The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1910-12-19

the highest success. He gives the peo-
pie theology when they want the stR-
Die faith. He tells them how to dte
when they are trying to learn how y
live. r II srwe~g w~a#3
Modern agrfculture., has awakened
the r,ural counnalnitkA kthas renovatr
ed the rural schools. SIS: aid & + where giretla
chance it is breathing, the breath of Life
into the county churches. Thekldea
is sacrilegious only to those WHO re-
gard agriculture as an occupation
only, like: banking or law. Agriculture
is much more thanI this. 1t is a. life
led BY more than 4O.OO0.O0O people.
The church that does not recognize
that life and help the people who, iare
living it to solve their problems can
not hope to become power in its
!. e@ I'm "f1ats,SSxs.aalti{9s nz1 must come
fo aa is,hs sefies'fs1Rfaf ,hr ciian.h
1t makes little difference whether ~
,ricnltpre, ,reRlaces. some OF the theolo-
gy ii the den6inillational schools or
Whether practical Ffeligion is Gi3en,
larger 0nllacs ~. 9the agricultural eel
leges. ,Tbe successful country baster
of the future WIN be educated on n
mixture of religion and agriculture
He will have a deep. abiding sEnllaa@5
thy with country life and an apprecia-
ton of its problems. He will lift the
church to its proper place in theaeom-
munitys The mission boardsM are
sending many .fndnsTfal missionaries"
to foreign lands. These are young
men and women trained in the indus:
trial colleges. They are training the
heather IN the arts of agriculture and
industry and are making better Chlis-'
tians of them than has ever been done
before. If men of this type could be
I placed in the country churches of this
nation the moral. life of the land
would be revolutionized. Is
l do not mean that agriculture%need
be preached from the pulpit, although
that may be: admissible on occasion.
In the spring of 1910 Iowa FACED a
seed com famine. En Early freeze the
fall ueforess@ stVdfe the vitality Of a
large share of tie seed corn while it
was still in the fields. AS planting time
( approached it became evident that I'M
less something unusual We're done the
greater share Of the cornfelds Of the
state would be planted to corn that
| would not produce more than az frac-
ton of a stand, Twenty per cent of
| the best corn in the state, which was
shown at a. corn. show at the agricul-
tural college in January. was hbso-
| lutely dead, Tests of ordinary seed
over tire. state showed that not more
than % per cent of the average seed
was capable of producing Strong stalks.
| In this crisis the extension departm ent
| of the college. among other things,
4 sent out letters to nearly all the coun-
try preachers in the state asking that
they preach sermons on the importance
of testing seed corn and throwing out
the bad ears A few of the preachers
We're insulted by the suggestion, con.
sidering that such Il course would be
a proclamation of the church. But more
than 400 preachers prepared sermons
in acccrdaAcce With the suggestions
and delivered them. A better text
could not have been desired. The anal
ogy between seed corn and men was
easily drawn. and from the idea OF
testing seed corn it was an easy ster
to the thought Of, how men must be
! tested. The most powerful sermons
given in many Of the country churches
in Iowa thar winter were those witt
seed corn for a theme. I'm addition. nh.
| preachers had the satisfaction of know
i ing that they had a part in adding Il
the material as we'll as to'the spiritua
welfare Of their communities.
This case is an,eXception. but it Illus
trates the point More often the pas
tors agricultural knowledge will5stana
him in good stead se,ntside~ the ehurel
door. At Will give him an Bndersre nd
ing Of nature that will be refected; Il
his sermons and will reach rhe heart
Of his people IN way that sermon
laden with the spirit OF the pave
streets never could do The paste
who calls on one Of the farmers i
his community and talks with Trim Il
telligentlv rega riding his work. per hap
giving him some feipfbl suggestion!