The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1914-07-25
STUDY COUNTRY LIFE

A Country Life Conference" for
ministers, Catholic and Protestant, of
Maryland and the District of Column
bia, will be held at the Maryland Ag-
ricultural College, College Park, on
August 4, 8 and next.
1t will be the first conference of the
kind ever held in the State and it is
hoped that as many ministers as pos
sible will be present. Ministers of all
denominations are invited. The col
lege will act as host. The visiting min
listers will be furnished quarters in the
dormitories and will be given their
meals at the college dining hall. The
minister will be put to no expense ex-
cept his car fare to and from College
Park and that at the minister's half
fare rate.
College Easily Reached.
College Park is easily accessible. 1t
is on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
and at least 10 trains stop there daily.
One object of the conference is to
take counsel together on the dis
turbing fact that the young people of
the rural sections are more and more
prone to leave the country for the
towns, and those who stay are not
using the churches as much as is de-
sired. 1t is the hope of many that the
country churches should be the centre
of the social as well as of the religious
life of the country communities, an1
thus rot only build up the churches
and be CT use L. the communities but
TO IN extent stop the steady move
r.?.t of the young people to the citis.
t Instances will be given of country
ministers who have accomplished Won
derful results Such one has rebuilt
his community around the church as
centre. His church thrives because it
helps the people to obtain the things
they long for-social brotherhood,
companionship, play-life and recrea-
ton, as well as more light on things
eternal and spiritual.
The story cf an experience like this,
it is believed, should be of help to ALL
Many Prominent Speakers.
Among the leading speakers at the
conference will be DR.. H. j. Patterson,
president of the Maryland Agricultu-
raj College, who will deal with the
economic phases of country life; Prof
Willet NJ. Hays, former Assistant
Secretary of Agriculture of the United
States Dr.. Thomas n. Carver, direc-
tor of rural organization service in the
United States Department of Agricul-
ture; Henry Israel. of the Internation-
al Committee of Young Mems Chris
tian Associations and editor of Rural
Manhood; the Rev. Charles o. Denies,
pastor of church at McClellandtown,
Pa, author and lecturer; Miss Anna
B. Taft, of the department of church
and country life of the Presbyterian
Board of Tome Missions; John d. Van
Scotch, interstate secretary of the
Young Mems Christian Association of
Maryland, Delaware and West Vir-
ginia, and the Rev. Ward Platt, of the
| Board of Home Missions and Church
Extension of the Methodist Episcopal
Church at Philadelphia.
How Sessions Will Be Conducted.
The conference will be opened on the
morning of August with an address
of welcome by President Patterson.
The program of the conference is so
arranged that each topic will be in
troduced by Is to 80 minute address
| by one of the specialists and then will
be turned over to Free -for-all discus
! sion. More than half the time is thus