The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1911-06-01
The M CHURCH
=. John Franklin CroweIl il
Wallace's Farmer.

Ia sIOllh /
Wallace's Farmer.
We hope that our readers who
:, not religious or religiously in
lined will not skip this article,
IT, we assure them that we do
po+ intend to discuss the matter
~ religion at all, but simply to
onint out to them the social and
pJncational advantage of the
.burch in the country.
There is no one thing which
.bo farmer now needs more than
tbe development of the social life
# the country. He complains of
tbp lack of society, of the isola
tim of country life. His wife
md children, and even he HIM
spIf, are nearly always glad to
900 his own kind, though not his
avn flesh and blood. You see it
srerv time you go into a farmers
home. In the city men and teams
NAV pass by the hour, and no
one thinks it worth while to no.
tice them; but the farmers wife
involuntarily looks out of the win
dow and asks Who is going
thpre9 The farmer and his whole
family are glad to have a chance
TO talk for a few minutes to an
other human being, ever though
a stranger.
Now the country church, quite
apart from it's religious teach
ings. meets this want. It 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 Sab
bat to the church, even is he sees
and hears nothing more than the
horses gossiping or cooperating
in switching the flies 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 morsel, or the butcher
bird flying from one part of the
hedge to another, darting at a
snake that may be crawling in
the grass, and impaling it on TIE
thOrns of the wild plum tree or
Usage hedge.
One beauty of the country
church is that you don't need to
dress as you have to in the city
Whatever dress you wear is ac-
ceptable, provided it is clean, and
the absence of fine clothes is not
noticed. The people meet on Il
kind Of social equality. They Cos
sip with one another about the
door before church begins, and, if
there r two sermons, at the IN
remission. They listen to church
music, not as rendered by a fash
iOnably dressed choir, BIT by the
people of the neighborhood; and
what it lacks in style and harmony
is more than likely made up in
heartiness and evident sincerity.
1t is a good thing for the boys and
girls to meet together at the coun,
try church and talk with each
other. No harm is going to come
from this, but much good.
The farmer who lives near
country church has a place to senC
his children to Sabbath school
The teachings may not be very
scientific, but it will be sincere
they will come under the influence
OF a good man or a good woman
and that personal influence is IL
itself valuable.
You do not need to be a membel
OF the church to get a great dea
OF good out Of it. One of the mail
things is the development of so
clal life, a better understanding O.
your neighbor. You see him a
the country church at his best
tie is not trying to drive a bar
gain with you, or to deceive you il
any way. He is simply letting
you see his best side, and it is
good thing to see that best side
1t gives You more confidence il
nm. You can more confidently
appeal for help in time of sick
ness or trouble in haying or harv
est. You get to know. him bet
ter.
We have always had a PARTIAL
" for the country church, partly
out not altogether because W.