18 ADDRESSES 



Again since the church life in the country seems to be waning let us apply 

 the community ideal or more strictly speaking the community center. Make the 

 country church the center of all its activities. Around it revolve its religious 

 life, its social life and everything that pertains to the interests of that community. 

 Its religious life must seek to arouse and define and set up such ideals. In other 

 words it is not sufficient to say "Lord, what must I do to be saved," but "Lord, 

 what can I do to help." Constructive work and not defensive. The social life 

 will likewise seek its community center and that around the church. It will 

 take the place of the "spelling school," "apple peeling," "carpet rag sewing," "log 

 rollin'," etc. The singing school can yet afford a starting point for such a social 

 life. And certainly no one will deny the need of the rehabiliment of the strong 

 type of social life in the country. 



Around that center will be the centralized school which can best serve the 

 full interest of the community. It will give the very best educational system to 

 the country place. That will give the grades and grade teachers. And the central 

 school will be dependent upon the good roads leading to and from it. The church 

 will here again seek to arouse the community ideal. As I see this whole question 

 every community should be made a place so inviting that people will want to 

 move there to die rather than move to town. That brings us to the idea of the 

 home which we want to speak of for a few moments. 



A few moments ago I said "Farming is to enable a man to live rather than 

 make a living." That is true and evident. "Farming to make a living" is the 

 farmer who robs the soil of its virgin fertility and then leaves for' parts beyond 

 rather than like the other thief who leaves for parts unknown. The man who has 

 thus robbed a farm has been a menace to the community. Yea, he has been a 

 veritable thief. On the other hand the man who "farms to live" is the man who 

 will build up the soil, seek the best interests of the community as to her schools 

 and churches, roads, and what not. The home idea is the prevailing thought. And 

 that home idea must not be personal. It must seek the best ideals for the entire 

 community. For the community is not known to the world at large, by the best 

 homes in it but rather by the lowest. It's the individual and home that is on 

 the margin that represents that community to the world at large. The aim and 

 effort, therefore, should be to raise the standard of the marginal man or home. 

 Here again we see these interests converging. Let us take a specific instance. 



Suppose a few farmers are interested in trying to raise the standard of their 

 community by assisting a few marginal men. In addition they are church men 

 seeking to carry out their Master's teaching "Ye shall love your neighbor as 

 yourself." They will, we will say, set aside a few hundred dollars to assist their 

 brothers not so fortunate. So they go to Tom Brown who has lost a team, to 

 Bill Smith who has lost a cow, and Sam Perkins who needs some new machinery 

 and say "Brothers we will help you." Each man is assisted to his want. He is 

 saved the expense of a mortgage, etc. Now the men who loaned the money are 

 interested in seeing Tom Brown, Bill Smith, ' and Sam Perkins get a good crop, 

 good price and market (brother's keeper). And in turn Tom Brown, Bill Smith, 

 and Sam Perkins are interested in the church that relieves the present needs as 

 well as those to come and says : "By Gum ! this is the very sort of a community 

 and church that I want to 'tie up' to." As a result three good homes are soon 

 established and that community strengthened just that much. Such a church and 

 community ideals will eventually build up a home community of the strongest 

 type. Men believe in a religion and community like that and will seek to con- 

 tribute to its welfare themselves. 



Gentlemen of The Ohio Agricultural Society, we must seek to establish the 

 community idea throughout our state to bring about the largest results. Then 

 in turn these community groups centralize into larger circles and these in turn 



