Omaha daily bee., 1920-02-20
NEED OF CHURCH
TRAINING TOLD
AT CONFERENCE
Typical Conditions in Me-
braska Counties Explained
At InterChurCh World
Movement Sessions.

Lincoln. Neb., Feb. 19.-(Special
Telegram.) 1.-The religious story of
a typical Nebraska county was told
the statewide meeting of Nebraska
ministers by Karl w. G. Hitler of
Lincoln, supervisor of the inter-
church world movement survey.
Mr.. Killers story was part of the
program which is being devoted to
telling the need of the world for
preachers, missionaries and work
ers.
More than 900 Nebraska min
isters were in attendance when the
conference was called to order. The
announcement was made that all
the speakers of the interchurch
world movement team which will
address the conference have arrived
and there will be no further delays
in the program.
DR.. Killers time was cut short
and he was unable to give in detail
the story which he had prepared of
typical Nebraska county, but he
told the conference enough to whet
their appetites and open their eyes.
Three Pastors at Work.
There are" he said, "720 square
miles in this county and enough
trade territory in adjoining coun-
ties to make up territory of 2,400
square miles. There are three vii
lagos in this vast territory, their
population aggregating 700. The
total population of the territory is
1850
There are just two Protestant
and one Roman Catholic pastors at
work III the county and two of these
also work in adjoining counties.
The total parish area is 440 square
miles and the total membership of
The churches in the area mentioned
is just 76 One of these pastors has
been in the work 45 years and an
other one for IS years"
Others who addressed the confer
erce were DR.. Dolvi Harlan, secre-
tary of the Baptist Home Mission
ary society; D. R. Malmquist of the
Interchurch World Movement liter
allure department.
Education Is Discussed.
The afternoon session of the con-
ference was devoted to-the problem
OF education. DR.. HI. O. Pritchard
Of Indianapolis, presided and pre-
sented the Interchurch Americanism
educational department program.
I'm spite of permanent invest
ment of $5,500,0O0,000 and an an
nual expenditure Of $1,000,000000,
tn. United States has not yet taken
her work of education seriously"
said DIR. Pritchard.
]. Kirkwood Craig, director of
surveys OF special groups, pointed
out that there are in the state of
Nebraska 426,940 Protestant or NOM
inaily Protestant children and youth
who are not in any school for, re-
ligious instruction. "If you were to
point to the weakest spot in the
Protestant church you would point
to the 27,000,000 children and youth
who are growing up in spiritual IL
literacy and to the 100000 more
whose religious instruction is limited
to the btiet half-hour once week
on Sundays. A church that cannot
save her own childhood can never
save the world" ,
Bishop Stuntz Talks.
DR.. Lyman P. Powell, eX-presl-
dent of Hobart college and associate
director of the speakers team, spoke
in behalf of the spiritual resources
department of the Interchurch
World Movement.
DR.. J. H. Potter, chief compiler of
the World Survey Statistical Mir
ror, who was to have spoken during
the afternoon, was taken i'll and DR..
George E. Farrar presented the mat
ter.
Bishop Homer c. Stuntz of Oma
ha, although not on the program.
was invited to address the conference
on the needs of the far east for
missions and mission workers. His
address received the warmest well
come accorded any of the speakers.
= illustrated Lecture.
In the evening DR.. ]. H. Potter
of Anderson, Ind, field representa-
tive in the worldwide movement,
delivered an address on the "Statis-
tical Mirror" using lantern slides
to illustrate the subject. He spoke
OF the rise and fall in membership
IN both churches and Sunday school,
as well as financial support, and
said if the membership of Protestant
churches were on a salary equiva-
lent to that of an Alabama waitress,
which is about 81 cents a day, and
they would tithe that salary, the
complete budget of the local church
and all the benevolent interests
would be paid in full and leave a