Report of Missouri Farmers' Week. 101 



it did me a great deal more good than I realized either then or 

 now. It might have done worse. And it is furthest from my 

 purpose to speak disparagingly of it or of the dear people who 

 were its leaders. I love them every one. It perhaps served its 

 day. But the point I am making is that that type of country 

 church will not meet the needs of the country people today. 



With these recollections of my childhood and the church, I 

 resolved first of all, when I went to Du Page, that I would get 

 next to the boys and girls; that I would make that old church a 

 great center of attraction. Notice I did not say the great center. 

 I do not believe in the church attempting to do everything or 

 trying to do things that might better be left to other institutions. 

 But I would make it a great center of attraction; a hub of joys, 

 of happy memories and associations for that entire community. 

 I determined, with God's help, to make it an indispensable 

 institution to every man, woman and child within its reach. 



One of the good old Scotch elders — they called him "Uncle 

 Dan," and he was one of the dearest and best of men — ^put his 

 arm around me one day (it was a way he had of greeting every- 

 body), and he said very seriously, the tears rolling down his 

 cheeks, "Our young people have got to dancing and they are 

 being wooed away from God and the church. How are you 

 going to deal with them?" 



I said, "Uncle Dan, I know from experience that young 

 people will dance if they have nothing better to do. I propose 

 to give them something better." 



"Well," he continued, "just before you came here our 

 session passed a rule that there was to be no dancing by mem- 

 bers of the church, but t fear there is going to be trouble when 

 we come to enforce it." 



I replied again, "Uncle Dan, it is impossible to shut off a 

 stream entirely unless you give it some other outlet." 



I set to work, first, and organized an old-fashioned singing 

 school. It might have been anything else just as well — a class 

 in scientific farming, animal husbandry, domestic science, or 

 nature study. I chose the singing school because I had some 

 knowledge of music. The idea is to have something that will 

 afford a point of contact between the leader and the people, and 

 also to get everybody interested in doing something. The 

 singing school met one night in the week in the church. There 

 was some good musical talent among the young folks and this 

 new enterprise proved to be a great hit. Out of it grew a good 



