Las Vegas optic., 1914-12-26
The RURAL
CHURCH
THE FARMERS THE cusToDlANs
OF THE NATIONS MORALITY.
Cooperation Of Church, School ana
Press Essential to Community
Building.
BY peter Radford
Lecturer National Farmers Union.


The church, the press and the school
form 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 l want to
thank those engaged in these high
callings for their able and efficient
service, and | shall offer to the press
a 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 ef-
fort We will take up, first, the rural
church.
The Farmers Are Great Church Build.
ere.
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 q cost Of
$750,000,000, and the annual contribu-
tion of the nation toward all church
institutions approximates 5000, 900, 900
per annum. The farmers of the Uni
ted States build % churches per day
There are 20,000,000 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 Rural Church.
If the rural churches today are go
ing to render a service which this ags
demands, there must be cooperation
between the religious, social and eco
nomic life Of the community.
The church to attain its fullest meas
ure of success must enrich the lives
of the people in the community it
serves; 1t must build character; devel-
op thought and increase the efficiency
Of human life. It must serve the So
cial, business and intellectual as well
as the spiritual and moral side Of life.
If religion does not make man more
capable, more useful and more just,
what good is it? 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 that
blights the life, and the church preiu-
dice saps the vitality, of many com
munities An over-churched commun-
ity Is crime against religion, seri-
GUS handicap to society and a useless
tax upon agriculture.
While denominations are essential
and church pride Commendable, the
high teaching Of universal Christianity
must prevail If the rural church is to
fulfill its mission to agriculture.
We frequently have three or four
churches in a community which is not
able to adequately support one. Small
congregations attend services once a
month and all fail to perform the re-
ligious functions of the community.
The division OF religious forces and
the breaking into fragments Of moral
efforts is ofttimes little less than a
calamity and defeats the very purpose
they seek to promote