The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-07-07
SPIRITED ADDRESS
BY DIR. RICHARDS
THE NEW FOURTH
Prophetic Glance to Closer
Union of English Speak
ing Nations

"Some New Meanings of indie
pendence Day" was the title under
which Rev. F. B. Richards gave a
stirring address to combined con-
gregations of the North and South
Congregational churches and the
Methodist church at the union SER
vices held last evening in the North
church building. DR.. Richards went
back to the earliest July Fourths,
traced the changes up to the present
and dared to prophecy concerning the
future.
"Could we," he said, "be carried
back thru one hundred years, we
should find ourselves in a country
utterly new to us.
"Other people in other times have
become weary of their rulers, have
thrown off the yoke, have come out of
the house of bondage, and set up that
form of government that has always
been thought the freest and most per-
feet. But our ancestors were indeed
| a highly favored people. They were
descended from the most persevering,
the most energetic, the most thrifty
of races. They enjoyed the highest
form of civilization; their climate
was salubrious; their soil rich; their
country boundless; they were ham,
pered by no traditions; they were
surrounded by no nations of whom
they stood in fear. Almost alone, in
a new land, they were free to work
out their own form of government in
accordance with their own will. The
consequence has been such moral
and social advancement rs the world
has never seen before"
"The Fourth of July oratory of
earlier days paid much attention to
England and its expressions. To
"twist the lions tail' was consider
ed the proper attitude of the orator
At the beginning of the Great War,
much of this attitude was fostered
zealously by Germans"
"Since the blood of Great Britain's
sons and our sons has been mingled
on the sacred soils of France and
Belgium, there will be no more
'4th of July speeches of the old sort
Both nations went into the war with
high, unselfish motive The future
is to see unity of the two great
English speaking nations instead of
separation. Our text books used in
schools must be revised to show the
real meaning of the Revolution-to
indicate that it was of equal benefit
to both England and the American
colonies and to show that it was a
colonial agitation against the absolu-
tion of German king on England's
throne. Great Britain's aims and
ideals are the same as our own"
eve must learn better the meaning
of Independence. 1t is not 'aloof-
ness from the great world-move-
ments There are intimations that
some in this country would try to iso-
late the United States into a sort of
hermit nations,' so far as interna-
tional responsibilities are concerned.
Yet these same people would have us
take every advantage of the oppor-
tunlty the economic and industrial
situation in the world offers to make
ourselves supreme in international
Commerce and Industry. If for no
other reason than the commercial, we
are going to be more intimately relat-
ed to the rest of the world than ever,
Before the war we owed Europe a bill
hon, now Europe owes us IL billion.
There is a close analogy between
our objections to bearing our share
OF the worlds burdens and objections
to foreign missions. Both objections
are intensely selfish and un,
Christian"
I'VE must always bear in mind that
unity has larger program than the
gaining of desirable physical condi-
tions, however valuable and import
ant. That is, the development of a
better society by means of better
men; the individual not to be sub
merged in the Mass; but the King
dom of God to arise composed of
higher individuals. Therefore
unity addresses itself primarily to the
moral and spiritual bondage which
keeps men slaves. It's independence
Day message is this: If the Son
shall make you free, ye shall be free
indeed"
"Stand fast in the liberty whereby
Christ hath made you free, and be
not entangled again in the yoke of
bondage"