Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-09-23
BAPT|S7S IN CONVENTION
State Organizations Open An
nual Meetings in This City.
Social Service Committee Reports Thnt
Churches Are Not Doing Their
shnrc in providing Recreation
for Younger Generation.


for Younger Generation.
Tho gtst annual meeting of the Vor-
| mont Baptist state convention opened
mt two o'clock Monday afternoon In
the First Baptist Church In this city
| with an unusually i". SO Ha!n5oi or
| DELEGATES from all parts or the state
| present The preliminary work occupied
| the entire afternoon and evening. al
! though there were two stirring and
| elouuent addresses, one by the Rev.
James s Braker, D. D.. pastor OF the
| First baptist Church of Burlington. at
| the afternoon session and the other
by the Rev. f.. +. Peterson. ID. D., of
Boston in the evening. Ex-Governor
w. w. Stickney OF Ludlow presided in
place of President Henry Bond, who
was detained in Boston by business.
and the Rev. Mr.. Brakcr's address was
In place of the ono to be delivered by
| Superintendent J. N. Barss of YER
gennes, who was absent on account OF
illness.
A devotional service. conducted by
the Rev. l.. T. Phillips of st. Johns
bury. opened the convention. which
was followed by the reading of the
rules of order by the Rev. r. S. Toll
| man, clerk of the convention Tho ar
ternoons work hinged largely on the
social service report of Guy b. 1ior-
ton of this city. This report, which
follows In full, was the subject Of an
animated discussion at the conclusion
of the reading.
THE NEEDS OF VERMONT COMMUNE
TIES FOR TIE SERVICE or THE
| CHURCH.
lago was to find tho relation of each Bap-
list Church to its constituency and the
extent Of its community service. The
work this year has been to supplement
that by a study of the needs Of Vermont
communities for the service which the
church should render This study has
been carried on in two ways: First. by
personal investigation by members OF
the commission second, by a survey of
10 communities properly typical Of the
State and including urban and rural. in
dustral and agricultural. populous and
. sparsey inhabited. well churched and
without a single spire.
The results of our study follow:
A good nronortion of the farmers Use i'm.
nroved tools and n much less number use
nev methods In marked contrast WITH
l this only n few houses in the rural dis.
4 tricts have devices for tightening the
9 drudgerv of housekeepers or have comfort
. appliances and sanitary improvements
y Apparently. feminism has not reached
Vermont farms.
Agriculture is progressing in three
I rourths of tho towns and many farmers
d are fairly PROSPEROUS. though more arr
Il making but a little better than a living
or. as one report has 1t, making little, bu
T. spending less"
We are unable to find a single co-orera
: tive society for selling products though
r they have been so remarkably successful
g elsewhere. There are a slowly CROWN:
+ number of co operative societies forbuyinl
d supplies. There are a number Of crea m
4 cries and cheese factories cooperative II
: name but not in fact. Those that ar
= really cooperative generally have beef
: successful.
There Is much unnecessary Sunda,
y work in the agricultural communities
u in one. Sunday Is like any other day.
Contrary to common opinion, unneces
l. sary Sunday work is more prevalent Il
y the country than in the industries. Tn
) same seems to be true as to child labor
'o Recreation is now accepted in theor
/" as a necessary factor in a balance
r. human life. In practice in most Yer
10 mont communities it is not found Il
!. any organized and proper form. Base
II ball, basketball, public dances an
- movies are the most popular kinds
w There is little supervision of the publ
= dance and nothing is done to provid
Is less Objectionable entertainment Som
90 outdoor life is provided through tn
boy scouts and campfire girls the latte
" being the only work for girls carried O
~ in Vermont. All reports agree tina
-, - nothing is being done by the church I
~ guide or facilitate recreation-and thi
~ by an institution which prea ches tn
~ Joy Of life and a re-created body.
:. In this connection, we are prompte
AZ to urge in strong terms that somethin
" be done for the social and religious Iii
" Of Vermont girls as ia now done &c
-. ~ their brothers by the State Y. NJ c.
y, :, Are not our daughters as valuable a
- our sons?
The summer visitor is an increasin
factor in Vermont community life.
one town studied they equalled 80 pr
cent of the normal population. Thu
many country church and communit
Il has been helped and even revitalized h