Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-11-24

there baptjze them by the wholesale.
Christianity became matter Of pollt-
zeal allegiance. Individual conviction,
spiritual purity, devotion TO Christ,
counted for little in those times. Men
did not read or think. They accepted
without question the dogmas Of the
leaders Of church and state. some Of
whom were men without principle,
openly immoral Of life. Let Us thank
God that we did not live In those
times There Ia still much to DO de
sired We are still far from Christs
ideal, but as we read OF those times OF
spiritual and moral darkness we realize
how far the church has advanced.
well" says some one what Is the
good Of going way back to the dark
ages to 6nd that the church OF tho
Lord Jesus Christ ia better spiritually
today than It was In the past1 Why
not try to draw your illustrations a
little nearer at hand?" The result Ia
the same. Conditions in the early part
Of the last century were In startling
contrast to those OF today. The minis
try in those times was largely made
up Of men who entered II not on high
spiritual grounds, but as q means Of
making genteel living. Their service
was perfunctory and lifeless. Their
moral character was often reprehensi-
bic. The highest places were held by
men Of genius but OF Chr1stless lives
The clergy Of those times were men
Ike Dean Swift, Of whom It was said
that when he was In the pulpit he
was 40 much q saint that he ought not
to be allowed to 20 out Of It. and when
ne was out Of the pulpit his life, WAS
80 evil that he ought not to be allowed
to enter IT," With spiritual leaders so
destitute Of the power OF Christ, what
could be expected Of the people'
so lax were the ideas OF the Christis n
church hundred years ago that after
a presbytery meeting II was the usual
custom for the presbytery to adjourn
to q nearby tavern. and all the minis
tcrs would there openly drink their In
toxicating liquor the same as the ma.
jority OF the sports Of q rnce track
would now drink. The assistant paste
of my Chicago church told me when he
entered the ministry every minister Of
the presbytery which ordained him,
with the exception OF one, publicly
drank intoxicating liquors. Yet he
Furthermore stated that within n few
years be lived to see all the ministers
Of his presbytery total abstainers and
out and out temperance advocates, with
but one exception. Among the records
Of n presbytery in the western part OF
Pennsylvania have been told that one
church elected one OF its members IN
elder because that man on the day OF
the laying OF cornerstone Of the
church furnished a barrel OF whisky
80 that all who came to the corner
stone laying could drink as much as
they would.
"ThOse Good Old Times"
would sooner live IN my present
modest home than In the damp roorn'
where Mary, queen Of Scots, had tc
dwell. And as for the habitat tons o,
my grandfathers and 9randmothers
they Were places no living man wopit
now put up with for q moment. w,
sentinentally talk about the sndlron:
you ever try the luxury of one7 Mos
Of the rooms OF the old farmhouses hat
TO be closed In winter, because they
could never be kept warm. In tn
bedrooms the ice would freezo IN III,
pitchers In the Kitchens our grand
fnthers would be hugging the fires ant
burning their coat tails on one side o
them while they were having n who'll
carnival Of chills playing hide ana seei
on the other side of their physical anat
omies. Then our sra ndfathers. for th'
most part, had the pleasure OF dressul
without any wooden underwear mex
to their skins. They had the luxury 0
malarial fever, scarlet fever and dipb
iberia. which used to rNvage almos
every house on account Of poor waite
and drainage, They had the luxury 0
sitting up IN the house ct night An,
using small tsllow candle light t.
read by when they were not too dea,
tired to read
AS FOR me. give me less Of tie poetr,
OF old times and let ME eat In my hum
bic home my three meals a day witt
some other food besides ham, and lie
me eat that food with fork rattle
than be like Queen Elizabeth. who
upon her palace dining floor made o
cold stones, had her food placed befor
her on the table, so that she might ca
the meats with her bare, greasy On
gers.
But, on, II the well people, physical
ly and mentally, are better of from
temporal standpoint in this day thai
they were in our grandfathers' AM
grandmothers' times. how much NOR
ought the sick to be thankful unto hin
who is the Giver OF all good gifts
Think OF the merCiful institution
which have been erected for the IL
valids. called hospitals Think OF a.
the marvellous wonders which hav
been discovered or invented by mean
of which pain can be driven away O
the point Of the surgeons knife q
cured by thu physicians prescription
Think Of the merciful angel "anaestht
sis," who comes to the side of the OF
Grating table and lays the soothln
hand Of benumbment upon the tw!tcl
ing nerves and the agon!sing brair
Tell me, o sick man. that this is not
better time to live In than those time
in which our grandfathers livedl
No Dental CAAirs Then.
Then think OF the mercies vhic
| haye come to ia through the depte