The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1914-12-10
THE RURAL I
CHURCH.
THE FARMERS THE cUSrODIANS
OF THE NATIONS MORALITY.
Cooperation Of Church, School and
Press Essential to Community
Building. !
BY Peter Radford


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 it's 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 1 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 ef-
| fort. We will take up, first, the rural
| church.
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
fluences than any other class of cit
| izenship.
| The farmers Of this nation have
built 100000 churches at a cost of
$750,000,000, and the annual contribu-
ton of the nation toward all church
institutions approximates 100000 900
per annum. The farmers of the Uni
ted States build % churches per day.
There are 20,0oO,0O0 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 Gafden 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 service which this age
demands, there must be cooperation
between the religious, social and eco
nomic life of the community.
: The church to attain it's 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
r of human life. 1t must serve the So
$ cial, business and intellectual, as well
as the spiritual and moral side of life.
If religion does not make a man more
capable, more useful and more just
what good is it? We want a practical
religion, one we can live by and farm
by, as we'll as die by.
Fewer and Better Churches.
Blessed is that rural community
: which has but one place of worship
r 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
1 blights the life, and the church preju
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.
e While denominations are essentia
S and church pride commendable, tht
J. high teaching of universal Christianity
; must prevail if the rural church is t.
- fulfill it's mission to agriculture.
We frequently have three or fou
y churches in a community which is no
n able to adequately support one. Small
CONGREGATIONS attend services once ;
month and all fail to perform the re
1igious functions Of the community
s. The division of religious forces AM
le 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 minlmized by cooperation. Th
social and economic life of a rura
III community are respective units an
cannot be successfully divided by de
nominational lines, and the churche
~ can only occupy this important fiel
Y. by cooperation and coordination.
The efficient country church Wi
definitely serve it's community by leat
ing in all worthy efforts al communit
building, in uniting the people in a
cooperative endeavors for the gel
eraI welfare of the community and i
oi- arousing a real love for country lit
ak and loyalty to the country home an
tn these results can only be successful
accomplished by the united effort {
~ the press, the school, the church an
organized farmers
ua Objects to Milk Pasteurization.
DR., Ralph Vincent Of the Manche
ne ter (England) Infants hospital sa.
lse that pasteurization cannot be reli'
upon to kill tuberculosis bacilli al
ri claims that in his experience chlldr'
fed upon boiled or condensed mi
;. have been more prone to consumptit
IT. than those fed on raw milk. One
vn, his arguments against sterilizing mi
lit is that we dc not pasteurize butter,
though it is a raw milk product. /
=, wants to prove that although har
~ full bacilli exist in raw milk they a
useful in destroying other harmful
ng, cilli in the liquid.