Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-07-17
PROBLEM Of THE
COUNTRY CHURCH
Rural Life Conference Told Or
ganizer as Well as Preach
er Necessary.

day morning with an address by Prof r.
j. Sprague, leader of the conference. on
The Problem of the Country church "
Economic changes thRt have taken place
In some parts Of New England are among
the causes Of rural church decline. Other
contributing cause; of decline are CHANGES
in views Of religion and its importance in
/ me- the loss Of leading spirits; the change
I In regard to the worth Of the church. for
people take religious HE less seriously to-
day than formerly the tendency to work
! less for the individual and more for the
salvation of the whole community, and
the inability of the church to adapt itself
and its miesion tothdchruChps Of the times
/ Preachers have tendency to hang around
the borders Of old civilization and not see
! the currents which are changing condi-
tons; they do not sec the revolution of
the present day but go back to David :
| time. Many places are over-churchou and
/ the sooner some churches are abandoned
the better. The church is struggling to
save its own life, It should live to serve
/ the community In rural places the
church should undertake u multiplicity of
activities in order to fulnll its mission I'm
the community. Suck work requires a
big man at the head of the church organ
cation, an organizer and exocuti,.a nc ,,.or
as prca cher 1t requires stronger men to
+, oi,y o,,,,,,,, ~,
,haoto,,ons ,nd se,,,,,a,,,.. -,
IN thn ,o,,,,,r,,,,,,,,, ,,l.,.a...4. No.
sor Snra,,,,o o1osoA ,,ta ,,,,.,... ...,., 80
oronco IN ,y,, ,,,,a- - ,,-,,,,,,,,,,.t.,o
the church has soi,od i,s ,,,,s.i,,, +. 49,.
town. one ir Eeu. ttar,,sbir,. ,,d a.,
other I'm ponnevl,oria
The Roy y pat, socr,.,,... 80 .,,o
Inter Church Federation of Vermont fol-
lowed with paper on Tho church and
the Boy" The speaker said:
Il desire to state at the outset ,,,. bolief
that the church through the pastor. has
a larger opportunity for shaDing the life
Of the boys of the parish than any other
agency unless II he the home and too fire.
0ucntly the church has been obliged to
""uortak" to do what HON" and parents
hay" neglected to do in this regard The
S'-'"'''u hoy prohIem Is bigger affair
IMAM most people take II to he. and in
N"'''S INSTITUTIONS and environments and
pr' suns Hii'e as huch as II does :he boy.
'"' ""N SITUATION as snch cannot he en-
"''H Ne'arnen from IN" general social
L"H.'n' american conditions nave pro-
"'''' w" american ooN'
THREE PERIODS or pov trt,u
.n.,,
nc, "'F "N''' '""' BOY
~ ~ 0' ''9'H '"'o at 'eaSt
-, ''''''~'' o''.i''i'''" an" 10Y
vided into ,bro, s.,,.a NJ a
or carly ado1..o,co t. ~. ,as 49,,
and uneven growth and tho a,r.l,ori,,,, -,
,,,i,.,, "'''' ''e ""aNoH'iE VI
nus '' wy are nero ""r-
,..,' ivy ~ ~ u'N '''P H'TuIhS
- LUIS - t"e stage
-, No., ''"' va SCI anu our
w.. ' Wv P"i' VI tne poF
1870, '''e! " " '""'" |
~. NV N''"'u "e Oh 'he great !
,,.., NV MUMMY anu u tn'
.,,r,. ''o '"e ''o''i'hk Years
, anu ''' H'"o"' ana '''
~ t"e WI ee l""o"hehtHI ihSu-'
mani i'' prominence OF
danor,,a,, '''"'
church and the home for the work of the
church and the pastor complcmonte that
Of the home The work for which ,ha
church stands must he dopo lar,ol,. T.,
connection with the home for If 10 co,
orally expccted that tho church &C. 1o,.,,a
" depondcnt uno,, tho homo for ..,,
cruits eincc 4, ,s ,bo hove h,,. ,,.,
generally found irs,do 90 $50 L,,., J.
The church to rooch .,o 49,, o,,,...,.
viii nrove moro ereoc,i,.o ,h,, Nv, ''',''','7