The daily sentinel., 1912-03-18
SHAFFER TALKS
Of BUILDING
COMMUNITIES
Secretary of Chamber Of Commerce
Opens Series of Addresses on ''Op-
portunity' by an Interesting
Talk at Local Church.

Last night at the First Presbyte-
rian church, Rev. d. Luther Edwards
introduced the first of series of
speakers on Opportunity. in Fred
G. Shaffer, secretary of the Chamber
of Commerce, who spoke on "Op-
portunity to Serve Humanity by
Community Building" His remarks
were heard by large audience and
created deep impression.
The progress of the church is.
indeed, encouraging, said Secretary
Shaffer. There are veteran mem
bers of the Presbyterian church be-
fore me tonight who can testify as
to the wonderful transformation
wrought by the lapse of time. Dur
iEe my own boyhood days the only
days in the year when | could not
conduct myself in a human way were
the occasions of the visit of the min
ister-on those days | was supposed
to conduct myself in divine man
ner Today we find that the broth
erhood of man and the Fatherhood
of God is occupying place in the
religion of the world. Your pastor
has proven to you that religion, after
all, is love and sunshine and happi-
ness and optimism.
ter of the gospel should be morose,
moribund, long-faced and unhappy.
Religion should make the man a
happy man or it has failed in its
purpose. There should be music in
the world every hour of every day
for the genuine Christian. Music in
the song of the birds, in the laugh
of the little one. Sermons in the
stones, sermons in the trees and in
the forests, happiness in the sun
shine and joy in the realization of
every blessing vouchsafed us. by a
benevolent Providence.
City building must be accomplish
ed by building up the country trib-
utary to the city. A most vital
question to be considered by the
church is the question of giving no.
tice to the world that it proposes
to change the existing ratio of set
tlement between the farm and the
city. Such course would prove a
national benefit At the present
time three consumers are fed by one
producer Twenty years ago one
producer fed a consumer AS a re-
suit the law of supply and demand
has been supplanted by the law of
greed and those in position to exer-
else power have taken advantage of
the deficit in production and are in
position to exercise a voice in fixing
its price to the consumer
Poverty and want must follow
such condition. The pressing need
of the present is campaign of edu-
cation that will change this ratio by
discouraging the belief of the young
man that it is more honorable to
chase the elusive in the glare of the
city lights than it is to follow the
substantial on tile farms of the coun-
try.
Cities will build themselves If
you build around these cities trib-
utary country, for the consumer
needs no invitation to open up a
business where he can deal with the
! product of the producer At the
present time Mesa county possesses
a well-balanced condition in this
regard. With a population of about
! $4,000 people there is about one-half
of this number in her cities and
towns. To build up on any other
| basis would be to invite disaster.
The 'back-to-the-soil' propaganda
! is of national important and upon
the theory expressed in its basic ele-
men must rest the future of the
country. When we are taught that
| it is more honorable to be producer
than consumer; when the young men
are led to believe that the joy ride,
the annihilation of space, the posi-
tion in so-called society and all these
things are actually phantoms, the
world will grow better"