THE PROBLEMS OF PROGRESS 37 



equipped, ministered to by an able man — a 

 church which leads in community service. The 

 path to the realization of such an ideal is rough 

 and thorny. Church federation, however, prom- 

 ises large results in this direction and should be 

 especially encouraged. 



Whatever outward form the solution of the 

 country church question may take, there seem 

 to be several general principles involved in a 

 satisfactory attempt to meet the issue. In the 

 first place, the country church offers a problem 

 by itself, socially considered. Methods successful 

 in the city may not succeed in the country. The 

 country church question must then be studied 

 thoroughly and on the ground. 



Again, the same principle of financial aid to be 

 utilized in the case of the schools must be invoked 

 here. The wealth of the whole church must 

 contribute to the support of the church every- 

 where. The strong must help the weak. The 

 city must help the country. But this aid must 

 be given by co-operation, not by condescension. 

 The demand cannot be met by home missionary 

 effort nor by church-building contributions; the 

 principle goes far deeper than that. Some device 

 must be secured which binds together the whole 

 church, along denominational lines if must be, 



