The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1890-11-20
ESTABLISHED 1865.

trast them with The farmers OF Kansas,
where, uut OF 5000 farms, $4,000 are
urder mortgage. Just think Of that.
And 2G,OO0 Of these mortgages have
been foreclosed, and the farmers who
once owned them are tenants at will,
liable to be turned out at any day.
What is the matter there" If the laws
are oppressive, why don't the same
laws bring ruin here, too? There Is not
but one farm in twenty-four that has
mortgage upon it in Barlow County.
What is the cause of this great and
alarming difference between the farm
ing interests Of the North and the
South? Why is it that Maine, and
New Hampshire and Vermont have
been partially abandoned by the farm
ers? Why is it that so many Of the
farms in New York and Illinois and
Kansas and Missouri are under mort
gage? I wish that we did know. Fit
is the laws, please let us know what
laws.
: And this reminds me Of what have
just read in the Andover Review for
November. 1t is the organ of New En-
gland orthodoxy. It is now lamenting
the decay Of religious interest among
the farming population of the North.
DR.. Dunning says that there are nine
ty-five towns in Maine where no reli-
gious services are held, and there are
more country villages in Illinois with
out the gospel, than in any other State
in the Union. Just think of that! The
great State Of Illinois that has two
counties that make more grain than all
Georgia. This great State that stands
fifth in the scale Of education, and for
tieth in the grade of Christian religion.
What do you say to this you advocates
for education? Education regardless
of moral training?
DR.. Dunning says that the Presbyte-
rians have 1900 churches without pas
tors, and the pastors have 10000!
Nearly all of these vacant churches are
in the country towns, where farming
is the principal occupation of the peo-
pie. They once had pastors or religious
services, but not now. The number of
educated men in the Northern pulpits
is steadily decreasing and the young
men who are graduating in the theo-
logical seminaries are seeking other
callings because there are no inviting
fields for them to work in. The city
churches are full, and the country
CHI eASl!<cn5ss viii not pay enough to keep
body and soul together.
The fact is that farmers whose homes
are under mortgage don't take much
stock in preachers or preaching. No
thing bows man down like debt-a
debt that he knows he cannot pay.
The best index Of the prosperity and
the morality of community is the
standing of their preachers. II the
people are doing well they have got
preachers, and they pay them, and they
fix up their churches and take pride
in them. Poor people, poor pay; poor
pay, poor preach, and hence the young
men who want to preach are discour-
aged.
But, thank the good Lord for his
mercies, this is not the case at the
South. Our small towns are generally
supplied. You can hardly find one
that does not have preaching in some
church every Sabbath, and Sunday
schools are universal. Go to Pine Log
or Euharlee, or old Cassville, in our
county, if you want to see Sunday
schools. These are all country settle
ments, and some one Of them always
takes the banner at our union celebra-
ton. On the whole, it does look like
our people are prospering and our
sunny South is looming up.
So mote it be. BILL ARP.