The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-04-17
KEEP COUNTRY BOY
AND GIRL At HOME
NOT GETTING A SQUARE DEAL
WHEN DEMAND FROM THEIR
ENVIRONMENT.
CHURCH AND HEALTH
DIR. WILLIAMS TELLS HOW RELI-
GIOTS BODY CAN AID IN
IMPROVING COMMUNITY
MORALS,

Easily the feature Of the conference
of Virginia preachers, which held two
/ sessions yesterday in the Y. NJ. =. a
auditorium. was the address Of
Thomas s. Settle. formerly superyi-
sor of rural schools in Virginia, and
now field agent in similar work for
the conference on education in the
South. Mr.. Settles address was illus
trated with stereopticon views taken
by himself in the mountain sections
of Virginia, principally Rockbridge
county. This county, as Mr.. Settle
explained. was one of the best in the
state: boasts of two big universities.
has many wealthy citizens and good
churches, but there was still much to
do in the way of extension work for
the betterment of rural conditions
and the pictures he displayed bore
out his contentious.
He. declared that the country boy
and girl are not getting a square deal
and the idea of some educators and
other influences to remove them from
their environment and take them to
the towns and cities where they might
get better advantage is all wrong;
the idea is to improve their environ
ment SO they can have these advan-
tages on the farm MIR. Settle did
say that the country churches of Viz
ginia had co-operated literally and
heartily with him in this work, but
there is still a great work To be done.
Improving Sanitary Conditions.
DR. Ennion q. Williams of the state
board of health outlined some of the
steps that the church could take in
improving the sanitary conditions on
the farm. and Or. :. G. Mitchell, Of
the University Of South Carolina. urs-.
ed the churches to cooperate In Sc
curing better educational facilities for
the country sections better roads and
more of the comforts of life
Rev. ". $. Hove stressed the part
the country church could play in the
Improvement of community morals,
and cited instances Of the great bene
fits TO rural communities from the
cooperation of the rural churches in
the organization Of civic leagues, de-
batting societies, athletic clubs. and
the like. the preachers themselves TAX
ing active part in this work, and the
schools. In return. aiding the minis
tiers in the upbuilding of the church
In the round table conference Of the
afternoon it was very clearly shown
by the various speakers both on the
part Of the schools and the country
churches how close cooperation would
tend to the upilft and development
OF country life.
Take school Out of Politics.
DR.. Robert Frazier. OF Lahore. who
spoke of the social service aims Of the
country church, wants the school sys-
TEN taken entirely out of politics and
placed under the control Of educa-
tional experts who know their bust
ness.
Rev. h. Nj. Beckham. of Danville.
presiding elder of the Methodist
Church for that district. said that
there was much that could be done
TO receive the burdens Of the far
mer's wife. He said that he knew of
one instance in which a hydraulic
ram had been placed to carry water
TO the home at cost of 500. ana
in twenty years il had cost less than
So TO keep in order Prior to that
time the farmers wife walked more
than thousand miles a year for
water.
He believed that the schools could
be vastly improved. that in his Sec
ton there were some schools which
paid teachers SIS Il month. and ran
for only five months. He said that it
could be imagined what sort of teach
ers could he gotten for that price.
As matter Of fact there are more
farmers wives in the State hospitals
than any other class
Rev. DR.. u. Clay Lilly presided at
the conference, and there were more
than a hundred interested ministers
and educators in attendance upon its
sessions. /, asFaaSa