STUDENTS AM) THE RURAL PROBLEM 21'. 



shall not attempt to outline, but leave to your own 

 prophetic souls. It was worth while for strong men to 

 lay the foundations of Japan's, China's, India's uplift ; 

 it is worth strong men's while to enter this field to-day. 



Uo you consider that I am decrying the city pastorate 

 making a plea which, if heeded, would close the way 

 for the most devoted and the ablest to enter there ? 

 Such is far from my intention. There is a call, and a 

 great one, which is directly to the city pastorate. But 

 if it be a love of ease or of gain or of fame which urges 

 any of you to cast eyes of longing toward the city, you 

 are debtors of your immortal souls to resist such a wish, 

 and to seek a field somewhere, anywhere where such 

 desires for fancied ease or gain or fame shall be cruci- 

 fied. Otherwise you shall win indeed your world, but 

 verily lose your life. 



But if there be a passion within you of brotherliness 

 for the factory operative, and if there be reason for you 

 to think that you can help the men of the labor unions 

 to dominate those unions for Christ and His kingdom ; 

 or if you know yourself of the kindred of the men of 

 commerce and of capital if you have in you that which 

 will make their life with its temptations and victories 

 an open book to you if your passionate longing be to 

 guide these strong men to dominate the directorate 

 boards for Christ and His kingdom, even though pitiless 

 Mammon crush you as you succeed, then your call is 

 to the city's turmoil and the city's crown. 



Our next point is that in order to exert any con- 

 tinuing influence upon the course of rural development 

 a man must become a real part of that country life. 

 We need a permanent rural pastorate not abiding in 

 our charge, but in the country. In point of fact the 



