SOCIAL SIDE OF COUNTRY LIFE 281 



news at the village tavern or the corner grocery 

 and distribute it freely among the homes. More 

 was heard of city life and a longing was awakened 

 for participation in civic advantages. 



Churches naturally suffered, for the country folk 

 preferred to lie on their backs with newspaper or 

 magazine, or to read the Bible or Uncle Tom, in- 

 stead of walking two or three miles to a preaching 

 service. Not so many cared to hear the opinion of 

 the parson, especially as much of the literature that 

 was now floating into their homes contradicted it. 

 The flux of the people grew strong toward town life, 

 where social craving could be more easily satisfied. 

 Before the end of the century Sunday lost its 

 supreme control over the scattered country folk. 

 Country life was losing its zest and its unity. 



The farmer who formerly swapped his veal, his 

 vegetables, and his honey had begun to ship his cot- 

 ton and his apples into regions that he himself could 

 never visit. He must learn to trust a race of middle- 

 men who linked him to the remote markets. He had 

 to think of Canton and Singapore as something more 

 than missionary stations. Everywhere cooperation 

 became more difficult, while good will and sympathy 

 became more necessary. It is very strange if, when 

 shaking hands with customers half way round the 

 globe, we shall not after awhile learn a closer friend- 

 ship and cooperation with our neighbors. This was 

 what was bound to come about. 



Under the impulse of this new social demand there 



