The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1914-12-24
THE RURAL
CHURCH
THE FARMERS THE cusToDlANs
OF THE NATIONS MORALITY.
Cooperation Of Church, School and
Press Essential to Community
Building.
BY Peter Radford

Lecturer National Farmers Union.
The church, the press and the school
form a triple alliance of progress that
guides the destiny of every commun.
ity, state and nation. Without them
civilization would wither and die and
through them life may attain its great.
est blessing, power and knowledge
The farmers of this nation are greatly
indebted to this social triumvirate for
their uplifting influence, and on behalf
OF the American plowmen | want TO
thank those engaged in these high
callings for their able and efficient
service, and shall offer TO the press
series OF articles on cooperation
between these important influences
and the farmers in the hope OF in.
creasing the efficiency OF all by mu-
tual understanding and organized eff
fort. We will take up, first, the rural
church.
The Farmers Are Great Church Build
ers.
The American farmer is the greatest
church builder the world has ever
known. He is the custodian of the
nations morality; upon his shoulders
rests the lark of the covenant" and
he is more responsive to religious in
fiuences than any other class Of cit
izenship.
The farmers of this nation have
built 10000 churches at a cost OF
$750,O00, 900, and the annual contribu-
tion OF the nation toward all church
institutions approximates 5000, 900, 600
per annum. The farmers OF the Uni
ted States build % churches per day
There are 100000 rural church com
municants on the farm, and 54 per
cent of the total membership OF all
churches reside in the country.
The farm is the power-house OF all
progress and the birthplace of all that
is noble. The Garden of Eden was
In the country and the man who would
| get close to God must first get close
to nature.
The Functions Of a Rural Church.
If the rural churches today are 60
ing to render service which this age
demands, there must be cooperation
between the religious, social and eco
nomic life of the community.
| The church to attain its fullest meas
uru of success must enrich the lives
of the people in the community it
serves;'it must build character; devel.
op thought and increase the efficiency
Of human life. II must serve the so.
cial, business and intellectual, as we'll
as the spiritual and moral side of life
II religion does not make man more
capable. more useful and more Just
what good is IL? We want practical
religion, one we can live by and farm
by, as well as die by.
Fewer and Better Churches.
Blessed is that rural community
which has but one place OF worship
While competition is the life of trade
It is death to the rural church and
moral starvation to the community
Petty sectarianism Is scourge thai
blights the life, and the church preju
dice saps the vitality, of many com
munities. An over-churched commun
ity Is a crime against religion, a seri
Gus handicap to society and useless
tax upon agriculture.
While denominations are essentia
and church pride commendable, thu
high teaching of universal Christianit,
must prevail If the rural church Is tS
fulfill its mission to agriculture.
We frequently have three or foul
churches in a community which Is no
able to adequately support one. Small
congregations attend services once
month and all fail to perform the re
ligious functions of the community
The division of religious forces an,
the breaking into fragments of mora
efforts is ofttimes little less than
calamity and defeats the very purpos
they seek to promote.
The evils of too many churches ca
be minimized by cooperation. Tn
social and economic life of a rura
community are respective units an
cannot be successfully divided by d.
nominational lines, and the churche
/ can only occupy this important fiel
| by cooperation and coordination.
The efficient country church wi
| definitely serve its community by lea'
| ing in all worthy efforts at communit
| building. in uniting the people in a
cooperative endeavors for the, gel
| eral welfare of the community and
arousing a real love for country III
and loyalty to the country home an
these results can only be successful
accomplished by the united effort I
| he press the school. the church az