The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1914-08-21
COUNTRY LIFE CONFERENCE
CONES TO AN END.
Large Number of MARYLAND Ministers
Attend Sessions AT Agricultural
COllege-They Prepare q Working
Program for the Country Church.

/ Program Tor the Country Church.
The first country life conference
for rural ministers at the Agricultur-
al College, College Park, came to a
close Saturday afternoon with a
stirring address by Rev. Ward Plat,
of New York, who spoke on the great
field open to the country minister az
force In the upbuilding OF world
Christianity. He declared that the
country minister cannot build a live
church on a decaying agriculture He
must bend his energies toward en-
couraging more progressive methods
of farming and education for country
life with his church as the guiding
force Ii he is to be Of genuine service
TO his people.
| Over two hundred ministers from
| all parts of the State attended the
conference, and the opinion was free
ly expressed among them that none
had ever attended a more harmonious
or helpful INSTRUMENTATION con-
ference. More expressive than words
was the first fruit Of the conference,
| a working program for the country
minister, prepared by a committee
consisting of Rev. II. McGrew, of
Silver Spring; Rev. J. r. Edwards, Of
Walbrook; Rev. G. a. Snyder, Oh Mid
dletown; Rev. I'll. IL. Hannill, OF
Gaithersburg, and Rev. Il. D. Rich
ards, of Germantown.
| He recommended that the country
minister should male his church the
center for the general uplift of his
community. To this end, he must
project the spirit of Jesus Christ into
the lives and daily activities OF his
people. In doing this, he should
work in hearty cooperation with the
other churches in his community in
order to unite their people in social
service. He should also join with
Ills Fellow ministers in making a
thorough and comprehensive survey i'm
each community with view to ascer-
tanning its moral and religious con
dition. He must thoroughly know
ms people and his neighborhood if he
~ to minister to them and their
needs. He should encourage such
open and dignified methods in raising
and expanding church funds as will
tend toward creating a keen sense of
obligation to support adequately the
local and general interests Of the
church.
Special ministry to the children,
wage earners and tenant farmers was
urged upon him. He should enter
into the life and thoughts Of his
young people and make an effort to
appeal to them vitality. He should
urge the adaptation of rural schools
to the education and training Of
young men and women for living in
the country AS U. s. Commissioner
of Education, p. p. Claxton, said to
them, mo community can afford to
let its children 60 uneducated, no
matter what their future work may
be. Because a man turns clods for
his living, is no reason for his being
a clod himself or being denied the
training and pleasures which 60 to
sweeten the lives OF those seemingly
more advantageously placed than
himself"
The minister should be leader in
the social recreation OF the com
munity as well, 50 that the influence
of whatever form of recreation may
be in favor may be for good rather
than evil. He should urge the i'm
provement OF social conditions, es-
pecially, the securing OF a Saturday
half holiday for farm laborers, with
view to conserving the higher in
terests Of the community.
He should advocate the introduc-
ton Of modern conveniences into the
farm home, in order to reduce, as far
as possible, the tiresome drudgery
incident to housekeeping, and as fur
Their inducement to country women
and their children to find content
ment i'm country life, a fair division
Of the family income among all those
whose efforts produce It. No life in
the country community should be
left untouched or unhelped by the
minister, whose life is consecrated to
the service Of Jesus Christ and the
inspiration OF his fellow men. The
motto of the members of the Confer
ence for the year before them might
well be, Christ for every life and all
life!"
Rev. ]. w. Laramour, of Upper
Falls, on behalf of the committee on
Resolutions, thanked the Agricultural
College and its officers for their hos
pitality to the members, OF the con
ference and for the helpful program
which had been presented. The con-
ference then adjourned to meet again
at the Agricultural College during
the summer OF 1915, when it also
planned to hold short course in
agriculture for country ministers in
connection with it.