The Holt County sentinel., 1921-04-15
Lust A Letter.

lmunity League, the other night, an
idea came TO me, not what l heard
there, but rather combative. The
tenor of the speeches, however, must
admit, was that the Community
League does and will continue to sup
port all churches without favor for
any one sect.
The statement seems to go unchal-
lenged that the church has failed, and
presto! The Community League.
Now, you know, my dear sirs, that If
he church had failed there would be
! no material for "a Community League,
sons and daughters Of the right mind,
| mean, and what's more, IL the church
vas failing at this moment, that j.,
If the people did not believe, in genel-
al, that the church is right, Commu-
nifty League would not be of use any.
where. There would not be people to
make one. On the other hand, the
league can and will help the church.
The church doesn't combat slander up
on herself. II were a church-mdn
I would not be writing this, but In
finding out that what a majority Of
people want Is right, let US not In.
dulge in self-praise Of the league that
is half slander of the church.
Some say that the church has failed
because IL doesn't appeal 10 the young
people. More Of them are in the
church now than ever before, and Il
never appealed to young people more.
Did the old-time country community
need Community League? No.
There were house raisings, corn husk-
ings and rollicking days all winter,
and there were dances, play parties.
literary societies and other amusc.
ments, and we must remember that
the amusements Of the cities were not
then what they are now-no movies,
no amusement parks, no welfare work
for employees, not many clubs or pub.
lie libraries no automobiles, SO that
the city has increased IL attractive.
ness more than the country.
Why Is the Community League? To
give the young people and others a
good time and chase away the blue
and selfishness. It's n garden for the
Young man 90 SOW his wild oats In, 20
! he can harvest them at profit rather
4 than lose the whole crop. Community
League il for sports and amusement, ,
entertainment and. educational recioa
Z ton. not for spiritual communion with
4 God. Who can imagine u church, u
building where there are Snliards,
dancing, bowling alleys and gymna,
sium and also where people go to sing
praises 10 the Creator and offer pray
ers and supplications In humility and
reverence? The two don't go togethcI
phyhologically, for most people any
way. once knew priest who play
cd poker with his boys Sunday after
noon 10 keep them out Of mischief,
but that Is an exception. The inst'
tutional church in the cities II largely
to help those who cannot or don't Know
| how TO help themselves. We don
need the institutional church here, not
the kind they have IN the cities, but
we need an institution modified to sup
ply our needs, whether II is "A church
or not; we don't want an organization
| with patronizing air or halo Tor
US 20 adore. We want an organization
that's ours, "A little democracy, IL you
please, we acn run II ourselves ana
keen IL wholesome. The man-power
and the woman.p power IN the commun-
ity must be- conserved. and where that
is done by a community, federated, or
united church there II usually real
leader at the head Of its affairs. The
Community League IL for good morals,
but lis liberality Is to be enjoyed as
privilege rather than grasped as u,
ccnse, and the equipment most needed
is building, a library, some property
Cities don't need community build
ing, I suspec, that few towns OF ten
thousand or more will ever have them
its the country that needs them. =.
Religion has always been one OF
, the most, IL not the most civilizing
influence In the world. Judith j. Ben
iamin once said when twitted about
being a Jew, "Lct the gentleman re-
member that my ancestors were kings
and princes when his were outlaws IN
Tcutoberg Forest" Since the Chris
tian religion started its avolutlonizing
influence, and especially since the re-
formation, the Western Nor ID has
gone ahead by leaps and bounds.
The church or religion has re-
filming influence on the individual,
as anybody knows, that no set OF
morals can discard the ten com.
mandments. On the other hand
the Community League is new
organization that has come to
keep the mail order business from get
ting our town, and Is almost wholly
materialistic and social, and, at that,
it's all right, but II doesn't oppose the
church; II can't afford TO oppose the
church, and we want il here to keep
the community from being drained by
the cities. We can not make n desert