Norwich bulletin., 1910-12-07
Rev. c. H. Rioketts Breaches at Con- sresationaI Church orr Sunday Visitors and Visiting.

Under the Juniper Tree was the sub Ject Rev. Charles H. Ricketts pre- sented at the Greeneville Congrega- tional church Sunday morning, the text being taken from the episode in the lie or Elijah as recorded in the 18th chapter of Kings.
 Rev. MT. Ricketts said in part:
 It Is hard to connect in thought Mount Carmel with the juniper tree. The triumphant and memorable judge in the one situation has little identity with the cringing pessimist in the other. It is hard to realize that yes terday's man of flashing eye. steady nerve and resolute purpose Is now the craven, frightened at his own shadow.
 Having found the basis of Elijal1's singular action, its counterpart in mod ern life was then shown. There is a tendency with some men all the time and all men some of the time to look at life through colored glasses; they are the juniper tree prophets; the perpet- ual Jeremiahs who see nothing but ruin ahead. To them every room is full of dirt and cobwebs and every phase of society out of joint. There are three reasons for this juniper tree atmosphere:
 moods In which thought and action are colored by the feelings for the time be- ing.
 2. We easily allow ourselves to drift into the fault finding habit.
 3. It Is becoming a fad to pose as reformer. 1t is popular to root out some new form of wrong. Magazines plunge into undertaking, not through principle, but because it sells their wares. The main hold that the radical wing e8 socialism has upon public at tentton is it's juniper tree distortion of the real facts Of human history.
 The speaker then made three de- auctions:
 ]. Under the juniper tree we get a false conception of human society. Bitter socialism makes every ruler tyrant, every ecclesiastic 6 Torque- mada, every corporation an institution for grinding down the poor working man. Let it be admitted that society is not Utopian as yet, still there is a constant evolution towards mans gen eral betterment.
 Under the juniper tree one is apt to forget that reforming society is slow work. Old manners and customs are not to be cast off as one throws aside an old garment. Long years of edUca- tion preceded the ultimate overthrow of slavery. The world is slow to ac- cept new ideas. and there is nothing that it is more impatient with.
 2. Under the juniper tree we get a false conception of present industrial conditions. After Elijah had run away from Jezebel for forty days he hides in a cave where Jehovah rebukes him: What doest thou here, EIijah?" He replies: T only am left and they seek my life to take it away" That was true only in part. It was true that a desperate woman sought his life. But 1t was not true that he only of the faithful was left. There were 1000 who had refused to bow to Baal. We are apt to dtstort our industrial con ditions in like manner.
 8. Under the juniper tree we get a wrong view of the church and it's work The church is the special field for calamity howlers. To the outsider nothing is more imperfect than the church. While the church is not above criticism, it remains true that those who know the least about it and do the least for 1t are 1oudest in denuncia- ton. If everybody would stop talking against the church and help carry out it's spirit there would soon be nothing to criticize. Face problems as did the prophet on Carmel, not like the pes simist under the juniper tree.