The Newtown bee., 1895-02-01

everything appears so hopeless? This condition of affairs is a crying shame in this intelligent age. Someone must an swer for this neglect of what should be a most hopeful part of our people.
 The suggestions that have been made, if faithfully observed, will do much good in checking an increasing evil, but they are by no means adequate to the task in hand. There is imperative need of thorough, sacrificing Christian men who will give their lives to painstaking, scientific study of the country town. There is sufficient material for the spec iaiist, and the fruits of such labor are more promising than at first appears. These men should have leading paper or magazine edited solely in the interest of country people, illustrated and made attractive for country homes. This should collect and preserve all results and experiments of vital interest to coun- try people, whether moral, social, politi- cal or religious. It should be carefully edited with view to make popular among country people those vital ques- tions that most concern them. It should be fresh and original and the closest touch with country people. Such pub lication would be welcomed in thousands of country homes, and would have as good financial backing as many of the magazines, papers, and reviews which are tapping and overlapping one another in perplexing inconsistency. None of these say much or do much for this peo- pie. They feel it and would welcome anything done heartily and done we'll in their behalf. They do not want agricul- ture mixed with second hand religious sentiment. They do not want purely re- ligious news; they want something that they never have had and never will have until trained men make speciality of their cause, for the good of common humanity. Such publication would at once become storehouse of results of the best thought and investigation, which would find it's way to almost every library table in the land, and would be consulted by all classes of men. Unquestionably the country church is an important factor in the so- luCion of the problem of the country town. In order that these churches may be supplied with pastors most needed to- day, country people are demanding of theological seminaries that special train- ing of young men in those lines of Chris tian sociology which have directly to do with the country town. But it is la- mental ble fact that few if any of our theological seminaries are prepared to give this phase of ministerial training that attention which it deserves.
 The facts are that the literature on this question as we'll as persoLal exper- fence, is meagre and scrappy. It ought not so to be. It will not be so when some specialist casts his fortunes with country people and reserves present ten- dencies, and leaves to the world in sub stantial literature the results of patient labor and investigation.
 Give to the country home the litera- ture that she needs, to the country school Christian teacher, to the coun- try church an efficient and devoted pas tor, and to all Godly zeal and interest in behalf of the country town, and then let the cities contribute heartily and hopefully to these same purposes, and there will go forth from these towns into the cities such character as they have never known.-[Our Country Church.