Middletown transcript., 1914-08-15
RURAL CHURCH
WORKING PLAN
Adopted by the Country Life
Conference.
SOCIAL SERVICE FEATURE
Adaptation Of Rural Schools To the
Education and Training Of Young
Men and Women For Living
In the Country.

College Park.-The committee ap-
pointed by the Country Life Confer
ence to formulate a working program
for the country church, submitted its
report at the recent session of the con.
ference, and the report was adopted.
Rev. H. McGrew, of Silver Spring,
chairman of the committee, read the
report, which is as follows:
/. Laying stress upon the church as
a center for the general uplift of the
community.
2. The hearty cooperation Of
churches in the community, in order
to unite the people in social service.
8. A thorough and comprehensive
survey in each community with view
to ascertaining its moral and religious
condition.
4. Such open and dignifed methods
in raising and expending church funds
as will tend toward creating a keen
sense of obligation to support ade-
Quately the local and general inter.
ests of the church.
5. The adaptation Of rural schools
to the education and training Of young
men and women for living in the
country.
6. Leadership in social recreation
so as to promote the moral develop
ment of the community.
z. Improvement in living conditions
with a view to conserving the higher
interests of the community, especially
in securing a Saturday half-holiday for
agricultural laborers.
8. The introduction of modern con-
veniences into the home, in order to
reduce, as far as possible, the tire
some drudgery incident to house keep
ing; and a fair division Of the family
income among. all whose efforts pro-
duce 1t.
9. Special ministry to children,
wage-earners and tenant farmers.
10. The preaching Of the Gospel all
the time and in every community.
Let our motto for the year be:
"Christ for every life and all life"
By unanimous vote, following an In
vitation by DR.. Patterson to have the
Conference repeated next year, the
ministers decided to accept the invita-
tion. 1t was decided that the Confer.
ence next year shall be preceded by a
summer school of week, when a spe-
cial course Of agriculture, adapted to
the country minister, will be taught,
and many Of the rural ministers signi-
fed their intention of attending. The
summer Conference will follow the
week after.
Prof. T. B. Simon, of the college,
who is in charge of the extension work,
advocated many new ideas that will
be put into effect during the coming
winter. Among them, the holding Of
weekly schools in various rural COM
munities for the purpose Of teaching
the farmers some Of the new ideas in
practical farming.
DR.. P. P. Claxton, United States
Commissioner Of Education, spoke on
education for the country as one Of
the greatest assets looking to a proper
development Of the rural sections. DR..
Claxton was inclined to favor COM
pulsory- education and expressed him
self as of the opinion that the state
that undertakes a system of cOmpul-
sorry education should also be re-
sponsible for the proper preparation
of the teachers for this work and also
for their adequate remuneration. In
this connection, he said:
"Our children's lives are too valu-
able to have undeveloped young men
and women experiment on them and
fail in their proper development"