The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1910-06-30
A UNION OF CHURCHES

NNN 1 and
a well known writer, advocates tho
union of churches in the smaller ri.
les as a means of better supportiro
the cause of religion. While Mr. Rob.
%inson's theory will probably never no
carried out his views are interesting
He says:
The receipt of numerous letters from
ministers and laymen in commence.
ton or criticism Of my statement nar.
tanning to over-churching the now
towns, published one week ago IN.
dicates an interest which NAV nor.
haps justify a further discussion of
the topic.
A mere statement of the situation
proves the bad business principIes IN.
volyed in the present methods. and
unless there is a spiritual or an edn.
c~ational gain from it, there would
seem to be little Justification for II
from any view point. The weight If
the expressions | have received com.
mend what | suggested and ask 10
have he proposition extended to en-
brace the larger and older towns.
The city of Pierre is a fair illus.
~tration of most towns CT its class. II
has about 1000 people and supports
six protestant churches at an aproxi-
mate annual cost of $12, 900. About
500 persons, or one eighth of the pop.
%ulation, on an average attend church.
A somewhat larger number attend
Sunday school, because many of Ms
who are a bit negligent about our
church duties still exercise our pa
rental authority and compel the young
sters to go to the Sabbath school.
Now in the six protestant churches
there is no radical difference in be-
lief. Essentially they all subscribe to
the same creed, and the difference in
form of government is only compar.
able TO the differences in the con-
struction of two instruments either of
which will perform the same office
successfully, When | was a farmer
boy We harvested our grain with a Nc.
Cormick self-raking reaper, and | was
firmly convinced that it was incompar.
ably superior to any other machine
and recall that l rather pitied our
%neighbors who used other reapers, but
| too recall that the neighbor across
the way who used a Deering got his
grain m 1f Dhnnt fhn CO, ,D +,n,l $40,
did, and that usually his horses necks
were not quite so badly CALLED as
were ours. So, too, most any of the
churches will take care of the har-
vest if given the chance.
In Pierre the $4,000 a year We
spend to maintain our six churches
would take care of two of them spleu-
didly, accommodate every one who
could be induced to attend church any
where, and would leave us an abund-
ance of money to support a Y. NJ. c.
A. reading room and gymnasium and
to employ a trained director for it,
as we'll as to employ high class musi-
clans in the churches. In every way
the cause of Christianity would be
advanced and community conditions
improved if the sensible business con.
solidation of the churches could be
made. No one will question this.
What, then, stands in the way of
so desirable a proceeding? Primarily,
perhaps, the long habit of the people.
in loyalty to their particular branch
of the church, but chiefly the fact that
we have here six most able ministers,
trained for their life work, at least
four of whom would be thrown out
of office if a consolidation were TO
take place. If provisions could be
made for the ministers the cOnsolida-
ton of the six churches into not more
than three would be a difficult prob
lem; but it is c~ommendable to the
goodness of heart of the public that
it would prefer to continue the pres
ent burdensome and inefficient meth
DDS rather than to bring hardship to
any of the ministers whom they hold
in affectionate respect.
The situation in Pierre is not unlike
that in Aberdeen, Huron, Wdtertown,
Brookings or Mitchell, or any other
of the enterprising towns of the state;
and at present about the only practic-
able thing to do is to see to it that
the new towns are not overburdened
through missionary zeal.
In my letter last week | used Fort
Pierre as an example of the efficiency
of the single well supported church
in a small community, but l since