the
first of July and November. During that
time several of the churches named in the
list, and some of them the largest IN the
State, were changing pastors But near
ly all OF them held their services regularly
and shortly after secured a resident pas
tor 1t must be very misleading to put
such churches in list where there are
other churches withfit any service for
years, and imply, if not directly state,
that no service is held in al! those churches.
[ Last year Prof. Landon resigned prin-
cipal of the high school in Burlington and
temporary provision was made to I'LL his
place until his successor was appointed.
During that time would not the readers of
the Free Press have been "A little surpsis-
= ed to have found the following item as
an evidence of decline in education in
the city?
"Burington population 1880 hign
G school, no principal"
= The following churches in the list quot
ed were in that condition last summer or
= fall: Brattleboro, Baptist and CongreSa-
Il rional Brookheld Congregational; West
& Charleston, Baptist; Dandy, Congregd-
+ tional North Danville, Baptist Fairfield
Congregational; Irasburgh, Conerega alton
V al; Ludlow Baptist; Proctor, Union, st
= Johnsbury Baptist and Second Advent
@ st. Johnsbury Centre, Congregational
:, Tunbridge, Congregational; FerGenn g
, Congregational. ! think there are still
Il other churches that might be included II
$ one of the lists just mentioned.
r Some of the other chuSches named il
=. the vacant list last Saturday were built II
places where no such church was needed n
the time; or, since they were built, tn
d population has changed so that there l.
ate them as churches closed within thu
i last two, or five, Or ten years we ough
o to place on the other side of the accoun
" a list of churches that have been built AM
I. occupied in places where they are needed
Since the change in our school laws Their
w. are in many of the towns in the State one
At two and perhaps more school houses tina
70 are closed Now would those unoccupie
ia houses be an evidence of decline in edu
cation if the scholars are better accom-
~ modated in the remaining houses of tn
m town? without question 1t would be a
evidence of advance rather than of de
cline In religion if some churches wcr
'' permanently closed in places where Their
as are now too many and the people wer
~ rallying to the support of the chuEche
,o that remain. The indication of the time
is in that direction. 1t looks towards &C
al operation, Christian fellowship and Inter
H. UNCONVENTIONAL comfy. May that day /
ed FASTENED.
-, If one will study carefully last Satui
- days list and find out the actual condtio
NJ of the churches named he Will not be
le likely to infer that there IL a general d.
cline of religion and church goiu
Throughout the State as that some Of II
repCrtess are either not given to churC
y going themselves or are not very acCu
he ate in making out their annual reports
. the Register l.. H. ELLIOT.
IT. Waterbury, VT, April 26 1899,
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