Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1920-04-09
Government IS AFTER
CHURCH SURVEY MAPS
Graphs VIII Be First Com
prehensive Community
Survey Ever Made

Convinced that the surveys Of the
mterehuSh World Movement IN rural
America are Of such accuracy AZ 10
constitute a definite scientific eontri-
button 10 present day information on
ths country church, the unlted States
government, through Charles Josiah
0alpin Of the office az farm manage
ment or the department Of Agriculture,
has contracted to buy copy Of the
survey map az each OF the 2,aas coua-
ties to be surveyed by the town ana
country division or the Interchurch
Movement.
This county map Ia q concrete ex.
preston ia graphieS Of the first thor
ough-golng and wholly comprehensive
church and community survey ever az.
tempted In this country.
Each graph, when completed shows
the location of every church, the resi-
dence Of the ministers. the circuits on
which they travel In reaching their
charges, the parish lines OF every
church and the community beundaFssA
By the graph, areas Of denomlnutional
competition are discovered al we'll as
the areas which are untouched hy any
/
religious Immigration.
The survey 60 date has revealed the
sact that the average country church
IL In no sense reaching the community
and IL mlnlstering only to q percentage
af q certain creed or sect, and also
chat there are very few buildings ia
which provision has been made for the
social and Feereatianal needs on the
young people. The survey has dIscios.
% that more than one-halt OF the rurma
pastors are receiving less than ilv-
~ wage.
The plan Of presenting church condi,
@Qns on county map began with the
establishment Of the country life com.
mission hy President Roosevelt. IN
was developed by Clifford Pinahot and
che Rev. G. O. Gill. Congregational
clergyman Of New England, who In.
tensifIed the idea az obtaining specific
Information on the churches lii com.
munlty. DR.. Warren H.. Wilson. known
as the dean OF specialists on the rural
church In America, and the Way, HI.
N. Morse, both Of the rural life work
department. Of the Presbyterian hoard
Of home missions, together with Dr.
Edmund dc 3. Drummer, head of the
town and country survey department
of the fnterchurch World Movement,
brought the graphs 10 their present
perfection In presentation % communl-
ty matters. This graph IL vivid pic
ture. Ineligible on first glance to the
lay mind, of how the church Is or Ia
not reaching community.
The maps ordered BIZ Mr.. Gnipln nra
made In the field by an Inlerehufeh
surveyor checked un In the NATIONAL
office and traced by expert craftsmen.
To date surveys on 1s2 counties hive
been completed and more than 100 fin-
i lahed maps are available In more than
1000 of the 2,90s counties the survey
IL actually under why.
! Dir. Galpin, who decided TINT the
| government should have The maps, was
| formerly q professor Ia the Wisconsin
] State school of Agriculture and II the
author Of many books and pamphlets,
i and d pioneer In the study of farm
] life and farm communities. Ito was
particularly attracted by the maps In
| that the manner Of dividing up eoun-
/ ty Into normal communities instead
Of townships or other arbitrary and
fixed lines shaped Into the kind Of
work re Ii doing for the government.
Aside from their use by tho govern
ment, the rural maps will be dlstrib-
nted among pastors NIL over the Unit
ed Suites In the arens concerned ~
the husiS Of programs to reconstruct
the rural church In America.