The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1904-06-06
COMPLETED 4 YEARS
AS PASTOR OF CHURCH
The Rev. Brian c. Roberts Gave A
Resume To His Congregation
Yesterday.

/ Wv hAiAA ~ AttpHkto EiOoeu NSobefudl
and was marked BY the reading Of his an
nnal message to his people The Holy
Communion was celebrated at the mid day
service and great many received. The
message dealt chiefly with the internal al.
fairs OF the church and showed that while
no grand extraordinary gains had been
made this past year, there had been a
steady and healthy growth.
ln part the message was as follows:
Four years ago / came among You. and
first began my miuistrations as your
Priest The years have quickly sped and
brought many changes in their course;
some Of a sad nature, some laden with Joy,
some for the better, some for the worse
And it Is we'll for US at time like this,
which marks the renewal Of our spiritual
relations, 70 review our past year, purp0s-
| ing to discover wherein we may better our
coming year, and, as il were, take a spir-
itual stock Of our Individual lives that we
may 90 forward with definite knowledge
Of our definite needs, aud increase rather
than diminish our personal spirituality
No better outward sign Of inward spir-
ituality marks the improvement in both a
desire for spiritual living and means for
obtaining spiritual blessing, than the fre-
quent receiving Of the Holy Eucharist.
And more especially the receiving at the
Early Celebration At that service every
thought Is eliminated except the one
thought Of worship, and no one that comes
with some special intention but finds that
his Or her soul IS indeed fed upon spiritual
food
More do attend their early Sacrament
than when | irst came 70 this church. but
| urge you who do not do So. to make
real effort to be present. The rula that
some have made, e, to come once a month
TO their Early C0mmuni0n.I recommend To
you, and assure you that In this lale you
win dad real help to live closer to your
blessed Master II is here Ia this Blessed
Sacrament that He gives Himself To YOU
as 10 no other way and at no other time.
Some trying Illnesses have Ueeu amcng
us the past year, and have made as realize
more than ever our dependence upon our
Heavenly Father Death also has been ia
our midst, and taught us that we must 50
live as ever ready 10 enter into the Divine
Presence.
This last Lent was, Oh the whole, kept
better than the previous Lent .and for one
~ wv - AtstA AA1NAAANGH u MNEAtkN4 Il ALL
specially thankful. II we do not ourselves
believe IN, and make use Of, the require
ments oil the church, we can hardly expect
that Others will beliye IN our Faith nor 40
otherswise than SCOT at the hypocraey Of
communicates who profess one thing and
belle their profession by their conduct
The world always respects the religious
convictions and practices Of earnest men
and women.
The moral conditions 10 this town are
fat from what they should be. / have
been appalled, at what have known Of
the irregularities. aud must urge parents
TO use more vigilance than ever Il they
would not see souls wrecked Young pe0-
pie lost to the moral ideal, and irFeligion
rampant. ! do believe that young people
should have right good time, and vet
would demand for them proper chaperon-
age. Also | would remind YOU that YOU
owe 1t to them to face facts and that they
nor You should imagine that Ignorance Is
wisdom, / believe that It is my duty TO
warn you Ia this matter, and urge better
hours, and an inslstence upon better con-
diti0ns than what nov prevail IN the safe
guarding Of even proper e0mpanionships.
And this brings me 20 the religious edu-
cation Of the young Il Is almost NIL The
home Is to blame. Why, If were to in-
sist upon the learning Of the little lessons
of the Sunday school, number Of parents
would sympathize with the mueh.imposed-
On child, and remove il from even the lit
tie that they do get.
Drunkenness among boys increased af-
ter the opening Of the saloon, and more
than one family Is today trying to hide
this new shame that they now contend
with. But If fathers will not themselves
strive to show regard for the worship Of
Christ, the Christian family becomes
thing Of the past and they are to blame
for the fact that the other influences pre-
vail IL Is bitter shame, and bitter
" viii the family aud the town suffer be-
cause Of the paganism Of the fathers who
by precept and example teach their boys
that they can get along without the saving
power Of Jesus Christ
The time viii come in this country when
the public viii insist upon the religious
training Of the young. The Roman Cath
olles have, when 1t was possible, erected |
their parochial schools; and Ia view Of |
the divisions OF Christendon, it has seem /
ed almost the only way that we can meet
the difficulty. Such institutions as God |
dard Seminary in Barre, and Montpelier
Seminary In Montpelier are the Protestant |
methods Of arriving at somewhat the same /
result have urged before, a1dhgain do |
urge that at the minimum land that an al |
most absurd mInimum) once a month our /
young people in the public schools be dis /
missed for religious instruction; and that |
at some hour when they are not wearied |
with their work. am a firm believer ia |
the public school as one Of the buIWarks I
of our democracy: but ultimately the pub /
lie school is doomed unless this much vex- /
ed question Of religious education ID solved. I
And no one need imagine that the Protest !
ants are not as keen about this and love 4
their childIen, and value their ehildren's /
souls as we'll as the Roman Catholics.
DO not think that ! am q pessimist on /
account Of the things which / have dWelt I
In this my annual message. DO not
think that the modern man or woman or
the twentieth century boy Or girl Is worse
than their predecessors. In spite Of many I
things we are making wonderful progress
But we are to live up to our responsibili-
ties II we are 10 preserve our integrity /
There are certain excellent signs The
very fact, for instance, that the sChristian
bodies are returning to the standard Of the
church in the question Of divorce and re-
marriage is one Of the signs Of the times.
would also mention that we must