The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-07-21
MAN NO GREATER
THAN He BELIEVES
SAYS RAv|-B00TH
Old Bennington Pastor Lectures
on Joseph Mazzini
CENTURY'S GREAT REBEL
Prophet Who Looked Further
into the Future than Any
Man of His Time

the First Congregational church, Old
Bennington, lectured Thursday even.
ing at High school hall on the sub
ject, "The Great Rebel and Prophet
OF the 18th Century.
DR.. Ravi-Booth gave the place and
time Of the nativity and death OF
his prophet and then proceeded to
show how we'll Ills writings and
preachments, made in the middle
part of the 18th century, had so clear
ly and broadly been written of the
future and was was necessary to
bring certain things about for the
betterment OF mankind
The speaker said, Because my
prophet had ideas and hopes so far
ahead OF his day he was looked upon
as ap enemy, to the monarchy exist
ing in Italy during his lifetime. He
was rebel Driven from his own
country, he wandered throughout
Europe, finally returning to his home
land to die under an assumed name -
DIR. Rayi-Booth said in part: A
man cannot become greater than he
believes. My prophet held that in
spite of the prevalence Of sin God
exists II there was heaven, he
could not dream OF it as being any
more beautiful than the earth. he
saw Nature in her ultimate perfection
and beauty Man, because Of his i'm
perfection at SHINING, mars [ world
and his earthly existence for l. lseif,
making it hell.
BY man is meant both mae and
female. My prophet, even il lose
days when woman was not lnsld-
cred the equal of men, believe that
humanity was like tree sp Igins
from the ground with two great
branches One equal and necessary
to the other. They were symJolical
OF man and woman. The two, q be
sure, are different. but spiritually and
morally and in their hope for the NJ,
lift OF the race they should b. one
They should be in harmony.
soul knows no sex.
My prophet believed that God had
not completely revealed himself To
man. Neither did he believe that the
Creator had revealed himself in but
one place, to one race, in one book.
The Father OF man was slowly lead
ing mankind up to perfection. Trying
him, moldng him and revealing to
him as he came better and better to
understand. God was not foolish.
He did not reveal himself and LAS not
yet completely revealed himself and
has not yet completely revealed him
self to man. Why? Because man is
! yet child.
My prophet declared that there
was Divine revelation in all the great
religions of the world For certainty
the Maker would not fill the earth
with human beings and then become
partial to one little portion of them,
They all serve their purpose. Like
the columns OF a temple they stand.
The greatest of them is Christianity
But still more columns must rise be-
fore mankind ascends into the temple
of the Almighty on earth.
My prophet took issue with both
Catholicism and Protestanism. This
former because of its unbreakable
religious DEGREES promulgated by
those who hailed themselves as
Gods anointed, The latter because
it considers the Bib'e as being COM
plete and Gnal-the absolute fullness
of the Creators revelation.
My prophet believed that there
was a certain definitee route over
which humanity must eventually
travel to come to perfection; per-
feet family life, perfect social life,
perfect national and world life and
perfect accord with the Creator.
He said that the mind and CON
science of man would direct him If he
would but let it. In personal cases
where decisions are hard to make,
The individual should fall back upon
the traditions of mankind through
out the ages. They are the con-
science of humanity.
Down all time, man has found that
the family, is absolutely necessary to
the race. Anything that hurts that,
hurts the race. Yet today to an
alarming measure, we are allowing
our family life to decay The home
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home The children are not children
are not children. They are crea-
lures, things.
The individual hates war, hates
combat. Because he is afraid of his
skin. His conscience tells him what
he should do or 'hould not do He
is uncertain, But let him measure
his own conscience against the tradi-
tions of man kind He can find an
answer there When duty, and pa.
triotism have called, youth since
time immemorial, has gone forth and
given his time, his b,ood, his life for
love Of country.
My prophet believed that duty was
the watchword the vital life to this
uplife for which he dreamed. In
those days, even as in the present
men considered their rights before
their duties. If mankind as a whole
would but see the reason of my
prophets words, what different
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