The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1910-05-27
A PASTORS INSTITUTE.
Six Denominations Represented
Highly Instructive Gathering.

Forty ministers, representing six de
nominations, spent the better part OF
Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday OF this
week in Brattleboro in conference on
important topics connected with their
work. The First Baptist church furnish
ed the place of meeting. The Brattleboro
ministers sent out the invitations and
the Brattleboro churches entertained
their visitors in generous fashion. a
committee OF women from all the
churches served lunch TO the company
Tuesday and Wednesday. The cholrs OF
the Centre Congregational and First
Baptist churches sang at the more public
sessions on Monday and Tuesday even
ings. The departing guests took with
them impressions of most delightful
and satisfactory gathering, with the re-
peatedly expressed hope that the in
stitute may be repeated in the not dis
tant future.
The program was provided by com
mi,ee representing the Protestant Theo-
logical seminaries OF every name IN New
England Rev. Owen II. Gates, librarian
of the Andoyer seminary, was the NOV
ing spirit in all the sessions. By his
wise provision library OF about 200
volumes was at the disposal OF the in
sttute and was freely used between
times. Arrangement was also made by
which each man might carry home some
of these books for temporary use, priv
ilege that was largely claimed. These
volumes were the recent and best studies
obtanable in social and rural problems
As well as in Biblical and theological sub
jects. affording to many of the men the
handling of books that would otherwise
have been known only by title or in
the review columns OF the religious jour
nails This feature of the institute was
universally commended as of highest
value.
The aim of the institute in general was
defined as the bringing of the seminaries
into touch with the men in the pastorate
to mutual advantage, and the professors
who here had their first experience in
such institute work testified to the i'm
mense profit that they derived from the
fellowship with men in the active min
istry and from the facing together of the
difficulties in such ministry; This is the
third such gathering that has been out
lined and carried through by the commit
tee. All the seminaries have been glad
to have part and thus far there has
been little or no duplication of speakers
The program began on Monday after
noon with lecture on Some Old Tesla
ment Theodices by Professor NJ L.
Kellner of the Episcopal Theological
school in Cambridge, Mass. Under this
formidable title was concealed clear,
scholarly and at times brilliant presenta-
ton of the thought of the Old Testament
on the problem of evil in the world and
the relation of God to it. This was
mastery exhibit of the modern method
of handling the material in the bible on
the puzzling facts of every day expe-
&C, -, 4.
duct and destiny. How vital was the
theme and awakening its handling was ev.
idenced by the vigorous discussion which
followed for nearly two hours. On Mon
day evening and Tuesday morning the
subject was The Problem of The Rural
Community. The leader in this discus
sion was Rev. WILDER J.. Anderson, ID. d..
of Amherst, Mass, who has come to be
counted an expert on this topic. After
eulogizing the life of New England towns
80 or more years ago as the perfection
of definite and worthy social type, DR..
Anderson pointed out first the complete
overthrow of that type and then the
certainty that after period of recog-
nized depletion by removal to cities. the
country life would again take on desir-
most capable and brilliant youths. . In a
most hopeful vein he reviewed the econ
omic forces and the attractive POSSIBLE
tiles of such life under modern pro-
visions for comfort. which were making
toward what he happily called "a new
landed democracy" The morning dis
cussion on Religious and Social Condi
tions in these rural communities was
one of the most important of all the SEES
sions. 1t was free forum and the en-
tire morning was filled with eager cues
lions and answers The afternoon and
evening of Tuesday and the morning
of Wednesday were given to purely theo-
logical matters but it early appeared that
both President A. F. Fitch of Andover
seminary, who spoke on The Ideals of
Theological Seminary and on Recent
Theological DEVELOPMENT as it Affects the
Doctrine Of the Person of Christ, and
Professor George Cross of the Newton
Theological institute. who spoke on Some
Factors in Present Day Theology, were
more interested in religion and life than
in dogma and forms of thinking Both
freely used all sources of knowledge and
all methods of inquiry open to the modern
man. The outstanding mark of a new
attitude on the part of the lecturers and
the hearers was disuse of what may be