The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1901-11-20
THE SALVATION ARMY.

There is strong tendency on the
part of many Montpelier people to sit
in the seat of the scornful and cast
slurs on the definite attempt of the
Salvation Army to establish itself per-
manently in Montpelier and commence
here its rescue work. On every hand
one may hear thrusts at their meth
DDS.
And yet, it would be as kind and
as reasonable to slur the Congregation
alists for conservatism the Method
lists for their cosmopolitan character,
the Baptists for the same reason, the
Episcopalians for their respect for an
tiquity and the Catholics for speaking
in an unknown tongue, as to slur the
Salvation Army for their methods of
outdoor song and prayer and the
booming accompaniment of the bass
drum.
1t has been implied that Barre might
be the proper home for the Salvation
Army but that Montpelier could not
be, and that the sooner the Army con-
cluded its contract and returned to its
native heath, the better. We distinct
ly differ with this implication. Mont
pelier, indeed, is one of the neatest
cities in New England its streets are
kept in excellent shape the majority
of its homes have a well-to-do appear
ance. 1t has unusual attractions for
so small a city, its opera house; its
public library its well sustained
churches its art gallery its home-like
hotels; it's efficient high school sys
TEN and its seminary on the hill. But
these things are largely the fruit of
the thought and care of the Montpe-
lier of twenty five years ago, and the
truth is if these things which appear
so prominent to the casual observer
were removed for a little and he could
look at Montpelier's population as it
is today he would see that we have
in nowise gotten beyond the need of
the crudest as well as the most refined
efforts to bring religious ideas to peo-
pie
Montpelier people ought to recog-
nize the fact that different stages of
culture are reached by different meth
DDS. Only the other day a man re-
marked on the street that he did not
particularly enjoy the music of the
Kneisel quartette The reader would
not doubt on account of that remark
that the Kneisels were musicians
The trouble was with the man.
There are stages of development walk
ing Montpelier streets every day who
cannot comprehend the finer phases
of culture, who would not feel touch
ed by the refined form of service
that is felt in the dim religious light,
and under the tone of the softly
breathed anthem. There are men who
must be reminded of themselves and
the possibility of their suffering by
that small but efficient word "hell "
There are men who can only conceive
of Christ as a crucified man under in
wound. There are men in Montpelier
with vision so befogged that unnatural
lights only attract them; with hear
ing so dull that the boom of drums
only reaches them. For such men the
average church is of little power and
to such men in the spirit of heroic
self sacrifice and with intense pur
pose, with drums to attract the atten-
tion and the simple figurative preach
ing of punishment for sin and reward
for righteousness, comes the Salvation
Army.
Room for the Salvation Army on
our streets! So long as there is a
tough or loafer or drunk in town
there is room for the Salvation Army.
And how should the good people of
Montpelier feel toward these who
come to do what good they may? AS
they in their chosen forms of worship
find comfort and strength, they should
welcome too that form of worship and
appeal for higher life which comes
to the man who is as yet not capable
of approaching what the cultured
folks enjoy. 1t would be exceeding
ly cruel to make fun of the undevel
oped phases of humanity. No one o
sense would think Of laughing at
man because he was ignorant. Non
but the boorish see any joke in tn
Feelings of an into xicated man.
then the different types of human dc