Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1913-10-10
CHURCH ANNIVERSARY.
President Thomas Makes Plea TO r
Church EnerqY.

service Sunday morning was historical
in character, the address being giver
by the Rev. DIR. Norman Seaver one ot
the earliest pastors, who still resides il
Rutland. Tuesday evening there wa:
: fellowship service and all the
Congregational churches of the county
as well as those of the denomination ir
Middlebury and Burlington were
invited. The Rev. DR.. John M. Thorn
as of Middlebury college, spoke or
"The Present Challenge to the Yer.
mont Churches" Several out-of- town
clergymen took part in the service.
The Congregational church of Rut-
land was founded in October, 1773. 1t
had for its first building u square, two
story, wooden structure without steeple,
beltry, or stove. This was at Center
Rutland. The membership was IA.
October 5, 1888, the present church was
formally organized, this being the
event now commemorated. The mem
bership was 81. The present member
ship is $40, the total number for the
century and quarter being 2,6S5. The
present building was erected in 1860.
President Thomas took for his theme,
''The Present Challenge to the Vernon
Churches" and in a forceful and fin
ished address sought to impress upon
his audience, which comfortably filled
the main part of the church auditorium,
that if the people of the churches are to
do efficient work they must heed the
fact that they are challenged and that
the challenge is something definite,
something real.
President Thomas spoke first of the
strong and able ministers in the early
churches of Vermont, referring espe-
cially to Rev. David Merrill of Peach
am, whose famous COX Sermon" en-
joyed circulation of over 1000, 900
copies.
He declared that strong rural min
istry developed and nourished strong
country population, from which men of
intellectual force and personal weight
were scattered by emigration among
the cities of the east and west and in
the country hamlets to the Pacific slope.
He said, Down to our own time the
most valuable and influential members
of important city parishes have come in
large measure from the churches of the
country. Take away from any of the
churches of national reputation the
members and families whose character
and worth were nodded and fixed in |
small rural churches, and you would |
cripple them almost beyond repair.
That has been the situation in every
leading church in America for over half
a century,
The speaker emphasized the import
ance of the country church and the
moral and religious quality of rural life.
He said Forty million Americans to-
day live by the soil. One-third of the
workers of America delve in the land
furnishes almost all the
food of the nation and nearly one-half
the raw material of manufactured pro-
ducts. Agriculture is a permanent in
dustry. Its decadence can be only
matter of degree, unless the nation is
to starve. Life on isolated farms has
been fixed as permanent social insti-
ton in America. Unless, therefore,
nearly one-half of the American people
are to be irreligious and pagan, some
way must be found for wholesome and
vigorous religious life of the scattered
people of the country.
President Thomas stated that there
had been much difference of opinion
as to the condition of the country
church, but that until recently no care
full investigation had been made, nor
reliable facts collected He then de-
;cribed at length the Investigations of
Rev. Charles o. Gill, who gave three
years to study of church conditions in
Windsor county, in this state, and
rompkins county, New York.
THE results attained by Mr. Gill
are worthy of the most seriousi atten-
ion by all who are interested in the
Welfare of Vermont. First let Jus OBJ
serve the facts as to churchlattend-
ance in several towns, reckoning as
Attendants all who go one third of the
lime or more, the town of Woodstock,
loted as the richest town in the state,
las $50 out of a total population of
,276, the figures being for the year
1908.
"The town of Springfield, which
oroclaims itself the most rapidly.grow-
ng towns in Vermont. has 668 church
attendants out of Protestant popula-
ion of 3702
1.-THE town of Weathersfeld, which
nay be called typical farming town,
divided into several villages and ham,
cts, has 1913 church attendants out of
4 Protestant population of 1918. Wes-
on mountain town with a PROTEST.