The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-02-09
AN IDEAL FOR BARRE
TO STRIVE FOR
Was Given by Rev. DR.. Samuel Q. Bat
ten Before Large Audience at the
Barre Opera House Last
Evening.

been in progress here since Saturday I'M
der the auspices of the interdenomina
tional committee of Vermont. Rev. ID
Samuel Il. Batten, secretary OF the led
grafton Of churches, was the principa
speaker. He gave forward looking am
clean-cut sermon from the topic, "rh
Barre That is to Be- There was hard
ly single seat available when the sery
ices began at o'clock. A number 0
the city ministers were seated on tn
platform to assist DIR. Batten in con
ducting the meeting. The Orphcus quar-
tet furnished good music. ia
DIR. Batten found a foreible analog,
for his picture Of the future Barre from
the scriptural story Of st. Johns vision
Of the new Jerusalem. He declared tha'
the apostles vision could be realized to
day as well as in the days Of miracles
A working plan for the rehabilitated city
must be first drafted and to make thes'
plans, the city builders, the men ans
women of the city, must have high ideal,
and cling to them always and under
Ieyery circumstance. One OF the prima
evils of the city in this century is tht
mad quest for gold, continued the preach
er. 1t is time we were putting money
in its proper sphere, instead OF elevat
ing it to the high places Then, too. tho
exaltation of all things that money mad
ness creates must cease Little children
must be given their proper place in the
life OF every city and every country
village.
| For 100 years, DIR. Batten continued
the child has occupied one OF the lesser
places in our thoughts. Only within re-.
cent years have we come to an under
standing of what child welfare means in
the upbuilding Of the nation True, we
are establishing public Fairgrounds, but
| they are far too few in number and a
vast majority OF children in the crowded
cities are still crying for more room and
a purer breathing place
| In the course OF his address the speak
er touched upon o multitude of phases
in the remodeling process which the fll-
ture Barre must pass through before it
can be a community comparable to tile
city which ST. John beheld. Upon every
individual falls the responsibility Of this
awakening he declared. We are grow
ing away from the notion that regenera-
tion concerns only the church in its or
ganized form, the Y. NJ. G. A. and the
school Institutes. The responsibility Il
divided among the men, women and chill
dren who 20 To make up city's popllla-
tion. 1t Is true that the forward step
must ever be taken by the church but
the onward march should not be lett
to the sole leadership OF the organized
religious societies DIR. Batten touched
upon the honesty which must pervade
the atmosphere Of municipal government.
honesty in the home and the measure Of
honesty which must exist between each
man and his own conscience
Previous TO the speakers address. Rev
y. b. Reardon spoke for 8 few moments
on the inception OF the social survey and
closed by introducing DIR. Batten as a
man eminently qualified, by long years
of experience and research, to speak on
the issue at hand
The Sunday evening rally marked the
close Of the Barre survey. From this
point, the nterdenominational commit
tee will transfer its campaign to New
port. Locally, the opinion prevails that
erdenominationalism IN Vermont has
struck deep and abiding note in its
survey propaganda. The meetings here
have been attended by people in every
walk OF life, A single glance at the
large audience in the opera house last
night would diseountenance any claim
that the survey is a narrow instrument
and not the truly non-sectarian move
ment contemplated by its projectors.
All along the line. here in Barre. at
least, there has been an awakening Of
interest in the forces that make for bet
ter civic morals.
Other Meetings Held.
On Saturday no less than IA clergy
men from radius of 80 miles gathered
at the Hedding Methodist church to
launch the local survey In the after
noon at largely attended public meet
ing in the church, three minute speeches
by ministers from this vicinity led up
to a general survey OF local conditions
by Rev. DIR. Batten Rev. w. j. NJ. Beat
tie of the Church of the Good Shepherd
spoke on "0ur Civic Condition Rev.
Duncan Salmond of the First Presbyter-
ian church followed with short talk
on "0ur Social Condition." and Rev. 4.
f. Newell of the Methodist church spoke
on "0ur Moral Condition" Our Re-
ligious Condition" was considered by
Rev. G. Fl. Holt of the First Baptist
church and Rev. +. b. Sterling, pastor
of the Methodist church at Waterbury
Center fittingly described "0ur Rural
Condition" DIR. Batten took the infor-
nation thus gathered and wove it into
a homily of unusual appeal.
In the First Baptist church Sunday
afternoon at o'clock, Rev. DIR. Batten
addressed congregation consisting sole
" of men and boys. He chose for his
subject, "The Christian as Citizen"
The preacher made careful survey of
as he had viewed them the
country over, and then brought his re-
marks to bear upon Barre. He spoke at |
ength of every mans duty at the polls. /
iecried the present day practice of hew. |
ng too closely to party lines to the dis. I
advantage of good government. He re
erred also to the duties which devolvc |
Ipon the office-holder. Ideals in govern !
nent are not impractical and he laid the
close up to every voter.
DR.. Thomas f. Green, Lecturer.
The Barre Woman's club take this op-
,ortunity to thank our citizens for their
generous patronage of the entertain
nent course conducted by them and to