EELIGION AND FAEM LIFE 259 



the weaker ones by reason of their lack of strength 

 may have fallen victims to temptation, yet in the 

 darkest hour of their lives, they never forgot the 

 religious life of the old home fireside or the simple 

 religious faith of father and mother. And this 

 religious faith was the shield that protected the 

 stronger children from the temptations and vices 

 of life. 



There was a time upon the farm when almost the 

 whole community attended church services. In 

 most farm communities the majority attend now, 

 and yet in many communities the rural church has 

 gone into decay. 



It is not our purpose to enter into a discussion 

 of the cause of the decay of the country church. 

 Our purpose is to emphasize the fact that the live 

 spiritual practicable church is needed upon the 

 farm, located where it is most practicable to reach 

 every one engaged in the business of farming. 

 Every tiller of the soil to get the best out of life 

 for himself and family must "find the home of his 

 higher life in a living church." 



We sometimes fear that we are devoting too 

 much time to the promulgation of the foreign 

 missionary spirit to the neglect of the rural 

 church. Is it not better to first give us the strong 

 church in every farm and city community and 

 then let the light of the church extend out and 

 beyond f 



If sectarianism has been one of the chief causes 

 of the decadence of the country church, then the 

 sooner sectarianism is eliminated, the better. It 

 is the simple religion of the Christ teaching the 

 Golden Eule and the brotherhood of man, that 



