The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-05-19
DEpLoRE LAX CITIZENSHIP.
Vermont Congregationalists Also Want
Less Wide-0pen Sunday.

|, The Vermont Congregational confer
ence. which opened its l2lst annual meet
ing at Bennington Tuesday afternoon
closed its sessions Thursday with tn
usual resolutions and a visit by the dele
gates to the historic places and shrine
at Old Bennington. the closing service be
ing held at the Old First church with al
address OH ''Some Roots of the Past" by
Rev. Isaac Jennings.
One of the practical topics of the con
vention Wednesday afternoon was the
address on "The Church and Motion Pic
lures" presented by Rev. A. w. Bailey Of
the Sunday School & Publishing society
of Boston.
The speaker took the ground that the
motion picture is one of the strongest in.
| fluences now at work upon the life of the
community, greater than the church. He
claimed that picture houses were doing
more to put the saloon out of business
than anything Billy Sunday is doing and
| that they are also putting cheap vaude-
vile shows down and out. He spoke of
the enormous salaries paid. such as $780,
| 900 year to Charlie Chaplin to make a
fool OF himself, and 100000 year as a
salary to dainty Mary Pickford, in con-
trast to the salary paid the president of
!, the United States and other noted men.
Ninety per cent of the children of the
country attend the movies, more or less,
and while the motion picture is but Ii
years old its scope and extent is con-
stantly increasing and il will soon de-
mand a place not only on week days, but
Sundays. The speaker thought the quail
ity was steadily improving, but pointed
out some of the more serious objections
to the themes treated, such as the lower.
ing of the regard for the marriage rela-
ton. He urged discrimination in patron
izing the entertainments.
"The Duty of the Church to the State"
was the theme of the brief address of
Hon. Horace f. Graham of CTaftsbury.
Upon being introduced by the chairman
Mr.. Graham was received with a round
of applause and made a brief address in
which he compared the church to a bull
wark of the state and pointed ont the
necessity Of loyalty till death notwith
standing difficulty and hardship saying
that he who won a soul for God was
greater than he who conquered city
Among the reports of committees pre-
scented at Wednesdays session were the
resolutions Of the committee on civic JUS |,
tice which urged upon the churches and I
its people to hold themselves from pleas |
ures and distractions on Sunday, to the
extent of attendance at least upon the
morning service and Sunday school. At
tention was called to the growing indif
ference to the duties and obligations of
and attention was called TO
the necessity Of impressing upon the
youth Of the denomination the important
place which civic duty should hold in the
life OF every person. While the verdict
Of the last March elections is accepted,
The adherence to the belief that rational
and enforced prohibition is the ultimate
solution Of TIE liquor problem is reaf-
irmed. The use Of unfermented wine at
services i advised. I he rad
cal trend Of prevailing fashions in won
ms dress is deplored ss are also the I'M
lean in modern fiction and the suggestive
lints in moving pictures.
Wednesday, evening session drew =
arge audience TO hear Rev. DR.. Herman
!. Swartz. national home missionary Sec
etsrv and Rev. D. Brewer Eddy Of TIE
American board for foreign missions.
With tWo such men IN the pulpit the
arze audience got vision 81 a world
vide service il viii not soon forget
The theme ~ Dr. SusrtE. was "ThcI
-erceuteusry Program
Tire address Of nr. EDDY had for ts
hcfae, The Challenge Of Weird Chaos 70