Missouri Country Life Conference. 201 



I am sure, for all the institutions that have anything to do with 

 the country people. The churches themselves must get together, 

 in the first place. There is a great deal of overlapping, and there 

 is some overlooking, too, as well as overlapping. If the church 

 cannot be the leader in the community it cannot be the source of 

 inspiration that it ought to be in all of these various lines and 

 institutions until the church becomes modern in itself, have good 

 business and have brotherhood and have co-operation. 



It is the function of the church rather to inspire. For in- 

 stance, the citizens perform their function as citizens in producing 

 good government. It is not the business of the church to teach 

 farming, scientific agriculture, but to inspire the farmers to be 

 the best kind of farmers. It is not the business of the church to 

 impart knowledge about science and about the affairs of life, but 

 it is the business of the church to inspire the people to investigate 

 and make inquiry about the things that are helpful to them in 

 their lives. It is not the purpose of the church to take the place 

 of the school, but to inspire the school authorities and those who 

 have to do with the school to have the best possible school in the 

 community. And I am sure that when a church conceives of its 

 mission in this larger way, joining hands with the school people 

 and with those who are in charge of the government — not that 

 it is to run the government or the school or run the different 

 institutions that are organized in the country — but to inspire 

 each one who has responsibility, in whatever relation in life, to 

 perform that responsibility in the best possible way. 



I am sure the church welcomes gladly the effort which the 

 Agricultural College is putting forth to help the country people, 

 and I want to say frankly that as a worker in the church I find 

 no other institution that is so ready and willing to co-operate with 

 us in what we are trying to do to bring about better things in 

 the country than the Agricultural College. Now, I wish that 

 our seminaries were as free to take up the spirit, the new rural 

 spirit, and co-operate with the churches in preparing them for 

 the ministry that the agricultural colleges are. I have heard of 

 ministers denouncing from the pulpit some of our state institu- 

 tions of learning as being godless institutions, but I am sure 

 they do not always know what they are talking about when they 

 make those denunciations. It has been my pleasure in the last 

 three years to work a great deal with men engaged in state 

 institutions, and I want to say that I have found most of them 

 to be christian men and full of the spirit of the Master in doing 



A — 14 



