Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1911-05-25
THURSDAY. MAY rs, 1911.
THE FARMERS CHURCH.

We nope bnhJ Out io@NSss -,
are not religious or religiously IN
clined will not skip this article. fol
We assure them that we do not intend
to discuss the matter Of religion d
ali, but simply to point out to them
the social and educational advan'
tages Of the church in the country
There is one, thing which the farm
er now needs more than the develop
ment Of the social life Of the coun-
try. He complains Of the lack o.
society, Of the isolation Of country
life. His wife and children, and even
he himself, are nearly always glad
to see his own kind, though not his
own flesh and blood. You see 1t
every time you go to a farmers
home. In the city men and teams
may pass by the hour, and NO one
thinks II worth while to notice them;
but the farmers wife invOluntaFily
looks out OF the window and asks
Who Is going there3 The farmer
and his whole family are glad to
have chance to talk for o few
minutes to another human being,
even though a stranger.
Now the country church. quite
apart from its religious teachings.
meets this want. 1t enables farmers
to get together on the Sabbath. 1t
does the man who is confined to his
farm good to go two or three miles
ON the Sabbath to the church, even
II he sees and hears nothing more
than the horses gossiping or coop
Grating in switching the files off
each other in the pasture, by biting
each others shoulders, or the cav
Of the crows in the nearest tree,
or the bee bird darting from the
telephone pole, grabbing his insect,
and Fastening with the precious NOR
sell, or the mother bird flying from
one part Of the hedge to another,
darling at a snake that may be
in the grass, and impaling
t on the thorns Of the wild plum
rec or Usage hedge. II
One beauty Of the country church
8 that you don't need to dress as
'ou have to in the city. Whatever
ress you wear Is acceptable. pro-
ided it Is clean, and the absence
I fine clothes Ia not noticed. The
eople meet on kind OF social
quality. They gossip with one an
Their about the door before church
eglns, and, II there are two SER
nons, at the intermission. They lis !.
en- to church music, not as rendered
y a fashionably dressed choir, but
y the people of the neighborhood;
md what 1t lacks In style and har-
nony is more than likely made up
n heartiness and evident sincerity.
t is a good thing for the boys and
iris to meet together at the country
'hurch and talk with each other. No
larm is going to come from this, but
much good.
The farmer who lives near q coun-
Try church has place to send his
to Sabbath school. The
may not be very scientific,
but It will be sincere; they Will
.ome under the influence Of good
man or good woman and that per-
sonai Influence is in itself valuable.
You do not need to be a member
81 the church TO get a great deal Of
good out Of 1t. One Of the main
Ihings Is the development Of social
life, a better understanding Of your
neighbor. You see him at the coun-
try church at his best. He is not
trying to drive a bargain with you,
or to deceive you in any way. He
is simply letting you see his best
side. 1t gives you more confidence
in him. You can more confidently
appeal to him for help in time Of
sickness or trouble in haying or har-
vest. You get to know him better.
We have always had = partially
for the country church, partly but
not altogether because we we're ac-
cnsgomed to attend one in our boy
hood. The vision Of that old church
stands ont before ne today. It was
made Of brick and stood In a forest
Of oaks, Of which every farmer IN
The nelehborhood had his favorite
lreo. The farmer usually had a hook
Irlton Into . tree 70 hitch bic horses,
but We boys used 70 Ike TO bead
Iowa a small limb and dc our spirit
a hornss 70 TIE end Of shat, know
ur that ne llmb would swing, ao
~ lhsr couid not break ne hitch
- s.rso. We ersser forgot ne ~
....'s ne.l unt.r ne r.tis