Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-09-28
CHURCH IN THE
OPEN COUNTRY
House of Religion Declared by
DR.. Wilson a Necessity in
Farm Districts.

Kansas city. Mo. Sept. 26-"The Church
in the Open Countr," was the subject OF
an address delivered before the national
conservation congress to-day by Warren
II. Wilson, Pm. D.. OF New York. Or.
Wilson is superintendent Of the depart
ment OF church and country life OF the
Pres byterian board Of home missions He
declared that in the country the church Is
a necessity, especially for the poor.
Il do not believe that the American
farmer will ever be assembled in VII
lagos" he said. II do not think that the
soil and the forest can be conserved by
such a plan " living. therefore I believe
that the institutions Of the farmers at
least the church and tho school should
he built strong and efficient and useful
in tho open country.
The first reason for the church in the
open country is in the sentence OF Direc-
tor Bailey Of Cornell The soil is holy.
Religion IS simply a vauing OF things.
Its highest word is holy The use Of
religion in the world is TO put things IN
their right values. and to train mems
minds in that vauing Of men and things
which Will in the largest way serve
human uses. The organization Of social
which estimate the goods of life, think
therefore. that Director Bailey. the great
agrlculturist. 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 deple-
ton Of the American soil has created a
great religious problem How shall the
poor be fed and clothed in davs to como,
In Of ,l,a
soil shall go on?
THE second reason for the maintenance
Of the church in the open country is the
fact that Only church can teach the
farmer to give to public uses. Country
HE cannot hc made worth while without
better schools and without good reliable
roads. These are essentials in the
maintenance of an intelligent and con-
tented rural population. But good farm
crS are austere.' Austcrity means to
produce much to consume little Hence
farmers are typically close and frequent
ly stingy. They have reason to be, be-
cause they are producers, and not con-
sumers. Without strong religious sys-
TEN the farmer cannot learn to give. for
his occupation trains him to save not to
spend.
try is needed as a family builder. In the
past twenty years the rural household
has been dissolved hy speculation in land,
The young people have gone to the big
city, and finally the farmer and his wife
have too often retired to the nearby town
FOR a life of idlencss and insignihcance.
Already the tide is setting back to the
farm among the farming population. am
n ~,
the sons OF retired farmers are taking
up again their fathers lands The new
country home can no built moro securely
than the old. II is a part of a new social
order, It must become not an independent
household. but center OF community
life.
THE fourth reason for the church in
the open country is that the most sue
cessful country churches are they which
have had concern for the farmers in
come Mormon churches are not failures,
and the Mormon organization Of life In
sists that their farmers shall be good
farmers and puts the whole force OF the
community behind the success OF the In
dividual farmer, The Pennsylvania Dutch
are good farmers and their farmers
Unions are their churches. The economic
life as well as the social experiences of
these various clusters OF religious farm
ers is expressed in their churches. In the
same way the Scotch and Scotch-Irish
Presbyterlans are successful because OF
the sympathy in their religious organiza
lions 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 has called the
de-horning OF the country church, In
these peaceful days we want products.
rather than contention and the dairy