Newspapers / The Central Messenger (Wake … / Oct. 1, 1911, edition 1 / Page 4
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THE NEW DAY FOR THE COUN TRY CHURCH. J. B. Gambrell, Editor. A statement appeared in one of the Northern papers recently that through out the whole country there are ten thousand evangelical churches closed and as many more on the ragged edge. This result has been brought about in divers ways. First of all. there has been a strong movement from the country to the cities, running steadily for two or three decades. This has naturally carried from the country places many of the most enterprising and vigorous people and thus depleted not only the country, hut the country church. Much of this movement to ward the towns and cities has been induced by a worthy motive. Parents have sought better advantages for their children than they can get in many rural communities, advantages of church and school as well as social advantages. This motive has not been wisely directed in many cases, but it has been very effective in transferring people from the country to the towns. The extent of this movement away from the country is hardly realized by even intelligent people. It is a nat ural movement, and one that can not be stayed except by influences deeper and more lasting than mere human ar guments. No intelligent person can contem plate the depletion of the country churches without deep regret, when it is remembered that the greatest number of preachers are country-bred, that the men now in control of the nation have been, for the most part, reared in the country. It must give us serious concern to think that the country places and the country church- ■ es, which have been the nurseries of American greatness, should give way to an order such as we have in the cities, where humanity is so often sac rificed to vulgar greed and show. But the most thorough investigation into the conditions now obtaining throughout America bring to us an as surance of a better day for the coun try church. This better day is coming on as the result of many powerful in fluences. The multiplication of rail roads brings the country nearer to the seats of commerce; the multiplica tion of Interurbans is especially help ful to country life Then we have the free rural delivery which is growing to enormous proportions^ so that the farmer living even ten miles from the railroad reads the dally papers, or he can do it, as regularly as the deni zen of the city It can hardly be ques tioned, either, that the numerous or ganizations among farmers have had and are having much to do with rais ing the standards of living in the coun try. They tend to break up the isola tion of the farmer; they promote the growth of fellowship among people having common interests, and the larger participation of the country peo ple in the politics of the country is good. Almost anything is better in the country than stagnation. Among the powerful forces operat ing to turn the tide back toward the country is the better rural schools. In some of the States of America a tremendous movement has gone for ward looking to the elevation of the country schools to a degree hardly yet imagined in many places. Then there is coming a feeling now even among the wealthy, that the only real rest and refreshment to be had is in a country home, so that business men have their homes in the country and do business in the city, many of them coming in on autos or on inter urbans or by the regular trains. The old-time feeling for the open air and the freer life and the better home ! life of the country is coming back , to the American people. The time j was a few decades back, indeed, up to the Civil War, practically all the aristocracy of the South lived in the country, and the same forces are at ; work now to rehabilitate country life. The movement is strong and growing stronger all the time and we may safely predict that we have come to a day for better things in the country, j ily become our weakness. Wasted op portunities and wasted strength al ways turn to weakness. But if the rural districts throughout the country, feeling the impulse of the broader and better life of the whole land, and stirred by a proper community spirit will undertake to better their church life and their school life, they will greatly improve their financial condi tion. The true denominational policy is to direct strong currents of influence socially and every other way. Indeed, i into the very heart of our country we have reached the point in many places where farming is considered one of the most intellectual employ ments people can engage in, and not simply drudgery, and where the coun try housewife may have modern im provements in her home. All of which is good and to be encouraged by every possible means. Some things definite can be done churches. Many of our ablest preach ers ought to go the country places with a message of encouragement. The time is ripe for it. And all over the land in places not too far apart special efforts ought to be put forth to create intellectual and spiritual cen ters of infiuence to radiate around and lift up whole sections. It is a blind denominational policy that neg- DB. R. m. SQUIRES^ Wake Forest, M. G. Oflice over 0. Y. Holding & Co. THE BANKi Oh WAKE, WAKE FOREST, N. 0. Capital Stock $20,000.00 Surplus 4,000.00 to aid our country churches and to | lects the country. The boards of the make them for an indefinite period , denomination everywhere should look to the rural districts not only to evan gelize them, but to give .encourage ment to the highest possible develop ment. The old idea that when a com munity had held a good protracted meeting enough was done never had any reason in it, but it is utterly out grown today. If we do not frame our denominational policies with reference to taking care of the country, then, to a distressing degree, we will- lose out in the cities. All our springs are in the country and it is in the country places that we are to put forth strong and continuous efforts to broaden the horizon of our people and to prepare them for the noblest living whether it, be in the country or in the town. Beginnings have been made in many places, and wonderful progress can be made if there is an intelligent and persistent effort made to bring the country churches up to the best that their circumstances will allow. It is altogether a mistake to suppose, as an intelligent brother said to me re cently, that you can get people con verted in the country, but that is about all. The handicaps which have been on the country are passing away and people can not only be converted in the country, but they can be trained more and more. And again the high est and sweetest life in America will be lived in the country homes and will express itself in country churches. as they have been in the past the nurseries of everything best in our civilization. But the country people themselves must come to an apprecia tion of their advantages. Every farm er ought to fall in with the govern ment’s plan for better farming and for the better handling of farm pro- , ducts. The general government has an enormous missionary force at work to elevate the farm life of the coun try. In order to have good homes well furnished, and for farm people to enjoy the comforts of life, farming must be made profitable. It has be come so to a remarkable degree in these latter years, but still there is an enormous amount of crude work on the farm. And then the rural communities must understand the advantages of good schools and be willing to tax themselves to have not only good schools, but good school houses and good equipments. They can do this by a financial plan. Let us take two communities occupying land of equal fertility. In one there is a noble school school house, well equipped and ev erything to attract and help the teach ers. There are wide-awake, progress ive teachers in charge of the school, selected by the school board because they are wide-awake and progressive. Now, let us suppose that near this school house there is a church, not a cheap shack as we find in many places, scarcely fit for sheep and goats, but a tasty,' roomy, airy, well- appointed church; and close by it a preacher’s home. And to make the picture complete, we will suppose that this preacher is a wide-awake active man, intelligent, not only concerning certain lines of things touching his own special work, but a man of breadth of view, interested in the com munity, reading good papers, taking a profound interest in the intellectual and spiritual progress of the commun ity, a tactful leader,especially of young people. And now you have a place where people of the right sort will wish to live and the land in that com munity will be worth twice what land in the other community with equal fertility, will bring on the market. Such a community as this is Church- land, Va., a little distance out from Portsmouth. The people in that com munity are wide-awake farmers; they have an excellent school building; they have a church that would do credit to a city of 10,000 or 20,000; a pastor’s home, and an intelligent, thoroughgoing man for a pastor. Such a community will attract the best people, and it is in such a community that huihan life can come to its best. It must be confessed that what has been our strength in the past may eas- Pour per cent, paid on time certificates. 8®“|Every couitesy and accommoda tion extended to customers. Try us - We Carry a Full Line of Dry Goods, Notions, Siloes, Milliner}', Heavy Groceiies, Fancy Groceries, General Merchandise. New Stock JuiSt Received. We invite you to come."©8 Jackson & Powers, Inc., WAKE FOREST, N. C. GO TO E ALLEN’S WAKE FOREST, N. C., -For Furniture. - THE AGE OF CONVERSION. (United Presbyterian.) The testimony of one thousand con verted Sabbath-school- scholars in the United States, Great Britain and Can ada: 128 scholars converted at the age of from 8 to 12 years. 392 scholars converted at the age of from 13 to 16 years. 322 scholars converted at the age of from 17 to 20 years. 118 scholars converted at the age of from 21 to 24 years. 40 scholars Converted .at the age of from 25 to 60 years. 52 per cent by age of 16. 84 per cent by age of 20. 96 per cent by age of 24. 4 per cent at older ages. WESTERN RECORDER BREVITIES. A saint is a man of convictions, whp has been dead a hundred years, can- nonlzed now, but cannonaded while he was living.—H. L. Wayland. You may keep warm yourself by the fire you kindle for others. God does not stop to work a mir acle to convince the atheist, he says “fool” and passes on. Rockers, Bed Lounges, Chairs, Mattresses Washing Macliines. Picture Frames Made to Order. C.^flinsard Caskets at reasonf''le prices. W. W. HOLDING is at ins old stand, Wake Forest^ ly. G. Selling for Cash or Credit. The best Guanos on the mai ket are sold by him. JUST RECEIVED A Gar of Flour ausi Ray He wants .a lot of Chi(-kens, Eggs and Homs, also warns your trade. t^f^Call on liiin whetlier yon have the tnonev or not. Dobbin-FerrallGo. RALEIGH, N. C. No'^tli Carolina’s Largest anil Leading, Retail Dry Goods Store. When yon need Dry Goods or kindred wares—rail and see them. THEY WILL TREAT YOU RIGHT. No man Is no happier than v/hen he is acting as his own press agent. W.G.Brewsr&Go. WAKE FOREST, N. C. Buy Barbed Wire and Woven Wire by Car Load and SELL ON BEST TERMS. Wire S.tretcbers, too. Dsalers in Fertilizers and General Supplies.
The Central Messenger (Wake Forest, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Oct. 1, 1911, edition 1
4
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