Keeler-Bailey Family, 1828-1928

Deaths of babies:

Many could be prevented, says Rev. E.B. Barber

At the Universalist church yesterday morning rev. E.B.Barber spoke on the subject: ``Christian Conservation.'' He spoke in part as follows:

We have heard much in the last decade about conservation. It means to preserve, protect or save. Serious men have given much thought to it and the government has spent much money in an endeavor to conserve the forests, the water power and natural objects of interest. We have approved of these endeavors.

It is equally certain that we should give our attention to Christian conservation. In the first place we must conserve the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We talk much about gospels but we do not know them. Here is enormous power but it is unused, save in part. Frequently it is misused for merely  polemical purposes. We are too often interested in it as literature rather than a great dynamic force to move the world. The gospel has potential power to transform all life. We are not conserving this power for the world's good.

Secondly, we must conserve our Christian opportunities. They can be found all about us and they are many. We may not be equipped to answer all possible calls for service, but the opportunities are precious occasions. They are our chance to do God's work. It is not well for us to say always: I wish I could do so or help thus. These opportunities must not be wasted. We must conserve them for the good of our community and equally for the good of the church.

There is another phase of this theme that is pertinent. That is the so-called `Baby Week.' We are informed that there are 150,000 deaths of children of tender age in this country every year that might be prevented. Bad housing, diseased mothers, ignorance of the care of children and faulty feeding is accountable for a large measure of this great loss.

The mission of the church is to know about these things and to do what we can to mitigate such a condition; to save from suffering and from death those whom Christ called to Him and said `of such is the kingdom of Heaven'. It is the Christian conservation that demands from us not sympathy alone but active endeavor which means help that will do something to remedy a situation which is lamentable and cried to us for co-operation.