Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-01-16
TWO NOTEWORTHY TALKS
College Professors Discuss Prob
lens of Pressing Interest.
six Principles of MOhnmnc da nism de-
scribcd--Scarch for nm Ideal So
ciai state Not Peculiar to
This Age.

iWb UuleWOTlnV ldlkS upon pTODIeUnS VI |
pressing interest at the present time were
delivered sunday at the College Street |
Church before large audiences. Dean
George H. Perkins Of the University of
Vermont spoke at noon upon "Moham- !
mechanism" and Professor Samuel r.
Emerson discussed AN Ideal Social
state at 7:3O p. m.
Prof @. II. Pcrkins's discussion Of Mo- |
| hammedanlsm showed that the religion
should not be judged by its fruits as re-
| Elected in Armenian massacres and other |
! atrocities. He showed by reading OF Sc
! lections from the Koran. as we'll as from
various noted writer's on the Mohamme-
| dan faith. that the principles Of that re-
| ligion are in many ways admirable, hav-
ing some points of resemblance to the
| Christian religion The fundamental prin-
| ciples of Mohammedanism are six In
number, the first of which is belief in one
| God, all wise and all powerful, and mer
! Ciful. Mohammedans also believe In an
! gels, prophets, the Book Immortality and
| the Judgment, and in predestination Dor
dering in many instances upon fatalism.
| The Moha mmedan religion represents
! mixture of Christianity, the Jewish faith
| and hcathenism. and while ii has some
weaknesses. it unquestionably resulted in
the uplift of the heather tribes who felt
unCcr it's sway, and at the present time
it has dominion over more than 2W,NroW
people and is a great power in the world
| Mohammedanism recognizes poiyEamy,
but still some of the writer's of that faith
insist that rolygamy should not be at
trlbutcd to Mohammedansm any more
than that TIA" polygamy of the patriarchs
of the Bible should be ascribed to the in
huence of the Christian religion.
THE KORAN REMARKABLE.
Professor Perkins said it was remark
able that such a book as the Koran
should have been written by such a man
as Mohammcd, who while able to read
=, and write was not an educated man. He
was subject 10 epilepsy. and he claimed
to have had the truths embodied in the
Koran revealed to him. lie showed that
while there were some points OF resem-
blance between christianity and Moham-
mechanism, there were some very essen
tial differences. The Mohammedan does
right because he is commanded to do so,
while the Christian is commanded to 90
thing because it is right. The Moham-
= rnedan creed is very simple. it being nee
; cssary only to believe in one God and in
christ is classcd as one of the prophets
,rbo Noba,nmodans are divided into scots.
T. TN. chief classification grows ont of the
q distinction between those who accept the
. Koran alone and those who make 'ran'-
ton Supplement the Koran.
PROFESSOR EMERSON.
.. In speaking of An Ideal Social state
:, at the Colleg. Street church Sunday even
j. ing Professor :. T.. Emerson emphasized
Q. ,h. snirit of unrest which prevails every
$, where at the present time, not "hIE III
labor circles and in the social order pu'
also in educational circles. He found sig
. niticant evidence of this unrest during
" bis n,,endaucc uIon the various nationa
conferences held recently in Boston IN
,ludi.g the national convention OF socioIo
~" rists one IF these meetings had for its
. ,nioc, the Improvement of labor condi
tons and ne was impressed by the fac
, that sentiment was practically unanimous
;. as regards a minimum wage. 1t was hel'
.. that those too yourc or TOO interior L
arm the minimum wage should be pro
Nidcl for hy' society. It transpired tina
ia one town in Pennsylvania an lndustr!
;. had voluntarily established an eight hou
l. day Il considerable number of years ago
D. AMI it had continued to flourish and pros
Ia per, showing that eight hours was sum
Gent for tn" earning of dividends a
~ we'll as for thc ample compensation o
- tn, wage carnors.
~ Prof. Emerson showed that this seekin
~ fo: an ideal social state vas not pccuiia
~ to this age. Even in the time of TN
Greeks, plato had outlined an ideal re
pubic. but had finally concluded that
was only possible in the skies. In ~
OF tine OF the Romans tho Stoics sougf
IN an ideal government. as did relormer
ay IN the time Of the Reformation. And s
as in different ages men have realized III
nd need Of more 1eaistic government. Dr
OF have been forced to conclude that Tn
)r, ideal could not be made to materialize
of THE IDEAL YET TO GONE
80 Professor Emerson insisted .c.....e
80 that the process Of sociaiza.
49, progress, and constant advances.
49, being made. He Illustrated },I.u
meant by aociaiization by sayin- mat
49,. was neither indyidualism nor altruisr
~, lndividuaism sacrifices society foi
"a own benefit. altruism causes the il
dividual to sacrifice himself for the benc
ito of society
Specialization leads a man for instau,
for to devote his time to the attempted di
'ba covery of remedy for tuberculosis. II
~ that he may receive profit from it or ga
,.r fame thereby, but that society OF Il
race may be helped.
Prof. Emerson was sanpuine that Il
time would come when an ideal state
society would exist although we Won
7"' not see il, neither would our childre
we When that time came shoe dealer. 4
we example, would not sell n $500 pair
shoes for 500 neither would he tai
III unfair advantage of his neighbor in COZ
petition. Each individual would work (
Nv a livelihood, but he would make the mo
of himself for the benefit OF society al
VIZ not In the spirit of egoism which
powerfully dominates the present as
'Hn That age would come not through I
~ fabrication of government, as one won
ust sit down and formulate "A constitution, b
il would be process of evolution, I
'es outward manifestation of the nobl
'a'' spirit within us-ln short the ideal soc
the state must flow outward from the hum
heart
mi -----------------
-, ARTIFICIAL LANDSCAPE.