The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1912-05-24
Religious Work


Seventeen hundred churches are re-
ported 10 have been abandoned in ILL
nois within the last ten years. Per-
haps a thousand churches are on the
inactive list In Missouri and . propor
tionate number in Kansas and lows.
These startling statistics. made in n
talk by President Henry J. Waters OF
the Kansas State Agricultural college
before the Bible institute OF the Con-
gregational church In Tokepa. nave
startled the church people Of Kansas.
Dr. Waters declared that doubtless
many Of these abandoned churches
represent misdirected UNCONVENTIONAL
enthusiasm and are churches thar
should never have been built AMI
which from the outset were doomed 10
die. The facts are that the church
has not held its own in the rural dis.
tricts''
DR. Waters expressed q sentiment
that is taking root in scores OF commu-
mites in Kansas. In the early settle
ment of the state every little village
and town struggled TO keep up two or
three church organizations and main
tain as many church buildings. Ee-
ginning with this year. dozen small
towns have turned 10 the unioniZation
OF these churches. This sentiment was
cemented among the membership OF all
churches through union revival serv-
/ ices. in which the local ministers and
| choirs joined. In every one OF these
/ towns the people are pleased with the
new plan. and one preacher is minis
/ tering to all the church members who
/ formerly separated into two or three
/ little UNCONVENTIONAL fiocIs. This grow
ing movement Will see in another year
1000 abandoned churches in Kansas.
"One educated minister To every 600
to 1000 souls is all we can afford. and
we work him TO death and starve his
! family" DR.. Waters said lis ii any
wonder that the attendance in the the
illogical seminaries is continually fall
/ ing off in number and in quality. while
in the schools Of engineering and agri-
culture and other so called productive
occupations the attendance has doubled
on an average of once every ten years?
And yet, who dares to say that having
our young men and young women care
fully instructed In the basic principles
of moral uprightneSs. individual and
social, is of less Importance than is in
structiOn in the things that will serve
TO keep them out OF the almshouses?'
What will become Of the abandoned
country churches in Kansas is ques-
ton that is being discussed. Already
they are mentioned rs suitable for
stockbarns, and farmers and stockmen
are considering their purchase as soon
as the struggling congregations decide
to give them up. In Il half dozen COM
munities in the state such negoti: tons
are being considered
Church and Public Health.
I'VE are accustomed 10 estimate the
state of Christianity by The number OF
church members and not by the figures
of the bureau of vital statistics" said
Robert Fulton Cutting recently In
speaking of the church and public
health. "Can II be that Il community
where the death rate is suspiciously
high is at the same time one in which
Christianity languishes: The afIiic-
tons of humanity, which are largely
preventable, make il unnecessarily diff
ficult for Christianity to fulfil its spir-
itual responsibilities TO the world. Sin
gle handed, even with all its abundant
resources, the church could not ade-
quately sweep these obstacles from it's
path, but government, clothed with au-
thority Of the whole people, # support
ed by the cooperation OF the church,
can wrestle successfully with the prob
lem. Thus, although Christianity has
established its hospitals, its asylums.
homes. dispensaries and its children
visit and minister TO the sick and suf-
fering, there remains a multitude OF
accidents and diseases with which she
IS as yet little acquainted and over
which she is not sufficiently exercising
herself"
Mr.. Cutting told OF the sanitation TIL
umph won by the government In the
canal zone He Said the achievement
had given us an ideal within the reach
Of official capacity and new hope for
the health and happiness OF the race.
What philanthropy can compars
with a benefcence which touches 10O
per cent OF the populationT he asked
The Christian stands by be contin,
ued, land watches this splendid work
with sincere qualification. But II does
not occur 10 him that what has been
done In the canal zone may be done IN
his neighborhood In stamping out tn
berculosis, in preventing the spread OF
typhoid fever and other infectious dis
eases and in saving infants lives.
r The church must now learn 20 dis
e Germ the missionary In the doctor, the
r sanitary engineer and the health Off
e cial, ard these In turn Will learn TO ap
preciate the spiritual function OF an or
= ganization that interprets Christianity
l. for ho haolfh 0f