The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-11-27
Passing of the Country Church.

Rev. J. H. Tedford, of Mt. Ayr,
editor of the Ringgold County Rec
ord-News, one of the clearest think
ers and best informed writer's OF the
Iowa press, contributes to the Iowa
Farmer an interesting and illumlnat-
ing letter on the rural church For
q lifetime almost, Mr.. Tedford was
a country minister in active service.
He has studied conditions at first
hand and is qualified to speak from
intimate personal knowledge OF the
tendencies of the time as they affect
country congregations. His verdict
is that the country church is doomed
and there is no help for it. Our read
ers will thank us for reproducing the
salient points of his letter, as fol-
lows:
1T is a self-evident fact that the
rural churches are passing and not
to return. They have had their day
and purpose and their work has been
we'll done. There is no use in strug-
Cling against fate. The marks of
decay and death are here and there
upon them. 1t is all inevitable, as
part of the progress and readjust-
ment of the times. Time and tide
wait Tor no man.
"Messrs. Charles O. Gill and Gift
ford Pinchot, the fathers of the fad,
have issued book, The Country
Church,, in which, as the result OF
special examination Of special cases,
they are forced to present the cold
facts of country church decay and dis
solution. They examined the rec
ords of the counties of Windsor, YER
mont, and Tompkins, New York.
Other, and precisely similar examples
might have been given. 1t is admit
ted that the conditions are universal.
They all tend to show the utter and
final decadcnce of the old-fashiOned
country churches. The little church
es at the country crossroads and in
beautiful groves are fast disappear
ing and SO is country store and the
little red school house Times
have changed and we must change
with them In many cases the viii
lagos are also disappearing. They
came as by magic and must go the
same way. Commerce with all her
forces is going to the cities and large
towns and the religious have always
followed commerce. Commerce leads
the crowd and the crowd remains
only where commerce stays. To make
money we must go where money is
and circulates To fight against it is
to fight against the inherent laws of
nature and humanity.
After inventing and floating the
rural school movement, these gentle
men are compelled to admit its fail
ure and utter impOssibility of the
plans formulated. They fall back on
common sense and natural laws.
They propose two remedies. remedies
already known and used to the limit.
The first is that the country church
cannot prosper unless it is deeply, in
telligently and effectively interested
in agricultural production, and secur-
ing for the farmer all that is best in
life To get that is the gist OF the
question and to preach g sermonette
about it is begging the question. 1t
does not solve it. The problem is in
darkness, to be worked out by the ex-
perience and common sense OF the
people.
THE second remedy is the modern
social service idea in it's application
to society. They say the country
clllrcl 70ooOS Social StlN lCe " 'ltol
ize it, common effort for the common
welfare' That is another sermonette
thrust into the body of the remedy.
1t is mere advice, the cheapest thing
in the world. The gentlemen fail to
realize that we are called to meet
conditions and not to PROFOUND the
cries. Their book is round robin
and does not fix responsibility. 1t is
lay sermon on church unity and
neighborhood solidarity things
taught in all the schools of religion.
What do the authors teach us? Moth
ing but what we all know. Where
do they lead us? Nowhere. We are
landed just where we started. The
book is all theory and speculation
and the final truth in the case must
be wrought out of the lives and eX-
periences of the people. No shot
from the city, and from the million
aires, will hit the mark. 1t is all
aside from the real question at issue
and thoroughly impracticable.