Missouri Country Life Conference. 249 



But I must not close yet. I must speak to you about our 

 Sunday school. It has been reorganized and taken on renewed 

 enthusiasm and vigor such as it has not had for over twenty 

 years. On Christmas Eve the school gave as fine an enter- 

 tainment as I ever witnessed. 



Again, last spring a few of our community thought the time 

 had come when we ought to have religious worship on Sundays, 

 in the afternoon. So a paper was passed around and a fund sub- 

 scribed which enabled us to have preaching most every Sunday 

 afternoon by the different ministers of our town. I might go 

 more into details and tell you how our school has been greatly 

 improved in the last two or three years. Last Saturday night 

 the young people of our neighborhood gave a play in our school- 

 house in which the acting was better than ninety-nine per cent 

 of the troupes that go from town to town and make one-night 

 stands. They played to a crowded house, and the proceeds from 

 that play — over thirty dollars — is to be used by the school board 

 for improvements. 



I have once in a while met with some one from the country 

 who says he would like to have something going on in his neigh- 

 borhood, but that they do not have the working material. I 

 venture to say that many times they are like the sailors who 

 were on a ship that had been provisioned for a long sail. After 

 they had been at sea for quite a length of time a calm came over 

 the ocean. The wind did not blow for days and days. Their 

 drinking water became very low and they feared death from 

 thirst. Finally a steamship hove into sight and they at once 

 sent out a signal to let them have some drinking water. The 

 signal came back for them to let their buckets down where 

 they were. Thinking the signal must have been misunderstood, 

 the second time they sent a signal asking for drinking water. 

 Again the same answer was received. Thinking this would be 

 utter foolishness, a third time they sent a signal asking for 

 drinking water, and again the same signal, for they were at the 

 mouth of the mighty Amazon river and the water was pure and 

 fresh and would quench their thirst. That, I think, is the way 

 with many farm communities. That is why they do not have 

 anything going on; they do not make the attempt, do not try the 

 experiment. Frequently if they will but do as we have, make 

 the test, they will find that people who could not make a speech 

 of two consecutive minutes are later able to make good executive 

 officers. I thank you. 



