The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-12-26


ters in Massachusetts. thus meeting
many classes and types Of New Eng
landers
It is natural and periodically orthodox
for an American to look back to New
England through a mist of historical TO
nance, which glorifies it and makes him
picture everything there as good and
virtuous and enlightened. We are prone
to paint the Puritans and the Pilgrims
as saints, yet in fact they were far from
it; they were stern, courageous, hard
listed men, by no means ideals of virtue
OF sobriety in all cases. and given to
many things we now condemn However
for their times, the better classes OF
early New Englanders were undoubtedly
above par in intelligence. shrewdness and
piety. But not all men in the old colo
NAL theocracy were industrious, intelli-
gent and pious. Every settlement had
its quotation of people Of a lower grade,
shiftless. ne'er do welB immoral, and
their descendants are there today. They
can be found in every baek-country New
England town and are as uncouth, IN
progressive a type as can be found.
Most Of the better class Of rural New
Englanders have left the rocky fields Of
the old homestead for the richer, If less
picturesque lands of the west but they
have left behind this less active popuia-
ton. so that many a New England conn
try town is now but little more cultured
or thrifty than a southeastern Ohio hill
town
Again, with this departure Of the better
blood from country New England, relig-
ious observations seem to have declined,
and many old New England churches,
once the place Of an earnest, stif-backed
pfetv. are now but silent and cobwebby
reminders Of an active and vigorous
past.
Now the New Highlander, especially the
rural New Highlander. seems TO need re-
Hgion. However interruptions and hard
listed your born Yankee is, he does take
to religion. and the decay Of such OBJ
servances in a New England community
augurs i'll. The New Englanders without
real and active religious connections and
observances is likely to decline In NOR
ais. He never could. in olden DAYS, 90 10
church Sunday morning and peacefully
sleep through the service until the clerk
turned the hour glass on the pastor, and
then go and race horses, drink and
dance. Ike the placid Dutch Of New
Amsterdam. and yet be an honest and
moral man. Perhaps ne has in him a
strain Of Norman or Celtic blood, which
makes him more intense and less oapa-
bic Of taking things lightly than the
more phlegmatic Dutch.
This decay Of religion, coupled with the
influx Of so many French Canadians, is
10 an appreciate degree changing rural
New England from that land Of morality
and Intellectual vigor which 1t once was.
But what Of the religion Of the cities,
and Of the more educated and progress
i've sections? It IS. I think, in keeping
with the New England character. more
reserved than western religion. as TO
personal expression. but none the less
earnest
Religious doctrine. however, IS much
more free and advanced than in the west
No theological school in this country can
excel Andover in its freedom and ad-
vanced views. yet no school can surpass
# in true earnestness and reverence An
dover IS a most typical New England
theological school. and Andover thought
is one Of the best types Of modern New
England religious IDEAS
The Unitarian church. led forth by the
INDUSTRIOUS Claiming. graudly represented
now in the Rev Edward Everett Hale
and others. IS strong in New England
and has done much to advance eTen or
thodox churches 70 greater freedom OF
4houeht. and to make religion there more
rational and philosophic-
Boston IS the home and fosterer oe
every kind Of religious Thought There
one finds etn the old intellectual alert
ness and much II the old interest IN re-
uei0us doctrines as such. ore can Gro
every kind ~ a church IN Boston VIII
supported. from re spirituaiistic temple
ana the Christian Science church. u the
great Baptist fremont temple. the New
OLA south. or the Noble Trinity church
on Cap,ev square. where the INDUSTRIOUS
pefrips Brooks used 20 serve.
in Mas achusetts che Co1greEa -ional-
ss-s arc largely in the majority. while in
Rhode Island The people stll cling 20 tne
sef.n 20 ROGER Williams. Rstglo1s V7r-
ship i-clires 10 re more ritgalstlc and
aesthetic RS urban Eew England than IN
western ctes. Yen fn1 none ~ ths very
--s7-raI and -zthar inartlstc forms ~
-ho seen even IL the wesrern eties.
ht end that even II Cnsrera .ionsl.
Unitarian Bt ard Eth
c61-caes che c,erEg men wea- rossa tas
-s arr - the hEh. u1Ts 5arE-
f--tte-brx' =tTis ard FL mary ra1--1t-