The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-12-14
INSPIRING ADDRESSES
HEARD LAST EVENING
Continued from first page.

in 1910 and 1910 Mr.. Fisk Is fortunate
in tracing his ancestry on both sides
back to men and women who were pio-
neers in the early religious life of CEN
trail Vermont. Hence the selection of
him to discuss religious men and meth
DDS Of the last century was timely and
fitting.
Mr.. Fisk stated that only seven
churches were established in this vicin-
ity prior to 1900. Randolph Center has
the honor of having the first organized
Congregational society, a number OF
members effecting the same as early as
1856. A westinghouse was erected by
this society in 1872. The next earliest
organization was in Braintree in 1894.
Later church ediiice was completed in
1901 The remaining five, with the date
of establishment and the time of erect
ing church, follow in the order of
their coming: Williamstown, 1895,
church erected in 1872; Waitsfeld, 1896,
church erected in 1907; Berlin, 1900,
church erected in 1901; Barre, 1909, date
Of first westinghouse not knownj Plain
field, 1900, date of first church edifice
unknown.
Other towns within the jurisdiction Of
the club started societies in the years
following; MarshheTd, 1900; Waterbury,
1901; Cabot, 1901; Montpelier 1908. The
speaker gave many graphic historical
facts Of those first churches and paid Il
glowing tribute to those early giants OF
religion who hazarded all the comforts
and eonvenienees of civilization in order
to firmly plant the gospel in the virgin
wilderness. We. of this generation, he
said, cannot fully appreciate the hard
ships which they were compelled to UNI
dergo, nor can we fully appreciate the
value of the sacrifices they made for
their convictions. Mr.. Fisk's remarks
plainly revealed the painstaking care
which must have attended his researches.
Several heirlooms handed down from
those early days were exhibited by the
speaker and added touch of reality to
his words. His efforts were heartily APP.
plauded when he had finished.
The speaker of the evening, Rev. G. A.
Vincent, ID. d., pastor of the Walnut
avenue Congregational church of RoN-
bury Mass, was then introduced The
subject of his address took the nature of
contrast to the religious conditions por
trayed BY the previous speaker. The
Church and the Future of Representative
Government" formed the topic Of mas
terly discourse, compelling the closest at
tention of the listeners for over an hour.
Possessing an excellent command Of Ian
guage and withal a pleasing manner
OF delivery, his remarks revealed this
mind OF a man thoroughly conversant
with the principles and possibilities OF
government BY the people. His argu-
ments for cleaner elections and stronger
administrations were clean cut and 70
the point. His descriptions of latter day
men and methods in American political
life were not overdrawn, and yet left
nothing to be assumed. He handled a
difficult subject. in a manner emphatically
convincing and had the audience with
him from the start.
Opening his address with parallel de-
scriptions OF the development of the Is
raelites and the early settlers Of this
country, be traced the history of the
latter down to the present day. lmme
diately after the Civil war, he said, the
nation fell into something that bordered
upon political disgrace. A country that
even then boosted of a representative
government countenanced such evils as
the ward boss, the wirepuller and the
CRATER Things continued in this state
until within the last decade, when an
awakening of the public conscience start
ed a reform which is yet in its infancy
Political and moral corruption is still
eXtant in this country, he maintained,
and it is, therefore, the duty Of the
present generation to continue reforms
which win perpetuate and establish more
firmly the system OF a representative
government and a pure democracy.
The secret ballot and the primary
system, he said, are only the first steps
in this campaign As a method OF fur.
thering the work of cleansing political
methods now existing, he argued that
the citizens Of a community should get
together and study more closely the con-
ditions they sought to remedy. In line
with this plea for concerted action along
this line, he referred to the immigration
problem now facing the country. He
ridiculed the idea that the future gov.
eminent of the United States was to be
perfected only by men who traced their
ancestry back to Plymouth rock The
brotherhood movement, he believed, was
one of the keynotes of our future prog
ress, and he argued that distinct pro-
gram Of national advancement should
be taught in the public schools. The
final American, he said, will be larger
and better than as though confined en-
tirely TO Anglo-Saxon blood.
Turning to the position the church
held in upholding these ideals, he de-
plored the attitude displayed by many
toward IT, When a man has nothing
else to do, he directs his kicks and cuffs
at the church. evidently unmindful that
the whole hope Of future In America lies
in that institution He expressed this
belief he said, as an American citizen
Science has made rapid strides in devel-
oping the material world, and now the
church has its opportunity in awakening
mans deepest sense of the unseen world.
The church in its social element, he
said, had tendency to bring men into
a closer bond OF brotherhood IN a way
that no other institution could accom-
plish. IL is a great thing to know that
a man is living for someone else, and in
no other sphere of life is this so foreibly
brought out as in the church. 1t also
offers the benefit Of the greatest ethical
doctrines the world has ever known; its
missionary spirit that has followed the
flag into every foreign land; and lastly
il possesses the moral principles that
force consciousness of eternity upon
man, and, after all, this is The sum total
of mans existence.
In bringing his address TO a close. he