Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1915-01-07
The RURAL
CHURCH.
THE FARMERS THE cUsToDlANs
OF THE NATIONS MORALITY.
Cooperation Of Church, School and
Press Essential to Community
Building.
By Peter Radford
Lecturer National Farmers. Union.

~ Fotor h1ofofo
Lecturer National Farmers Union.
The church, the press and the schoo
form triple alliance of progress tina
guides the destiny of every ecomn1un
ity, state and nation. Without then
civilization would wither and die ant
through them life may attain its 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 / want tc
thank those engaged in these high
callings for their able and efficient
service, and J. shall offer to the press
series o. 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
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 ark Of the covenant" and
he is more responsive to religious in
fluences than any other class of cit
ixenship
Tho farmers of this nation have
built 10000 churches at a cost of
$3.50, 900, and the annual contribu-
ton of the nation toward all church
institutions approximates 5000, 900
per annum. The farmers of the Uni
ted States build % churches per day.
There are 100000 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 aud the man who would
get close to God must first get close
to nature.
Tho Functions Of Rural Church.
If the rural churches today are 60
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 its fullest meas
ure of success must enrich the lives
of the people in the community 1t
serves; it must build character; devel-
op thought and increase the efficiency
of human life It must serve thet So
cial, business and intellectual, as we'll
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 Ii the life of trade, !
1t is death to the rural church and
moral starvation to the community.
Petty sectarianism is q scourge that
blights the life, and the church preju-
dice saps the vitality, of many COM
munities. An over-churched commun- |
ity is a 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 1.-THE rural church is to
fulfill its mission to agriculture.
We frequently have three or four
churches In community which IL not
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 and
the breaking into fragments Of moral
efforts II ofttimes little less than a
calamity and defeats the very purpose
they seek to promote.
The evils Of too many churches can
be mfnimized by cooperation. The I
social and economic life Of . rural j
are respective units and {
cannot be successfully divided by de-
lines, and the churches
nan only occupy this important field !,
b. c0opeynffon and coordination. i
T16 15ent country church Will 1
ferye its community by lead I
worthy efforts at community q
uniting the people in all Z
endeayors for the gen. +
~ the community and in 4
H. real love for country life ]
6SG3ty toathe country homo and
fonuIta can only b0f6ucoeNgfully ID