The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-05-12

ward drift and keep the coun-
try boy on the farm, the Y. M. G.
A. must be reckoned among the most
effective, according to no less an au-
thority than the Country Life Com
mission appointed by President
Roosevelt. In its report the Commits
sion even speaks for an extension Of
the Associations present activities
for the social and moral betterment
of rural communities, for there is
apparently no other way to grip the
hearts and lives of the boys and
young men Of the average country
neighborhood" For fifteen years, it
seems, the Y. M. G. A. has been con-
structing an organization for rural
work in this country and Canada,
which now extends to So counties in
% States and provinces, and reach
es some $4,000 men and boys in $50
different rural communities. Thus all
over the country, writes Truman S,
Vance in the Independent New
York;, county secretaries are gath
ering little groups of country and
village young men and boys together
for everything from Bible-study to
amateur theatricals." We read furth-
er:
1.-THE singing-schools and debating
clubs of former days, baseball, ban
quets, or Bible-study are all religious
work to these young apostles of the
religion of uplift. 1t is all done
through a system of local leadership.
Country doctors, bankers, and farm
ers give practical talks, socials and
revivals are held, exhibits at county
fairs and athletic meets, all are un-
der the direction of local young men,
who form a sort of holding company
for Observation-Disclosures and general
community interests. But the diff
culties are great. I doubt exceeding
ly if any but country boys would re-
gard as possible many of the things
they do. Recently little group OF
these young people essayed to give
clean little entertainment. There
were but two buildings in the COM
munity of a public nature, the school
house, which was divided into two
rooms. 16 by 20 feet each, and the
church, which was not to be thought
Of. (Oh, that the country church,
often the only building large enough
to be a community center, would be
dedicated to the whole service of God
and not to only that narrow bit OF
it that priestcraft has imposed on us
as the whole of IT'D The play was t.
nally given in the school house. The
partition between the rooms was
sawed around, hung on hinges, and
swung up to the ceiling of one room,
and seventy people were seated and
as many more stood inside the build
ing or outside to see the outcome OF
the first bit of community effort in
recent years.
There is need of but small equip
ment in this rural work. l know of
little building 10 by ID feet in
which a group of fourteen held their
debates, had their reading and SOC
ial room, and met for weekly Bible
class. While only two per cent oil
H. .o,,,+io. n, tho TTnitad States
have this work, the number is doub-
ling every three years and increasing
greatly in effectiveness. The princi-
pie of getting the people of each COM
munity under their own problems
yet having one or more paid men IN
each county to discover and train
the local leaders, is undoubtedly the
right one. Their work of getting the
names of thousands that leave the
country and having them looked vi
and won by the churches and assoc
iations in the cities brings help and
friends to them just at the time they
most need hem"
The crying need OF the country az
cording to many writer's on the 'rur
al uplift," is better social life. Thi;
the Y. NJ. c. A. tries to furnish-fc
socialize the country" To quote from
statement furnished by the editor
of Rural Manhood New York;:
at takes isolated communities and
brings them together under the coun
ty work plan; it brings Isolated indl
viduals together in groups; it brings
communities together in play, in IN
tercommunity debates, in intercom
munity agricultural contest, and ii
intercommunity church movements
1t eliminates the tendency to socia
stratification, or the formation o.
,,oTproI1u Frnm