The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-12-14
PILGRIM H0NORED BY
PROTESTANT CHURCHES
Address by DR.. RaW-9ooth on the
Puritan Commonwealth and the
Future of Democracy.

\ great union service of the two
Congregational churches of Bennington
uniting with the Methodist Episcopal
and Baptist chruches, was held Sun
day evening December 12. In the Sec
ond Congregational church The ser
vice was conducted by the Rev. G. s.
Mills. The scripture lesson was read
by the Rev. w G. Towart. Prayer
was Offered by the Rev ]. A. Perry.
The quartet rendered an anthem espe.
cical y prepared for the occasion. and
the large congregation in attendance
joined in singing the great hymn:
20 God beneath thy guild
ing hand
Our exiled fathers crossed
the sea"
The addre was delivered by DR.
Rayi Booth His subject was. The
Puritan Commonwealth and the Flu
ture Of American Democracy" After
a historical review Of the great events
leading to the departure OF the Pil.
grims from England the speaker point
ed out that the twenty six thousand
Puritans who came to North America
between 1929 and l640 were drawn
from the purest. sturdiest stock in
England They could have lived in
comfort in merry England but for
their passion to serve God according
to their under tanding OF the Bible.
Their leaders eere men Of education
and culture almost all OF them grad
yates OF Cambridge or oxford They
would have been great men IN any
any age
Their purpose in coming to North
America was not to secure religious or
civil liberty for any one who might
choose to settle in this part Of the
world, but to establish a state of
which the God OF the Bible should be
the King, and in which His will should
be done as It is done in heaven
The second part of DR. RaviBooth' S
address was devoted to a discussion of
how the future of this nation can be
safeguarded He maintained that lib
Crty can never take the pace of right
eousness We have won our religious
aud politca freedom but what use
are we making of il? Freedom means
opportunity to do wrong a5 we'll as to
do right If the capitalist employer
OF labor, workingman, politicon, office
holder uses his freedom to do wrong
then American democracy will decay
Everything that is rotten at heart
must perish Calling the ship Of state
democracy with capital "D' is not
going to keep il from sinking, unles.
1t is sound in every beam and plank
Our democracy must become the in
carnation and expression of justice
Democracy must not seek to handi
cap the man of tive talents, but ol
the other hand she must keep the high
way of life open, so that the man Will
one talent may 80 as far and as fas
us the powers resident in his body
mind and heart can carry him, No
by artificial means, circulated to re
duco men of unequal endowment L
, the same monotonous and hclple /,
plano (as the BolsheyiN are doing Il
RUSSIA can democracy insure hersel
9 against death, but by the universe
practice of justice which viii chec
S and punish every criminal no matte
Q who he is. and reward every man az
cording to hii work and merit.
T In conclusion Dr. RavtBooth made
/ clear that righteousness is not fel
where there is no vision of God A
y good Christians and good citizens W
y must consecrate ourselves anew {
l. the task of keeping open the channel
Y connecting the stream OF America
: life with the infinite ocean of God
righteousness.