St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1911-02-15

Whittier once said that if he had his
life to live over he would champion
some unpopular cause and give his
life to it, Did he mean he would
champion a cause simply because it
was unpopular? No. He meant that
even if the same cause in which he
believed might be unpopular he
would give his life for it as he did in
the matter of slavery.
No man or woman on the stage of
the worlds history has ever amount
ed to anything in the way of moral
advance, unless he or she has stood
for conviction, popular or unpopu-
lar. John Wesley was at the first
frequently mobbed; John Murray
preached in Boston with the stones
rafting about his feet and an OPP
position preacher pulling at the
skirt of his coat; Roger Williams for
conscience sake sought in the will
derness a new abiding place. But
we have come upon a time when too
many sons and daughters ofsuch sires
seek first to "be in the swim and
to go with the crowd. Conscience is
so feeble that it is easily stilled.
Now let us take another step. For
our first concern this morning is to
| follow a straight path not asking
where it shall lead. Are you aware
that to this day there is the under
standing that whoever is principal of
| this Academy of ours shall attend one
! church-not any one he may choose,
| but one particular church previous
ly pointed out to him =? Previous to his
coming to this town the principal
may have been Baptist, Methodist,
Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Univer-
saIist or what not. If he should be-
come principal of st. Johnsbury
Academy he would be expected to
turn his back on the church of his
choice.
There are people in this congre-
CATION who in attending this acad-
| envy in other days had to appeal to
their parents in order. to be per-
mitted to attend the church of their
choice. There are men here who
in attempting to rent certain prop
erty in this town in other days were
| told that if they did they would be
/ expected to attend a certain church.
Now the day of the State church has
gone by. Let US not have a church
trust
True, whoever teaches our Acad-
envy should have the moral courage
to go to church where he wishes.
However, I am anxious that the time
shall come when the principal of the
| Academy and all teachers in our
public schools can go TO church
where they please without stigma or
loss of social standing and it will
be no mans business but their own.
Because there are moral aspects to
hi ,+y II
them out we shall be developing a
moral backbone. We shall be set
ting examples to the young making
for that conviction and character we
so much desire to see them possess.
Until we in authority straighten out
some things in this line it impresses
me the less we say about the moral
aspects of ungirt ways, the better
it will appear.
2. Now how about churches?
The churches have been too fire.
quently carried away by the spirit
of the hour. For frequently they
have forgotten and have wershipped
the false God success. They have
not always had the courage to say
Nov few or many in my congre-
cation, l am going to work for the
best interests of the boys and girls
of this town." They have too fire.
quently been crazed with the desire
for numbers. For example: Here
are some boys and girls doing well
in another church, they are interest
ed. But some church has said Now
by hook or crook let us get our
hands on them. We will then use
the boy or babe as silken thread to
pull on until we come to the rope
that is fastened to the parents, then
by and by perhaps we can draw the
whole family into our church; if we
cannot we will split it, cripple the
other fellow and take what we can
get" After many such Tamn1any
Hall methods have been tried, pos
sibly a few boys and parents may
have become unsettled and at
tached to another church. Then the
successful CD church says, @eSee
how we grow! How the Kingdom
advancesl Let's sing the doxology.''
There has been no real advance;
there has been no progress: the
Kingdom has been delayed in its
coming. We have merely dipped
water from one dish to another.
splitting some of the water on the
way. There are moral aspects to
such easy uprootings. They react
on character; they make for in
stability. If st. Johnsbury is be-
coming famous for religious tramps
and church ffoaters, who is to blame
Let every individual and church ask.
Is it I?
Then there are churches which