SEPTEMBER 15, 1913 



659 



iu print because it may encourage others 

 who are situated in a similar manner. Do 

 not be in haste, dear friends, to think you 

 can imjyrove your condition bj- moving to 

 some other place. 



My good friend, while I thank you for the high 

 compliment you pay me in deferring to my judgment, 

 I fear I may not be able to give you the advice you 

 need. First, I am glad to know that you fear God 

 and are trying to keep his commandments ; and if 

 you make it a matter of prayer as to what you shall 

 do, I am quite sure you will be directed right. 



Yes, the gi-eater part of my life was spent at the 

 bench. When I was climbing down the ladder 

 after putting up my sign as watchmaker and jeweler, 

 a man gave me a .iob, and I have never been out of 

 work since. One reason is that I would repair any 

 thing, or do any thing to help needy people. I tried 

 hard to make myself useful to humanity. Now, if 

 you are in a small town I feel sure if you try ear- 

 nestly to do every thing faithfully that comes in 

 sight to help your fellow-man you will find plenty 

 to do, and ultimately get your pay. A great many 

 times I know I spent perhaps hours at a time, and 

 didn't feel that I could conscientiouslv charge what 

 the job was really worth, especially for something 

 that belonged to poor people ; but that sort of work 

 paid eventually. I got a reputation for being reason- 

 able, and being Christianlike in making my charges. 

 In a little while I had to hire help, and this thing 

 has been going on for sixty years. Sometimes I fear- 

 ed I was reckless in trying to help people ; but my 

 reward came sooner or later. 



Ask your ■wife if I am not right in thinking you 

 should stick to your trade, where you are. With 

 the help of the chickens, I am sure you will get 

 enough to do, and will be better off than if you think 

 of changing your location. 



A. I. Root. 



GOP S KINGDOM COMING", DOUBLING UP THE 

 COUNTRY CHURCHES. 



We clip the following from the Cleveland 

 Plain Dealer: 



A PRACTICAL EXA^(PLE. 



In an effort to make rural churches unite, to the 

 increase of their membership, economy in church 

 management, and the financial advancement of their 

 pastors, a monthly magazine is collecting statistics 

 as to the number of churches in small towns. The 

 investigators have taken tv\-o widely separated States 

 of the Union as a field for their work, and the fig- 

 ures are interesting and suggestive. 



Almost every little village that could support one 

 church comfortably has from three to five which 

 only by a stretch of the imagination may be said 

 to be " supported " at all. A handful of people*in 

 each edifice, a hopeless, poverty-stricken preacher, a 

 treasury with the minus sign in front of it — these 

 are common conditions. 



That such conditions are not irremediable, how- 

 ever, has been shown by a little town in Missouri ; 

 and the attention of these investigators might well 

 be directed to that little town. Its name is Alma, 

 and it is to be found only on the largest maps, for 

 its population is only 319. Yet, not so very long 

 ago, Alma was struggling to support four churches. 

 These congregations were Methodist, Baptist, Pres- 

 byterian, and Congregational. Last year they just 

 got together and agreed to bury their sectarian dif- 

 ferences. They united in one congregation, chose the 

 most convenient church edifice, and hired a minister 

 to preach the gospel to them. 



They are doing well in that church, they say. New 

 members are baptized by whatever method they may 

 prefer. Old members are not required to resign their 

 allegiance to their own creeds or articles of faith. 



Doubtless the brethren do not agi-ee on certain doc- 

 trinal points, but they dwell together in unity for all 

 that. Nobody's theological toes are stepped on, and 

 they are out of debt, and their pastor has a living 

 wage, promptly paid. 



"A little child shall lead them," says the Scrip- 

 ture. Perhaps little Alma may yet lead the two and 

 seventy sects into the unity that has been the dream 

 of many Christians. 



I read the above with much interest, be 

 cause in one of my wheel-rides a few years 

 ago it was my privilege to pass through the 

 little town of Alma, Mo. I wonder if some 

 good brother or sister who lives in Alma 

 or somewhere else can tell us what they call 

 the new church that was made up of Meth- 

 odists, Baptists, Presbyterians, and Congi'e- 

 gationalists. I have seen several attempts 

 of this sort, and down in Florida they have 

 been quite successful. The only difficulty 

 was in deciding on the name. 1 think in 

 one case they called this the Union Church, 

 May God speed the work of doubling up. 



REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY TO KEEP IT 

 HOLY. 



The following, which we clip from the 

 Sundaij School Times, explains itself: 



WILBUR weight's ANSWER. 



Today is a sabbath unto Jehovah. — Ex. 16:25. 

 The Wright brothers, the famous aviators (of whom 

 one died in 1913), are clean-limbed and clean-mind- 

 ed. Prom their father, good old Bishop Wright, they 

 inherit two sterling traits — character and a shrewd 

 business sense. When Wilbur was at the high tide 

 of his first foreign success, and was acclaimed every- 

 where as "the emperor of the air," the king of Spain 

 came to see his machine. An orderly approached and 

 satd, " His Majesty would like to see you fly." " I 

 am very sorry," was the reply, " but we never flv 

 on Sunday." • 



It is especially interesting to me, because 

 I was so well acquainted with our good 

 friend Wilbur Wright, his father (Bishop 

 Wright), and the rest of the family. God 

 gi-ant that we may have at least a few men 

 left who are not afraid to stand up before 

 men, even kings, and confess their respect 

 for God's holy word. 



" PEACE ON EARTH, GOOD WILL TO MEN." 



We clip the following from the Common- 

 er of May 23. Can not the readers of Glean- 

 ings give it a hearty amen? 



THE NEW DREADNAUGHT. 



" Ever since the earliest days men have been build- 

 ing ships. They are still building them; but the 

 ship we are planning is different from the others. 

 Its compass is the heart; its shells carry good will; 

 its missiles are projected by the smokeless powder of 

 love; its captain is the Prince of Peace. I ask you 

 all to drink with me to this new battleship — the 

 ship of friendship. No target can withstand the shots 

 that friendship sends abroad." — Mr. Bryan's toast 

 to the " Ship of Friendship," in bidding good-by to 

 the foreign peace delegates at the John A. Stewj^r^ 

 breakfast given in Washington, May X?,, 



