Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1914-12-04
The RURAL
CHURCH
THE FARMERS THE cUSToDiANs
OF THE NATIONS MORALITY.
Cooperation of Church, School and
Press Essential to Community
Building.
BY Peter Radford

haAtSIa
Lecturer National m 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 it's great
est blessing, power and knowledge
The farmers of this nation are greatly
indebted to this social triumvirate fol-
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 1 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 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.
fuences than any other class of cit.
tZenship.
The farmers of this nation have
built 100000 churches at a cost Of
$3.50, 000, 600 and the annual contribu.
ton of the nation toward all church
institutions approximates 5000, 000, 600
per annum The farmers of the Uni.
ted States build % churches per day.
There are 10000, 900 rural church com.
municants on the farm, and 81 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 go
ing to render a 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.
ure 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. 1t must serve the So
cial, business and intellectual, as well
as the spiritual and moral side of life.
Ii religion dOes not make a man more
capable, more useful and more just,
what good is it? We want a practical
religion, n we can live by and farm
by, as well as die by.
Fewer and Better Churches.
Blessed is hat 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 a scourge thai
blights the life, ana the church preju
dice saps the vitality, Of many com
&Ah OfSl III SIICu SOllL1ul
ity is a crime against religion, a 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 tt
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 ant
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 cal
be minfmized by cooperation. TIL,
social and economic life of a rura
community are respective units AM
cannot be successfully divided by de
~nominational lines, and the churche
can only occupy this important feel,
by cooperation and coordination.
The efficient country church will
definitely serve it's community by lead
ing in all worthy efforts at communit.
building, in uniting the people in al
cooperative endeavors for the ger
eral welfare of the community and il
arousing a real love for country lif
and loyalty to the country home an
these results can only be successful
accomplished by the united effort @
: the press, the school, the church an
organized farmers