Combine the Religious and the Social 97 



SPIRITUALIZE CHILD LIFE 



Above all things else, let the country church be 

 reorganized with reference to the interests of the 

 young. Let the minister and the other leaders take a 

 firm stand for a square deal for the farm boys and 

 girls in respect to work and play and sociability. 

 Let them place before country parents clear, concrete 

 models and methods as to how to accord fair treat- 

 ment to the children in every particular thing. Let 

 them organize the young people of the community 

 into groups for play and sociability and direct them 

 in both of these matters. 



It is high time we were considering all of our legiti- 

 mate interests as a part of our religion. Indeed, 

 there is no good reason why the young people could 

 not meet together at the rural church and on the 

 same evening have an oyster supper and a prayer 

 meeting. They could very consistently discuss and 

 participate in both a temporal and a spiritual affair 

 on the same occasion and in such a way that each 

 part of the program would be vitalized by the others. 

 And likewise the smaller children. It should not be 

 considered at all irreverent for one to go directly 

 with them to the playground after the Sunday school 

 lesson is ended and there lead and direct them in their 

 health-giving enjoyments. Try this in your rural- 

 church society centers and see if the boys and girls 

 do not run with great enthusiasm to the whole affair. 



