The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1911-09-28
Declares DR.. Warren Wilson
before the Conservation
Congress.
VILLAGE ASSEMBLY
For the American Farmer VIII
Never Be a Success
He Says.


KlANAs CITY, No. Sept. ~
Explanation of why former preai-
dent Roosevelt did not attend the
Conservation Congress waa one Of
the principal features ON today.s
program.
The Church In the Open coun-
try" was the subject OF an address
delivered today before the congress
by Warren II. Wilson, PHI. D., Of New.
York. Dr.. Wilson is superintendent.
Of the Presbyterian board OF homo
missions. He declared that In the
country the church is necessity. es-
.pecially for the poor.
Il do not believe that the Ameri.
can farmer viii ever be assemblod In
villages" he said. "T do not think
that the soil and the forest can bo
conserved by such a plan of living,
therefore believe .sat the inStltu-
tons Of the farmer, at least the
church and the school, should be built
strong and efficient and useful in the
open country.
The first reason for the church in
the open country is in, the sentence
of Director Bailey. OF Cornell, The
soil is holy, The use OF religion In
the world is to put things in their
right values, and to train mems minds
IN that valuing of men and things
which will in the largest way serve
human uses. The organization of 90
cial life is. in part, BY religious insti-
tutions, which estimate the goods OF
life. think, therefore, that Direc-
tor Bailey, the great agricuiturist.
has been moved by the spirit OF God
to say that the soil is holy, In that
sentence scientific agriculture has
spoken in religious terms. For the
depletion OF the American soil has
created a great religious problem.
How shall the poor be fed and clothed
in days to come II the present waste
Of the values of the soil shall go on?
The second reason for the main
tenance of the church in the open
country is the fact that only church
can reach the farmer to give to public
uses. Country life cannot be made
worth while without better schools
and without good reliable roads. !
These are essentials in the mafnte-
nance of an intelligent and contented
rural population. But good farmers
are austere.' Austerity means to pro-
duce much and to consume Httie.'
Hence farmers are typically close ana
frequently stingy. They have reason
to be, because they are producers
and not consumers. without strong
religious system the Garner cannot
learn to give. for hds occupation
trains him to save, not to spend
Thirdly, the church in the open
country is needed as a family builder.
In the last twenty years the rural
household has been dissolved by spec
ulation in land. The young people
have gone to the big city, and finally
the farmer and his wife have too Of
ten retired to the nearby town for
life of idleness and insignificanee.
Already the tide is setting back TO the
farm among the farming population.
l am told that In Iowa the census
shows that the sons OF retired far
mers are taking up again their faith
ers' lands The new country home
can be built more securely than the
old. 1t is part Of new social er.
der. 1t must become not an indepen-
dent household. but center of COM
mun!ty life.
1.-THE fourth reason for the church
in the open country is that the most
successful country churches are they
which have had concern FOR the far
mers income. Mormon churches are
not failures. and the Mormon organl-
cation of life insists that their farm
ers shall be good farmers and puts
the whole force of the community be-
hind the success of the individual far
mer The Pennsylvania Dutch are
good farmers and their farmers un-
ions are their churches. The econom-
ic life as well as the social expert
ences of these various clusters OF re-
ligious farmers is expressed in their
churches. In the same way the
Scotch and Scotch Irish Presbyterlans
are successful because of the sympa-
thy in their religious organizations
which makes for the success Of their
people in the country.
Along with this goes the peculiar
subtle change in religious feeling in
the country, which someone called the
de-hornlng of the country church.
In these peaceful days we want prod
ucts, rather than contention, and tho
dnIryman has de-horned tho dairy
COW, because she needs no longer 10 (,
night, but needs TO produce much
milk and to consume little meal. For
parallel reasons the country church
needs no longer to night, but to pro-
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