The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-06-12
Waste
OF GODS MONEY
THIS Is THE WAY DR.. WALTERS
cHARAcTERlZEs oVER-cRoWD-
ING OF CHURCHES IN SMALL
RURAL COMMUNITIES IN AD-
DRESS AT GRAND FORKS.

The Grand Forks Times has the fol-
lowing account of the address of DR..
J. M. Walters of the First Methodist
church Of Fargo, before the state
Sunday school convention at Grand
Forks: .
Rev. J. M. Walters of Fargo, dis
cussing the question of Rural Better
ment, under the head of Possible
ties of the Small Schools, commended
that the rural dist lets were over
crowded with churches and that the at
tempt at supporting too many
churches was a wicked waste of Gods
money. .
"Our idea of talking about rural
betterment seems somewhat anony-
NOUS to those of us who have been
brought up and lived on the farm,
because somehow or other we have
gotten the idea, and / have a sus-
picion that we are right in it, that
about the best things that are to be
found anywhere have come from the
farm" said DR.. Walters. "And m
how or other we have gotten the idea
that if we want to find that which is
shallow. we have to go to the great
city. Some of us have had experience
in both places and | still have a sus-
piciotn that we are right. However,
there must be rural problems or we
would not be here to consider them.
Got Along Nicely Then.
TN the time Of our youth when
we were living on the farm and at
tending the little rural church, we did
not hear anything said about child
psychology, or about methods, but we
did hear a great deal about the ne
cessity of regeneration and of being
born again, and VIZ got along very
nicely. OF the boys and girls that we
went to Sunday schooI with, some are
preaching the gospel; some are teach
ing in foreign fields: some have given
their lives for their flag; some are
tilling the soil; some are in the cities;
some have gone wrong, and it is my
opinion that boys and girls will con-
tinue to- go wrong until the end of
time, in spite of all that we can do,
whether we use old means or new
means OF helping them. There Is
such a thing as a rural problem.
Horace Greedy said, the way to
unite is to unite The way to do a
thing is to do it."
Churches overcrowded.
DIR. Walters gave as his opinion sew
eral reasons for the existing conditions
in the rural districts: One is that the
country and small towns are over
crowded with churches. Missionary
money is solicited from churches in
the east to help those in the west,
when those paying are no more able
to do SO than those receiving the
money. 1t is a wicked waste Of Gods
money to use it in trying to keep up
too many church organizations, when
fewer could do the work as well.
Fewer But Better Ministers.
Another solution or the problem lies
in the ministry. DR.. Walters advo-
Gates fewer ministers, fewer churches,
and better ministers and better, bigger
churches. People are not calling for
or wanting ministers to be ~agricultur-
aIists to tell them how to raise stock
or grains, but to preach the gospel of
Jesus Christ. Leave Tom Cooper to
tell them about cattle and hogs. We
are not particular enough about our
ministers, but are so anxious to keep
our churches filed that we take almost
anyone, whether qualified or not.
SuperintendentS should not be so
anxious to count noses, to keep
churches open when they should be
closed. We should all work together
for the best possible results and not
for numbers to report,
II have simply outlined, in the short
time T had to speak, a few things that
would help in our problem of rural
Ibetternaent. IfsT have hurt anybody's
feelings, \ am sorTy,n said Pr. Walters
in closing.