THE CHURCH AND OTHER RURAL AGENCIES
Since the arousal of interest in rural welfare by the studies made by
the Country Life Commission in 1908, probably no movement has made
more rapid progress than that concerned with rural life. Studies of
rural church conditions made by the Presbyterian Board of Home
Missions and other agencies, of rural health by the National Public
Health Service and by a number of the large philanthropic foundations,
of educational conditions by the United States Bureau of Education,
and of other problems by various agencies concerned, have revealed the
more important conditions and have made possible the organization of
programs for their amelioration. The conditions still further revealed
by the problems incident to preparation for the World War and the
facilities made possible by that preparation for mobilization of the
forces for improvement still further advanced the rural-life movement
until now no other interest is occupying more public attention than
this.
The list of agencies with programs of rural service on a national
scale that have found representation in the National Council of Rural
Social Service affiliated with the American Country Life Association
will indicate the large number of groups now contributing to the
advance of rural welfare. This list is as follows: National Grange,
American Farm Bureau Federation, National Board of Farm Organizations,
Farmers' Educational and Cooperative Union, American Home Economics
Society, American Red Cross, Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of
America, Federal Council of Churches, National Catholic Welfare
Council, Board of Home Missions of the Presbyterian Church in the
United States of America, American Baptist Home Missionary Society,
Board of Home Missions of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Young Men's
Christian Association, Young Women's Christian Association, United
States Department of Agriculture, States Relations Service; United
States Department of Agriculture, Office of Farm Management; United
States Public Health Service, United States Bureau of Education,
United States Department of Labor, Children's Bureau; National
Organization for Public Health Nursing, National Child Labor
Committee, Child Health Organization of America, Russell Sage
Foundation, National Tuberculosis Association, National Educational
Association, Rural Department; American Library Association, National
University Extension Association, National Child Health Council,
Playground and Recreation Association of America, Community Service,
Inc.
The above is a list of thirty-one different agencies that have a
national definitely organized rural-service program. This list
doubtless is incomplete and will be increased in the course of time.
The problem before us is to determine just what place the church
should have in this formidable galaxy of agencies, and to consider
what advantages and difficulties present themselves to the churches of
America in functioning unitedly and successfully in doing their part
in the entire movement.
It must be recognized that it is impossible for the church to assume
leadership in all the interests represented now by various specialized
agencies. It has been contended that the task of the church has been
completed with reference to a number of these interests when it has
encouraged their organization in a local way and has continued to give
them its moral support so long as they render effectively the service
for which they were intended. Rural interests are so complex that
specialized groups are necessary to insure adequate attention to all
the interests concerned.
It must also be recognized that until the two great branches of the
Christian Church--Catholicism and Protestantism--learn to cooperate in
their service to the community, the religious forces of America cannot
present a united front in rendering the service that belongs
peculiarly to them. It is assumed that the effort will be made by
those responsible for community service in both branches of the church
to work out this problem so that the church can do its part in the
general movement.
The physical basis for organization of all forces for service on a
comprehensive plan is recognized to be the political units, county,
State, and nation. The township is giving way gradually to the
community as the more local unit of organization. In cases where
community boundary lines do not coincide with county lines local
adjustments will be made whereby the integrity of communities may be
maintained within the organization of one or the other of the counties
concerned.
The present movement is toward the appointment of county work
secretaries on a salaried basis to administer the work of the
respective interests concerned. Thus we have now developed wherever
the spirit of the people has made it possible salaried County Y. M. C.
A. officers, Y. W. C. A. officers, International Sunday School
officers, Red Cross Chapters, Boy Scouts, Community Service, Inc., and
so forth. There is no regularity or uniformity in the selection of the
counties by the different agencies with reference to each other, but
it appears that when one of the groups succeeds in getting a county
office established, it is increasingly difficult for other agencies
concerned in rural social service to gain a foothold on a salaried
basis. The agency that succeeds in gaining a foothold originally tends
to incorporate into its activities the full program of social service.
Theoretically all admit their readiness to turn over to other agencies
the functions belonging to other groups as soon as they are ready to
assume their proper duties, but practically the organization of an
interest group county office delays indefinitely the organization of
rural service on a proper basis.
The normal course of development is for the agency that is prepared to
organize and finance a comprehensive rural program for a county should
render this service; but it should at the same time use its influence
to bring about at the earliest possible moment a county council of
social agencies that will give unified control of the rural service
program to all agencies that should have a voice in rural progress. If
this policy is adhered to, there will be the heartiest support of the
work of any agency that wishes to begin its work on a county basis in
any section of the country.
The first impression that may come to one not familiar with the
vastness of the organized movement for rural welfare may be that a
large number of agencies have undertaken rural service for their own
sakes rather than for the sake of the community. This is not the case.
It is recognized that rural organization for definite objectives
should take the place of previous uncoordinated, haphazard opportunism
in rural progress, and the present sporadic and unrelated movements
toward organization are but the result of a very rapid development
which has not yet found time to make the desired adjustment desired by
all concerned. The National Council of Rural Social Agencies, the
State Councils coming into existence, the County Councils and the
community councils that have appeared here and there are but the
beginnings of a well-ordered, economical and necessary coordination of
rural social forces.
How is the church related to this movement? Repeated investigations
have shown that the churches of America have within their membership
by far the larger proportion of those whose public spirit registers
itself in voluntary financial support of public enterprises. The
"friendly citizen" is largely a myth. Those who build churches at
large personal sacrifice, and pay the bills in maintaining religious
services are those whose names appear at the top of most subscriptions
to benevolent enterprises. It was the Christian ministry and the
church membership that made possible the Red Cross drives during the
war, and the other financial campaigns for relief and other calls
incident to the war. Thus history has continued to show the same
condition so far as financial resources for public welfare support are
concerned.
Since this is the case, it appears that the most natural method of
initiating social service work on a voluntary basis is to expect the
churches to take the lead. As has been pointed out, the church and the
school are the two local institutions that have salaried officials to
care for their public service. Other agencies, with the possible
exception of public health nursing service, will probably not in the
near future be able to secure financial support for full-time salaried
local officials. The nearest they can approach to such salaried
service is the county official who must depend for local service upon
trained volunteer help. This condition puts upon the church an
additional responsibility because through the organization of a county
religious organization outlined in the preceding chapter it can not
only mobilize local support for such work on a permanent basis most
effectively, but it can also provide the salaried local leadership for
carrying out a well-organized community service program. Moreover, in
harmony with principles presented in an earlier chapter, the church as
a conservative institution is one of the permanent organizations that
in the last analysis must be expected to take over and insure
permanence to well-tried advances in community organization and
service. If this thesis is admitted, then it logically follows that
all who are interested in rural progress should encourage the
organization of the religious forces on a comprehensive basis to
insure the perpetuation of the work now being inaugurated by a large
number of private agencies.
When it is found that the interests of other organizations conflict
with the program of the church, the interests of the American public
will give the preference in support to the church, or to the
tax-supported institution. In the long run much of the work now being
done by private organizations of various sorts will be inherited
either by the church or by the state; and it is not only the
opportunity but the obligation of the church to prepare itself as
rapidly as possible for conserving these newer activities by financing
county and State and national organizations for coordination of
religious forces for community service. If county offices for
coordination of religious forces were now in existence, the churches
could provide facilities through which much of the work now being
developed by other agencies could be carried on. And thus the church
could render a much-needed service to the entire rural-life movement.