ORGANIZATION 



The country church has a much larger 

 responsibility, and, therefore, a much 

 larger opportunity than the public in gen- 

 eral has realized. If it once recognizes its 

 social responsibility to its community, it 

 will exercise an even more powerful influ- 

 ence than it does at present, and will be 

 one of the very important factors in our 

 rural progress. In many places the rural 

 church has practically died out. In other 

 places it is very weak. Many persons have 

 felt that the usefulness of the country 

 church is passing. This may be true to 

 some degree if the church is to hold merely 

 to the kind of work that has been done in the 

 past ; but the best outlook is that which would 

 reorganize the church, wherever necessary, 

 into a much more energetic engine for the 

 public good. The country saloon is open 

 continually. The country church ought 

 also to be open continually, or at least it 

 ought to have a continual personal contact 

 with its people; and this contact must be 

 much more than through customary reli- 

 gious work. 



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