The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-12-07
THE RURAL
"' CHURCH
Cooperation of Church, School
and Press Essential to
Community Building.
BY Peter Radford.
Lecturer National Farmers Union.

Lecturer National Farmers Union.
The church, the press and the
school form a triple alliance Of
progress that guides the destiny
of every community, state and
nation. Without them civiliza-
ton would wither and die and
through them life may attain its
greatest blessing, power and
knowledge. The farmers of this
nation are greatly indebted to
this social triumvirate for its
uplifting influence, and on be-
half 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
mutual understanding and or
ganized effort. We will take up,
first. the rural church.
The Farmers Are Great Church
! Builders.
/ The American farmer is the
greatest church builder the world
has ever known. He is the Gus
todian of the nations morality;
upon his shoulders rests the ark
of the covenant" and he is more
responsive to religious influences
than any other class OF citizAn-
ship.
! The farmers Of this natior
have built 10000 churches at a
cost Of $75O,OO0.0OO, and the an
nual contribution OF the nation
toward all church institutions
approximates $2O0,0OO,0O0 per
annum. The farmers of the Unit
ed States build p churches per
day. There are 100000 rural
church communicates on the
farm, and 81 per cent of the total
,, membership OF all churches re-
: side IN the country.
, The farm is tie power-house
III al progress and the birthplace
l..l nil that is noble. The Garder
no. Eden was in the country and
IL" man who would get close tc
God must first get close to ma
:',.c.
. The Functions of a Rural
Church.
II the rural churches today are
, Going to render a service whlcf
. this age demands, there must Dc
co-operation between the rel,'
eious. social and economic life
of the community.
The church to attain its fulles'
= measure of success must enrlcr
\ the lives of the people in tn
e community it serves; 1t mus
3 build character develop thought
: and increase the efficiency OF
e human life. 1t must serve tn:
social, business and intellectual
t as well as the spiritual and mora
: side of life. If religion does mo-
Il make a man more capable, more
] useful and more just, what goot
: is it? We want practical re
lipion, one we can live by ant
: farm by, as we'll as die by.
= Fewer and Better Churches.
e Blessed is that rural communit..
e which has but one place OF wor
d ship. While competition is tn
g life of trade, it is death to tn
rural church and moral starvation
: to the community. Petty secta
y rianism is scourge that blight
e the life, and church prejudice
h saps the vitality of many com
t munities. An over-churchet
y community is a crime agains
religion, serious handicap t.
8 society and useless tax upoi
r agriculture.
i While denominations are es
sential and church pride com
/ mendable, the high teaching 0
= universal christianity must pre-
/ vail if the rural church is to full
e fill its mission to agriculture.
/ We frequently have three o
: four churches in coomunit,
J; which is not able to adequatel,
= support one. Small congrcga
l. tons attend services once
: month and all fail to perform
}. the religious functions OF thu
community. The division of re
II ligious forces and the breakin,
into fragments of moral effor
is ofttimes little less than a ca
lamity and defeats the very pur
NOSE thew seek ia Drornote