Year: 1873

fered the following resolution which YVES passed unanimously:

 Resoleed.-That we earnestly recommend thai farmers clubs be formed in every town in the county auxiliary to this Club and that each Cluf so formed be requested to send two delegates te the meetings of this Club.

 At about half past two the club ad. journed for dinner at the Mansion House where they were sumptuously fed by land lord Crossman After dinner remarks were made by Messrs. Gold, Hart, Ben ton, Pratt, Hollister, Scott, and others, for which we have not space even if We had taken notes, for detailed report The leadership of Cornwall in the matter of intelligent farming and farmers or ganization5 was conceded, and attributed in great measure to their pioneer farmers club. The difficulty of learning the art of good farming and the necessity of con- scientious, hearty work, was dwelt upon. MT. Hart shrewdly remarked that the small est crop now raised was the crop of child- ren. A poem appropriate to the occasion was read by Mir. Benton and loudly ap- plauded. We feel safe in saying that for vigor of rhyme and variety of rythm it ex- celled anything that has ever been writ tenby any other poet. A vote was unahi- mously passed thanking their old friend Crossman for the bountiful entertainment he always provides for the farmers, and regretting his retirement from the Man sion House. At about half past four the meeting broke up with the expectation of more Annual Farmers Reunions

 1.-THE SAINTS"

 The damaging developments of the Credit Mobilier investigation have raised loud outcry against the saints. " The fact that men reputed to be peculiarly religious have been involved to greater or less de- gree in this most remarkable fraud throws. more or less discredit upon all professors of religion. A brief examination of the conditions of religious profession will, we think, show. that this nasty conclusion arises from an equally nasty estimate of the moral qualities which profession of religion can be reasonably expected to imply.

 Church membership implies consider able if not full degree of freedom from the sensual vices; but not necessarily frnno ba iItolIaotu,I 1,iaao WbiIo promises a life free to great extent from sensuality it can give comparatively little assurance of life free from insincerity. It is not difficult to discover the reason of this difference. The grosser vices of sensuality not only expose the professor of religion who practices them to scensure and church discipline, but they greatly disincline men to the restraints and decorous habits of church membership. 4 man who in- dulges in sensual vice must not only make an entire change of habits but. of associ- ates, upon joining a church. The self restraint he must exercise in doing this is generally proof of a radical change. So, too, the young person inclined to gayety makes more or less sacrifice of in- clination. But the middle-aged man of regular, industrious habits, whose vices are not those of the body but of the intel lect and heart, meets no such obstacles to religious profession. No change of habit is required of him. His associa- l.. from the church. He improves his so- cial position. He gains the friendship of good women, and strengthens himself with good men who do not know him too inti- mately. His derelictions from religious duty are seldom of kind that expose him to open censure. He may be himself unaware of them, or of their full extent.

 With such temptations to hypocrisy, or viewing the matter more charitably, to self-deception, can we wonder that all churches are more or less full of what for want of a better term we may call intellec- tual immorality-of members who do not always speak truth, who do not always deal uprightly, who serve both God and Nam mon? These are, indeed, the tares no church can reasonably hope to separate from the wheat. Hence we say that in a country like ours, where christianity is in the ascendant and where church member ship brings social and often business ad- vantages, 1t implies reasonable degree of freedom from sensuality, indeed, but can offer no guaranty against insincerity. This is the penalty religion must una voidably pay for success. Were the church persecuted now as of old member ship would prove vastly more than we can justly expect it to do under present conditions.

 While every intelligent member of christian church is aware of the weakness within it's pale, we doubt whether he of ten recognizes the full force of the dis 1 tinct1on briefly drawn above. He is apt also to judge others as uncharitably as others judge him, and the shameful howl that rises whenever & christian falls before temptation is the practical response to the assumption that no true integrity, no real morality, can exist outside the church.

 The Milk Meeting at New Milford, last week, was an interesting one. We learn from the Journal report that the Housa- tonic Valley Assoclation reelected its old board Of officers. Reports were then made by the Milk Producers Association. The amount reported subscribed in the Enquirer sometime since has been in- creased to $26, ,000 in the Housatonic, Val ley, and to sl0O,000, total. It appeared that outsiders were ready to subscribe the amount necessary to put the thing in op-