The midland journal., 1916-07-14
COUNTRY LIFE LESSONS
FOR MARYLAND MINISTER'S
@hnuaI Country Life Conference And
School AZ Their state College OF
Agriculture The Source OF
Much Practical Benefit.

Progressive rural ministers of Mary
land have come to look forward with
much anticipation to their annual
country life conference as guests of
the State College Of Agriculture. In
this conference many earnest workers,
perplexed with the problems Of min
istry In rural Maryland, have found
inspiration and opportunity to learn
new ways Of solving old problems or
profting by the example Of others,
have gone back to their own particular
fields with renewed hope and energy.
The intensely practical nature Of this
conference appeals to the rural min
lister, who has neither time nor money
to waste in attending purely inspira-
tional conferences or to listen to the
oretical instruction. The occasion is
q definite conference of Maryland
ministers opportunity for them re-
gardless of sect or creed, to get to-
gether on the common essentials OF
every day country life, and work out
their common salvation and that of
their several communities. The addi-
4ion of q country life school extending
over the period OF week preceding
the conference itself has added much
TO the value of the latter. Many
minister unfamiliar with rural condi-
tions and farming practices has the
opportunity to post himself on these
matters, and is thus enabled to discuss
more intelligently the economic fea-
itures of rural ministry. More and
more the life of country minister
appeals to the intelligent young man
as an end in itself instead Of as a
stepping stone to city church. More
and more he realizes that the man
who is qualified to effect the physical
regeneration of his community is bet
ter fitted to be its spiritual leader.
Champion OF Country Life.
This thought is well expressed in
the statement of the Rev. VIM. s. Ger
hard, Of Frederick county, regarding
the mission of the conference:
"A suggestion was made to me re-
Gently that very often in our country
schools the teacher is city-bred boy
or girl, and the ideas and the ideals
of that teacher are entirely connected
with the city, and he or she is con-
stantly presenting before the pupils
those ideals. The suggestion is made
that one reason why there is such a
tendency for boys and girls to go to
the city is because they have imbibed
their ideals from the teacher.
That is true somewhat of the min
istry. Most of the ministers are
trained in institutions that are located
in the city, and even If they were
born in and spent their early years in
the country, yet. they were associated
with city ideals in their courses and
they hold them up before the country.
One of the needs, I believe, is the
vision of the country on the part Of
the school teacher and the country
minister, and is suggested, think, in
this program, that the ministers
should not make the country ministry
stepping-stone for city field; but
that they should make the country
ministry their life work, and that they
should hold up ideals before the young
people of the wonderful opportunities
of the country and Of country life"
The Country Life Conference for
1916 win be in session August IA, be-
ing preceded by Country Life School
beginning July "a, announcements re-
garding which are being issued by
secretary of the Conference -Organiza-
tion, B. H. Darrow, College Park, Md.