The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-24
HOW Y. M. c. A. IS DEVELOPING
 CORN CLUBS AND FARMERS

The International Young Mems Chris tian association has a rural work depart ment, with a periodical devoted to churches and country life with centres in more than 300 communities.
 'Tf corn is king, then the country boy is the power behind the throne." Is the slogan of the Y M. c. A. department. Such slogan catches the fancy of the country lad. Formerly he hated to noe corn, wanted to get away and go to the circus Modern psychology has, however discovered much, and it has found that whether the boy, city or country fixes or dislikes certain things Is largely now they are put up to him. Begin rlgnt and all is well. Begin wrong and all IS HI. There is much in the method. The v. M. c. A. has introduced in some coun- ties the plan of patches of corn for each boy. The patch Is the boys own. Hon ors and prizes await the boy that makes his match yield the largest returns. There are a hundred patches and huhoreo boys tilling them in one community.
 Out in Eaton county, Wisconsln,. sons ol farmers grew splendid corn and the court
 
 M c. A. had charge of the exhibition. and the county judge, who usually helo court in the room, came to the shoW. He made speech. He said;
 "If we can get boys to raise corn like this we shall use this court room here- after to judge corn instead Of crimlnals-
 The work of the Y. M. c. A. Is not con- fined to corn clubs alone. on the maps hanging in association headquarters ann all the work and all ambitious for results, have designated no fewer than 1SOO coun- ties where resources and population are great enough to warrant the coming ol the new social engineer Sixty counties are organized now and the work is going ahead at the rate of 50 to 2O couhtles d year. Trained leaders are most heeueu' and graduates of agricultural colleges are drafted in largest numbers into such 1aadarshin Undergraduates of such col leges who desire to become leaders are sent to summer camps of the associatlohs' and also spend two months with establish ed county work.
 ..As lon.r as two-thirds of the people of this country are fed by one-third Of their number that is by the farmers who raise inc foodstuffs for their own support as well as for the vast populations or the city. so long will the cost of living oi all he affected by the social and economic conditions obtaining in rural communl- ties." said Miss Anna B. Taft Of the Presbyterian department for reaching the country church.,
 we are striving to teach the country minister to live with his people, not 10 visit them once week, sald the Rev pr Warren H. Wilson, head of the same department These two utterances strike the keynote of the new work now at tonnted successfully by the Presbyterian church. ,,
 "Although the farmer is receiving high prices for his produce, he has not yet secured economic independence contin- ued Dr. Wilson, who has recently re turned from conference or prominent Christian laymen and ministers, tosethe, with some farmers of the middle west and south, held in Mississippi valley city. "The farmer is fighting with his back to a wall for such economic hperty, and the church should be his strongest ally. In order to win they must work to- gether I do not advocate the training or ministers to be farmers. Ministers ought to be ministers and farmers ought to he farmers The place for the minister IS in his church to make It the uphtt center for the community.
 Every church has population to serve. but the old idea that a church must limit itself to spiritual aid and com fort to its own members only, and insure them at all odds salvation in future world, is exploded. The minister of the country church must be an all around man. He ought to be able to- teach ms people to play as well as to pray, and we ought to be able, from our headquarters, to teach existing ministers to give such instruction if they do not know how al ready He ought furthermore to tbe able to teach his people to live right in this world, to serve God by serving men. The church is the agency that above all can enter into these rural communities and solve some of their problems. The church that has survived persecution, that llas even survived indifference is the insti- tution best fitted to come into this mod ern situation and bring benefit with it. improved conditions out of It.
 Presbyterians formed recently a clearing house or information for all matters re- Hating to the open. country. They make surveys, collect statistics, hold confer .ences mad suggest new methods for use In rural districts. This is period of re- adjustment. The farmer is learning to handle his new tools of efficiency but slowly. For example, many would inn agine the telephone, now general in rural communities, to be blessing In bringing isolated people into closer touch. We do not find it so. In former times there was a social life, kept up by all day visits. Now gossip is learned by phone, and in many communities the sociallife has come to an end. tr
 The rural free delivery is a great aid f6 the farmer, but after all, think the Y. M. c. A. and Presbyterian experts, it is the church, already on the ground, that is the natural center sof rural social life. Problems of each community are studied. If a town has but one church 1t is created into a social center. If it is not already such, and it often is not. If there are more than one church. united social life in one center may prove a first step toward church unity. Cliques, groups and independent associations have succeeded 1t is said by these experts in chilling much of the warmth of the old time religious community. and church