Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1919-05-07
Continued from last week.
CHAPTER XIV
The County Church.

Oh cQuIcQGS IN 1919 IN the enLlre
county, of which 1870 had resident
ministers. In 1890 there were 81 or
CARNATIONS, 81 in 1870, with SO edi-
fees at that time. Comparing the
| figures for 1890 and 1915, we find the
following changes in churches, al
though the total number of churches
remained the same.
1915 1890
EastAlbany Baptist
Bloomington Baptist
Coventry Universalist
| Derby Adventist
| Jay Methodist
| Troy Episcopal
I Newport Adventist Unitarian
| Westmore Congregational
! Glover Community Unitarian
| Methodist
| Craftsbury Baptist
4 Barton Episcopal
By these figures we can see that
the churches of the county have been
undergoing a change that adapts
them to the conditions they must
( meet. In 1870 there were 81 church
es. So of which were located in the
/ i rural towns, which was reduced to
! 81 in 1890 with At in the same towns.
/ From 1890 to 1915 the number re
mains constant, but the number IN
Z
/ Sc. The large and prosperous towns
that are able to support the increased
number of churches are seeing new
ones established while the smaller
communities that are able to support
but one church well are gradually
reaching that happy condition. In the
last Is years there has been seen the
elimination of the needless conflict
through the death Of competing
churches in Bloomington, Coventry,
Jay, Troy, Westfeld. Glover, East
Craftsbury and South Albany. To-
day a better condition of affairs has
been reached in many communities
which have only one church to the
community.
No discussion of the work of the
country church in the county will be
complete without reference to the
union churches Congregational and
Methodist) in Troy and Westfeld and
the Community church of Glover.
The latter is only a little over three
years old yet it has done wonderful
work in assisting the village to bet
ter condition. In 1913 Rev. G. L.
Dougiass came to the Methodist
church in Glover and found discour-
aging state of affairs. The Method
ist church had not had resident I
minister for years, though 1t was the
most successful church in the place; /
the CONGREGATIONAL church, the oldest /
in town. had lost its power until the !
minister, who had previously chang /
ed his residence to West Glover, /
where a thriving branch grew up, /
ceased to preach in the east church;
the Universalist church had lost
members until it was unable 70 90
anv work Under these condIuons
the Young people failed to regard the
church as a factor to be dealt with, /
the moral standards of the commun1-
~ were lowered and the Glover
dances" acquired q bad reputation
throughout the county.
After a short attempt to get re-
suits from this condition, Mr. Doug /
lass called the people together ana IN
spired them with some of his enthusl-
asm for the community serving /
church"
Very soon the "Glover Community /
church, was organized upon a strict /
" undenominational basis and the /
Methodist church ceased to act. The
new church soon outgrew the small /
Methodist building and moved INTO /
the larger Congregational church. IL
has weathered some severe storms
and shown the whole community
what an unhampered church can do:
Mr.. Douglass has recently severed
his connection with the church and a
wonderful opportunity is open to his
successor.
he only an experiment at present,
though 1t is gradually coming TO
pass that the struggling churches OF
the little villages must combine II
they are to serve the community or
even prolong their existence. In 1871
there was q church to every 3l4 peo-
pie. while today there is one church
TO every 1868 people. In study OF
the country church in Ohio the state
ment is made that IN weu-populateo
district there ought TO be a churcn
for about every 500 people. ms
figure is found to be fairly accurate
for our conditions, hence we see Dy
application to the towns individually
that the county can reasonably De
expected to support about 45 church
es. The Catholic churches viii IN
crease the number somewhat, but al
lowing one church TO each 500 Inhao-
itants and including these Cathohc
churches gives 81 churches as against
the present 81
The recently adopted policy of the
various denominations Of the state
by which they agree to have aban-
doned churches that have outHyed
their usefulness, leaving many rural
fields that can support but one
church 10 the ministrations OF the
strongest. has borne good results as
this is published. Irasburg, COven-
try and Albany now have but one
church and doubtless there are 9TH
ers that have escaped notice.
At the suggestion Of Rev. & u
Gill, the author Of "The Country
Church. at present engaged IN rural !
life work In Ohio. and once q minister