V 
American Agriculturist, March 3,1923 
193 
What Is Wrong With The 
Country Church? 
(Continued from page 185) 
Christianity. The thinking of young 
people of many churches is estranged 
by ministers who insist on the theology 
of three hundred years ago and call 
modern science the deadly foe of 
religion. 
5. 'Untrained and unqualified teach¬ 
ers in the Sunday Schools often give the 
pupil many misconceptions as to what 
Christianity is. 
6. The failure of Christian parents 
to give religious instruction to their 
children. My experience has been that 
not over one in ten of the nominally 
Protestant children of this community 
receive an^ religious instructions out¬ 
side of the Sunday School. 
Outsid.e of the Chui-ch I see several 
nation-wide social and economic move¬ 
ments that tend toward the same result: 
1. The depopulation of rural dis¬ 
tricts. In this section at least, the 
movement cityward has drawn away a 
larger proportion of Christians than of- 
those who have always been outside of 
the Church. 
2. The increasing instability of rural 
communities. The tenant farmers and 
many of the village population rarely 
stay long in a place and take little in¬ 
terest in church and comimunity. 
3. The last and greatest cause of 
the decline of the church is the increas¬ 
ing prevalence of an idea, which often 
dignified by high-sounding names, is 
always found in a decadent civilization. 
Plainly stated, it is the idea that it is 
the business of each individual to seek 
his own greatest pleasure, to “express 
himself” regardless of his duties to 
society, regardless of how his conduct 
will affect his fellow man. To that idea 
can be largely attributed the declining 
number of marriages, race suicide, the 
great increase of divorce, the increase 
of dishonesty in public and private life, 
and the worship of success, however 
attained. 
To combat that idea is the chief busi¬ 
ness of the church. For one holding 
that idea to profess Christianity is the 
height of hypocr^^ and many such 
realizing this, banish the church from 
their lives.— Ontario Farmer. 
Toleration Needed 
Falling off in church attendance 
and interest in church work are due 
to various causes. In this inventive 
and progressive age, life is becoming 
more complex even in rural communi¬ 
ties. This condition tends to divert at¬ 
tention from religious matters to those 
of a more secular nature. As parents 
became more indifferent and less ex¬ 
acting, children and other members of 
the family naturally follow an example 
which eventually becomes a fixed habit 
and which in turn is carried on, to a 
certain extent, to the next generation. 
Many places are burdened with more 
denominational churches than they can 
afford properly to maintain, which is 
discouraging to recruits and even to 
older members. This condition tends 
to react in lowering the mental standard 
of the clergy in providing salaries 
hardly sufficient, in many cases, to 
meet living requirements. 
Many of the occupants of the pulpit 
are too much confined to creed and to 
a rut in a stereotyped form of thought 
and preaching to satisfy the increasing 
desire for more liberal and enlightened 
instruction and guidance. 
Again the ubiquitous automobile and 
greater variety and accessibility of 
amusements offer too tempting an op¬ 
portunity for recreation and diversion 
from the labor of the week. 
^ As a corrective of conditions men¬ 
tioned there should be on the part of 
the clergy fairer and greater apprecia¬ 
tion and understanding of scientific ad¬ 
vancement and of knowledge in general, 
outside of their own special theologi¬ 
cal study; more sympathy and tolera¬ 
tion for honest differences of opinion; 
in a word greater adaptab’lity to pres¬ 
ent day thought and conditions, while 
Telinquishing nothing in spirituality or 
high moral standard. 
As to the members there should be a 
greater effort to practice what they 
preach; a broader spirit of cooperation 
and disregard of sectarian differences 
and further a better apportioning of 
church to the ability of the units con¬ 
cerned to adequately support them 
without the strenuous efforts and hard¬ 
ships now often endured.—W. E. 
Stover, Chenango Co., N. Y. 
Woman’s Rubber 
Short 
Brown 
It stands to reason that fifty years’ ex¬ 
perience in rubber goods manufacture 
would produce something very unusual 
in the way of footwear* 
And so it has—in ‘‘Hi-Press” and 
‘‘Straight-Line.” Millions of wearers are 
daily proving that fact. 
Here your footwear dollars do double 
duty. You enjoy a service far beyond 
the ordinary run of rubber footwear. 
Sixty-five thousand dealers are ready to 
serve you. This time demand “Hi-Press” 
Boots and Gaiters—with the Red Line 
’round the top; and “Straight-Line” 
Rubbers, for the whole family. 
THE B. GOODRICH RUBBER COMPANY 
Akron, Ohio 
Goodrich 
HI-PRESS "“STRAIGHT-LINE 
Rubber Footwear 
it 
BEST IN THE LONG RUN” 
liOOK!, 
ONLYi 
ARod 
up ' 
DIRECT 
FROM 
FACTORY 
C?> M fence 
MOW SOLD DIRECT 
I i ^^^^NewPeerlesadirect-from-faetory 
Mellinfir plan cuts prices on highest 
quality Fence, Gates, Steel Posts, 
Y BarbWire,Paintsancl Roofing. Prices 
begin at 17c per rod! Think of it! Peerless 
quality, famous for 25 years, guarantees your 
satisfaction. 
Big 104-page book of Peerless Pactory.to>you 
• ***^*^ bargains is now ready. Don’t buy until youcom- 
parePeerlesapricesand quality with others. See what Peer¬ 
less qoality means! Note the enormous SAVINGS in PRICB. 
PCCRLE8S WIRE 4k FENCE CO. Dept 3009 , Cleveland, O. 
^ Eaof He# at Clavaland, Ohio; Adrian, Mich.; Memphia,Yean 
HOOFING 
\ 
Think of it. We can 
now Bell Excell Metal 
RooOne, 28 gauge corru- 
, gated at only $3.10 per 100 
’ Bq. painted. Galvanized, 
^.30. If yoG have been waicing for metal 
roofing prices to come down, here they are—di¬ 
rect from factory prices—lower than you can 
get anywhere else. Send for our New Catalog 
covering all styles Metal RooRng, Siding, Shin¬ 
gles, Ridging, Ceiling, etc., will save you money. 
PREPARED ROOFING ONLY $ I os 
Don’t buy Roofing, Paints, Fencing, Gas Engines, 
Tires—anything you need until you get our 
latest catalog. You can see and try our roofing 
before you pay. All sold on money back guar¬ 
antee. Write for Money Saving Catalog tc^ay. 
The United Factories Co., ®‘’S,rv;iind.“oh1;; 
Steel Wheels 
Cheaper than any other wheels, PACT 
figuring years of service. Make WUO I 
any wagon gcod as new. Low I CCC 
down—easy to load. No repairs. uCww 
Clf niPCReduced prices Catalog free. 
CnirinCMfK.Co.,Boz 2 ;» Qwinoy.lll. 
. Ex MONEY 
- BY DOING 
' IBLACKSNITHING 
^ AND REPAIRING 
AT HOME 
INDORSED 
BTFARMERS 
IN EVERY STATE 
POSITIVELY GUARANTEED TO EQUAL ANY 
$15 FORGE ON THE MARKET 
Saves expensive blacksmith bills. Ideal for garafe and 
shop repair work. Soon pays for itself. Price only 
$6.89. Orders shipped promptly. Send for catalog. 
C. A. S. FORGE WORKS 
Box 405 Saranac, Mich. 
WIU WELD A 
4. IM.WAGONTlRlI 
PATENTS 
Write today for free instruction 
book and "Evidence of Concep¬ 
tion” blank. Send sketch or mo¬ 
del for personal opinion. CLARENCE O’BRIEN, 
Registered Patent Lawyer, 904 Southern Build¬ 
ing, Washington, : • : D. C. 
