The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-09-14
FEDERATION
IS FAVORED
Among Churches In Yer
mont by Congregational
Ministers
ACTIVITY
WAS ADVOCATED
Convocation Which Has Been
Held at Middlebury
Closed Friday

) Middlebury, Sept. IA. The convoca
ton of Vermont Congregational minis.
tiers, which has been held at Middlebury
college, closed at noon yesterday. The
morning session began at o'clock with
a lecture by DR.. Hamilton Holt of New
York, editor of The Independent. DR.. Holt
spoke at the Congregational church on
Thursday evening and held an audience
OF 500 people in eager attention for two
hours. The ministers and townspeople
crowded his lecture room yesterday
morning to hear his suggestions concern
ing The League to Enforce Peace" DR.
Holt told the story of the origin and
growth OF this league and gave an in
teresting account of the response which
the plan has met all over the world and
urged upon his audience their best eff
forts for its continued success He de-
| clared that the ultimate success of this
movement depends to a large extent on
good will among men, which it is the
business of the Christian ministry to
foster
Following DR.. Holt, Prof G. f. Kent
OF Yale university spoke on the Pres
ent-Day Use of the Old Testament in
Preaching" This is the third Of the lee.
lures which DR.. Kent has given in the
series which has proved exceedingly in
teresting and helpful DR.. Kents recog-
nlzed position as an authority in the
subjects with which he dealt made his
lectures OF unusual value
The third lecture Of the morning was
on the subject of Ritual and the Re
ligious Life" by Prof. L. e. Hooking Of
Harvard university DR., Hooking insisted
that the non-ritualistic Protestant church
fails to appreciate the value of ritual |
and really makes no adequate provision
for its use. He declared If the non .ritu. |
alistic branches of the church could be |
brought to place more emphasis upon
ritual and the ritualistic branches Of |
the church could be persuaded to give up |
msistence upon the necessity of mate
rial transmission Of the authority to
perform ritual, an ample step would be
taken in uniting these different branches
of the Christian church.
He declared that ritual is supple
mentary language. It connects the pres
ent with the past, and it registers deci.
sion.
Very appropriately after this lecture
on ritual the convocation adjourned
to the college chapel for the communion
service which brought the final exercises
to close This service was conducted by
Rev. G. H. Merrill D. D., of st. Johns
bury and Rev. Enoch f. Bell, secretary
II the American board.
Early in the eonyocation a findings
committee was appointed, consisting of
Revs. &. z. Treat of Pittsford, A. S. Bole
If East Hardwick, Donald Fraser Of
Wells River, r, H. Clapp Of Brattleboro,
). H. Barnum of Jericho Center and r
Hamilton of Orleans. Just before ad ,
ournment this committee reported. az
irming the standard of action" adopted
year ago and emphasizing: o. Con-
tructive thinking and preaching, charac. 1
erization and service as Of particular E
'alue during the present period Of stress I
nd for the reeonstruetive period ahead; s
p such organization of the local church a
s will enable it to perform its own s
community task competently and to a
AXE its share in the work of the larger
alton wide and worldwide community. S
- fellowship with nearby churches, con
inuing the suggestion to make the as. +
oc1ation meetings greater source Of
over and urging more frequent confer 3
nee between the ministers; al cooper O
tion and federation with other denomi.
ations.
With special reference to the year
head the committee urges the under c
liking Of the following kinds of work:
Evangelism; recognizing that diff
rent communities have different needs
nd that no one plan can everywhere be r
sed, the committee suggests: Educa
onal evangelism in the Sunday school
lie pastors class; the win one" fellow
lip; personal evangelism by the pastor;
week or more of special services
'angelstic preaching; (2l the every j.
ember drive; the committee urges a y
orough- going effort to enlist every =
ember OF each parish in the spiritual ~
ID financial support of the church; il
desired to eliminate this movement on
every.member canvass on Sunday.
&c. s, preparation for this being made
: an educational program, beginning
out the first of October; 49, commun-
Z service; the committee urges a spe.
Il attention to this part of the years -A'
)rk. If the church is alone in It's COM
unity, let it rally its forces to make n,
e most OF its community pro D,
am. II it is one of several churches in n,
e community, let us endeayor to unite %. o.
the religious forces In cooperative i.
pport of community service. The com -