FIFTY MILLION STRONG 



when it seems wise to change pastors, to other rural churches 

 that have had equally good pastors. In this way the good 

 work of the country will be conserved and desirable fields will 

 be enlarged. Thus, in time, every denomination that is suc- 

 cessful in its country work will have transformed many weak 

 rural churches into strong rural churches and added to the 

 number of its capable rural pastors. Whenever weak men 

 are sent to pastoral flocks, even if they have for a number of 

 years been well shepherded, the wprk is sure to suffer. If a 

 rural pastor achieves brilliant success he is entitled to the 

 best churches the country contains. Let able pastors with 

 strong rural inclinations once realize that they will be given 

 work commensurate with their abilities and there will be no 

 dearth of good rural leaders. The same may be said of all 

 other rural workers. 



(4) Putting Romance into Rural Life. Young men and 

 women freely dedicate their lives to missionary activities in 

 spite of the sacrifice and privation to which they will be 

 subjected. Volunteers always seem to be forthcoming. Every 

 great missionary convention results in the enlistment of 

 numerous workers. One of the reasons for this is economic. 

 Foreign missionaries supported by the great church missionary 

 boards are never paid less than $900 per annum and from 

 that up to $2,500, and they are not sent abroad unless the 

 money is pledged to finance their work. On the other hand, 

 in the home field, many workers receive less than $400 a year, 

 and the average salary for all work in the country does not 

 exceed $600 or $700. It is readily seen that a man cannot 

 enjoy the comforts of life and educate a family on this amount 

 of money. Solve the economic problem and the other prob- 

 lems will yield more easily to solution. At the National 

 Country Church Conference, December, 1915, one speaker 

 made the statement that at a certain theological seminary a 

 number of young women engaged to young pastors in their 

 senior year, declined to marry the young men if they chose 

 rural fields, preferring to marry foreign missionaries. Depri- 

 vation of those things that contribute to soul culture, that 



106 



