St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1899-01-04
The Danger Of too much Convention.

ling in the kitchen for fortnight be-
fore hand! There was such a load
| ing of tables on the day itself, until
the rapture of choosing was only
marred by the fact that the boy
could not choose it all. And then
there was such painful time after
ward trying to adjust the Thanks
giving appetite to the old conditions,
but this is all in another story and
the feast and the boy are both IL
suited if it is dwelt upon.
Now we believe in Thanksgiving,
and we believe in Conventions, but
at the expense OF annoying the boy,
we do venture to protest that there
NAV be too much of some good
things. The convention idea has
sprung up and grown like Jonah's
gourd. And whether the morning
shall witness the quick decay of the
nights growth or not depends very
much upon how the idea is control
led by the young people themselves.
Hence a word on the point may be
timely.
How elaborate the Convention
idea has become as it has grown!
There is the Town Convention, the
District Convention, the State Con
yention, the National Convention,
the International Convention, and
we wait Tor the speedy organization
OF the Inter-telephonic Planetary AS
sembly of Federated Conventions.
Now notice the effect of this on the
work of even the. unheralded plstor
of country parish. Yearly his own
denomination meets in state as
sembly and the great missionary
societies also gather. Both these
are sources of inspiration to him, ac-
cording to the Convention idea.
Annually his young people gather in
state conventional quarterly, in dis
trict meetings. The Sunday School
assemblies eacbIyear in state Conven.
ton, semi-annually, in county
gatherings. and perhaps quarterly in
local union. Besides, his church is
in a district which meets once or
twice in each year. and he is men,
Der of a ministerial association
which gathers quarterly. And, to
lay the heavy hand where only the
finger pressed before, every few days
brings him call. to address Con-
vention of iellow-sufferers, Expenses
paid, but the effort. to be counted a
labor of love. for the good of the
cause.
But how about the, members OF the
parish, particularly the young poo
pie? Granted that conventions are
attractive to young people, that
they are givers of short-lived enthu
siasm, and that it. is nicer to take
notes on theories for work that are
made appealing by ready convention
speakers than it is to 60 home and
work hard in the humdrum range o
your committee, remembering al
this, the query will obtrude itself
Is there not subtle danger in al
this that the appetite will be lost fol
homlier fare and the feeling be some
how created that lite is all one Thanks
giving dinner? Choruses, banners
orators,-a they not turkey ant
mince pie, enjoyable, but not the per
manent diet for the boy?
This is not a fancy sketch. w
have only a certain amount of work
ing force, and when it is all put int
the convention, as it is so often, w
are quite guilty of wicked waste o
power. And then the wrong EN-
phasis often results Ihave watched
the young people repeatedly transfe
their emphasis from earnest, faithful
work at home, to the desire for
"rattling good" convention in ar
other place. And the end has to-
often shown that rattle was the onl
definite issue OF the affair. CONVEX
ton energy is 50 likely to appear i
the crowded meeting and disappea
at the homecoming. The sma
, boat with its six.foot whistle blow
. all it's steam through its whistle ar
then stops. These are the hard fac
t of experience with too much of IL
: convention idea.
Note that emphasis. We believe
r Thanksgiving, but the earnest yes
L. L. 4.