Seeing It Whole
The Range, our last real frontier, has grown up. Round-ups are miniature
and staged. All the land is fenced. The cowboy is passing, if not gone.
Even "chaps" and a sombrero are rare, unless worn by a "Dude" from the
East. The last 100 years have seen a remarkable growth and change in this
country. The cattleman and the cowboy have largely given way to the
homesteader, and he in turn has become a regular farmer or, as he prefers
it, "rancher."
The Land of the Homesteader
The cowman used to insist that no one could make a living on the semi-arid
Range. For many years "there was no sign of permanent settlement on the
Plains and no one thought of this region as frontier." Then the
Homesteader came. "And always, just back of the frontier," says Emerson
Hough in "The Passing of the Frontier," "advancing, receding, crossing it
this way and that, succeeding and failing, hoping and despairing, but
steadily advancing in the net result--has come that portion of the
population which builds homes and lives in them, and which is not content
with a blanket for a bed and the sky for a roof above."
Homesteaders are good stock upon which to build a civilization. Many of
them are sturdy folk who have come to the West to establish homes and with
determination are doing so. Of course, there are the habitual drifters who
have always been failures because they never stayed long enough anywhere
to succeed. But they prove up on their claims and then go elsewhere,
drifting still. Others leave, holding their land as an investment, because
they have not found the land or the circumstances up to their
expectations. The free land has gradually been taken up, so that there is
very little of it left in any one of these counties. The population is
becoming less transient on this account. More people are staying because
there is no more free land, and no other newer frontier.
What, then, has the survey shown of the Range? How has it fared in its 100
years of growth? What are its assets as well as its needs? In a word,
what has it made of itself? The very presence of real farm-houses on dry
farming land and mesas speaks in itself of a small world conquered. Of
course, there are farm-houses in the valleys. But sheer grit is all that
achieves a house and a barn and a wind-shield of trees out on the mesa.
Lumber is expensive and must be hauled from the nearest market. Trees, so
wary of growing there, must be watched, watered and carefully tended every
day for the first five years. A home on the plains means more sweat and
toil and effort than a home anywhere else in our country.
[Illustration: WATERING HER GARDEN
This homesteader of ten years' standing has succeeded in cultivating an
attractive garden patch even in the thirsty soil of New Mexico.]
Self-Help the Rule
The development of the Range has been haphazard. Any Land Company has been
able to work up a "boom" at will. Not even misrepresentations and
uncounted, unlimited hardships have stirred the Government to form and
follow any better colonization policy for its unoccupied lands than its
"Homestead laws." The western farmer has never been cherished by his
Government as has been the Canadian farmer. Until the comparatively
recent development of county agent services and the Farm Bureau, he has
had to work for everything he got with very little help from any one.
An intense economic struggle is behind the homesteaders. They begin from
the bottom up. Some are just now beginning, but for the majority the
difficulty of getting a start is over. But the last few years have been
hard for every farmer and rancher on the Range, old settler and new alike.
No part of the country can afford to have the men on the land as hard
pressed as these men have been. Too large a proportion of the farms have
been mortgaged for the economic well-being of a nation.
[Illustration: A COMMUNITY RENDEZVOUS
Often the general store is the only gathering place for neighbors miles
apart.]
Made up largely of people from the Middle West, this country has taken on
some of the characteristics of that region--in the development of small
and large centers, and in the improved roads and schools. But on account
of the nature of the soil, it will be many years before the Range becomes
a second Middle West, if ever. The land will not support as many people
per square mile. Much of the area will remain, for years to come, a land
of large distances and comparatively few people. The future of the Range
is not to be summed up by saying, "Go to, this country will soon become a
second Middle West. Just give it time."
"If you want to see neighbor Adams, you'll find him in town on Saturday
afternoon, most like round Perkins' store." Such will be the advice given
in regard to meeting almost any farmer living in almost any part of these
counties. As roads have improved, and autos have come to be generally used
by the farmers as a means of transportation, the trade centers along the
railroads, especially the county seats, have increased greatly in size and
importance. This growth of the centers is characteristic of the whole
United States. Until after 1820 less than 5 per cent. of the American
people lived in cities of 8,000 population and over. In 1790 there were
but five cities in the United States having a population of 8,000. Now a
majority live in the cities; but the West does not yet have the urban
development of the East.
Importance of the County Seat
As the county seats are coming gradually to have more of a direct
relationship to the country around them, they should assume more
responsibility toward their counties. Through their organizations and
Civic Leagues of business men, these centers are just waking up to the
fact that the towns are dependent upon them. As one farmer in Union County
said, "There is no permanent prosperity except that based on the farmer.
If our town is big and top-heavy and the farmers are taxed heavily to keep
the town up, it is killing the goose that laid the golden eggs. The 1,000
farmers tributary to Clayton must pay the bills of everything brought in
because, ultimately, the products of the farm have to pay for everything.
When conditions are bad, the farmer has to pay the bill and keep going
besides." If the development of the future is to be sound each side will
do its best to understand the other.
A Centralized School System
School systems are becoming better. People realize the advantages of
education. More and more young people are being sent to college. But as
distances are gradually being overcome, schools should be administered
wholly from the county seat. The County Unit plan does away with the local
school district boards. This system equalizes burdens and advantages,
minimizes dissension, and conduces to economy and efficiency. The average
school board has no standards by which to judge an applicant for teaching.
One disadvantage of the district system is that so often daughters are put
in as teachers. The county unit plan means centralized control. The county
superintendent, who is selected solely because of education, training and
successful experience, takes over most of the duties which the various
districts now have. This means a comprehensive and efficient plan of
education for the whole county.
Social Needs
Other great needs are a better organized social life and more recreational
activities. Outside the larger center, there is a great lack of social
life. Social organizations are fairly abundant, but they are almost all
city or town affairs. Living on the land is a more solitary affair for
women than for men. The men drive to town, but the women stay home week in
and week out with few diversions. A postmistress in Montana told about two
women living on large cattle ranches about six miles apart, a small
distance in that country. She said to one of them: "There is Mrs. Denis at
the door just going out. Did you see her?" The other lady answered: "Yes,
but I hardly know Mrs. Denis." They had lived there for more than ten
years, near neighbors for the Range country, and yet barely acquainted!
[Illustration: "MARY, CALL THE CATTLE HOME!"
But this "Mary" is a homesteader's wife and the Range is a long way from
the Sands o' Dee, and "Mary" herself is usually a long way from anywhere.]
The Part of the Church
Finally, there is the duty of the Church. "The churches performed an
inestimable social function in frontier expansion," says John Dewey. "They
were the rallying points not only of respectability but of decency and
order in the midst of a rough and turbulent population. They were the
representatives of social neighborliness and all the higher interests of
the communities." The Church has played an important role in the past, but
its position in this same country to-day is disappointing. For some reason
it has not become essential to the landscape.
[Illustration: WAITING AT THE CHURCH
A Christian Church in Union County which draws its congregation from a
wide area.]
The immense distances and scattered population have, of course, been a
great problem. All the country west of the Mississippi makes up 70.9 per
cent. of the total area of the United States, while the western area has
only 30 per cent. of the total population. In 1850, it had only 8.6 per
cent. of the population. The average density per square mile in the United
States is 35.5 persons. Illinois has 115.7 people per square mile, but
Montana has an average density of only 3.8, Wyoming of 2, New Mexico of
2.9 and South Dakota of 8.3 persons.
Much of the Range has never had the chance to go to church, and one result
of the lack of church facilities in the past is that it is difficult now
to create a church spirit. Homesteading is no fun. It means being away
from doctors and comforts, getting ahead little by little, facing
set-backs, discouragements and loneliness. Of course, a homesteader is
absorbed by his place. Unless he is simply proving up on his claim for the
purpose of selling it, he must be absorbed if he is to succeed. He broke
with most of his home ties before he came and, after arriving, has not had
time to go adventuring for any but those simple things which he must have.
"Church" is one of the things he left behind. Church services have rarely
followed him, and generally he has been too busy to seek them. Even if he
were minded to hunt them out, it takes more than average courage to be
"different" when one's neighbors are largely of a common mind. So the
absence of church has become a habit.
[Illustration: HITTING THE TRAIL
Will this settler find a church welcome in his new home?]
But probably the greatest hindrance to church work has been the shifting
population. Churches have trained lay leaders only to have them leave "en
masse." Out of the fourteen churches which have been abandoned in these
four counties, nine have gone under because their members melted away.
The carrying over of the care-free frontier spirit often makes for a
general slackness. This spirit has in it the freedom of the West, the
perfect democracy of the cowboy, and is essentially individualistic. If
directed into right channels, it should be an asset instead of a
drawback.
What the Frontier Church Is
Five sentences sum up the Church on the Range. It is a church of the
center. It is, in the main, a church of the middle-aged. It has been a
church with haphazard leadership. It is a church of past achievements and
of unlimited future possibilities, provided it has an inspired and
sustained leadership. It is a church which needs a social vision.
It is natural that, where the centers along the railroad have been the
only "sure" things in a country of constantly shifting settlements, the
largest number of churches have been established in such centers. But
these churches have not reached the great unevangelized areas around them.
The "isolated, unattached Christian," who lives perhaps only a few miles
from town, has been neglected by the church in the center.
It is natural, too, that this should be largely a church of the
middle-aged. What is there to attract the young people? Many of the church
organizations have no buildings. With few exceptions, buildings are
equipped for little else but preaching and listening. Nearly half of the
churches have less than four services a month. The Sunday schools are not
well organized. With the start the Sunday schools now have, possibilities
are unlimited if they can be conducted on a more business-like basis. Yet
these young people and children are the great hope of the church. No more
wide-awake, vigorous young people are to be found. "If only the Church
could work out something that would last through the week," said one of
them, "it would seem more real." But in many communities the women's
organization is not only the sole organization in the church, outside the
Sunday school, but the only one in the community.
The work has been haphazard. Home Mission aid has been spent out of all
proportion to fitness. The same amount now received would go further,
eventually, if spent in fewer places. With means and leaders adequate for
a small area only, the general idea of some denominations has been to
hold, but to do little with a large area. There has been some unnecessary
over-lapping of work. With their large fields, the ministers cannot be
expected to do more than they are doing at present which is, in most
churches, occasional preaching. A missionary pastor said, concerning one
of his charges in a neglected community in Union, "The second time I went
to preach no one came. Do you think I'd go back?" Under the present system
of many points and long distances, this pastor could hardly afford to use
the time to go back. Yet, to succeed, church ministry must be steadier and
more long-suffering.
There are some New Americans in each county, but they are in larger
numbers in Sheridan and Beaverhead. A large number of the
Spanish-Americans in Union are not provided for by the Catholic church,
and the only Protestant work for them in the county, a Spanish American
Mission in Clayton, has been given up. In Sheridan County there is great
need of a comprehensive program that shall include all six mines. There
should be at least two community houses built with organized social
activities and evening classes; the staff to include a domestic science
teacher. With the exception of one class for half a dozen Italian mothers
in one of Sheridan's mining villages, no Americanization work is being
done in any county. The churches should enlarge their vision so as to
include the New Americans.
[Illustration: THE FAMILY MANSION
With the family and the Union County doctor in front of it. The family is
Spanish-American.]
What the Frontier Church Can Be
It is possible for the Church to serve this kind of country with its
scattered people. It is difficult but it can be done. Certain
denominations have succeeded with what they call a "demonstration parish."
The plan is exactly the same as that of the experimental farms conducted
by the Government. A comprehensive seven-day-a-week plan, which has in
mind the whole man, mind, body and soul, in place of the old circuit-rider
system, is the program of the Congregational Demonstration Parish in
Plateau Valley, Colorado. Six thousand feet up on the western slope of the
Rockies, this valley is shut in on three sides by rugged, white-capped
mountains. It is thirty miles long, from one to six miles wide, and
contains about 150 square miles of territory. This is a small world in
itself, self-contained by the nature of its environment. Of the 3,500
people, 750 live in the four small villages of Collbran, Plateau City,
Melina and Mesa. The one great industry of the valley is stock-raising.
Farmers have devoted themselves chiefly to raising beef cattle, but an
interest in dairying is increasing. Pure-bred stock is now the goal of
their efforts.
This beautiful mountain valley was chosen as a "model parish" to show what
could be done by the Church throughout a large, thinly settled area.
Although there were five church buildings in the valley, the church-going
habit seemed to have been lost or never acquired, possibly because
religious privileges had been meager and not altogether suited to the
peculiar needs of the people and the country. It is doubtful if 250 people
living in the valley were church members or attendants, while not more
than 200 children went to Sunday school regularly. Few persons, however,
were actually hostile toward religion or the Church. Here was the
opportunity and the challenge.
The work centers in Collbran village, where there is a Congregational
church organization and building. There are two men on the staff. The
pastor has charge of the church school, the Christian Endeavor, and the
work with men and young people in Collbran village. He also does visiting
throughout the valley. The Director of Extension Work has the
responsibility for establishing and maintaining out-stations, financing
the local budget, and supervising the activities and the building of the
Community House.
This Community House is to be the center and great achievement of the
modern socio-religious program. The completed building will have rooms and
equipment for an ideal church school, kindergarten, game room, library,
rest-room and men's club. The gymnasium will have a floor space
seventy-five by forty feet and a gallery; it will also serve as an
auditorium, while a stage, dressing-rooms and a moving-picture booth form
part of the equipment. The basement will have billiard room, bowling
alleys, lockers, baths, dining room and kitchen. The entire cost of the
building will be approximately $25,000, to be financed in part by the
Congregational Church Building Society and in part by local pledges. This
is Home Mission aid well spent.
The first and second units were completed and opened for use on Christmas
Day, 1921. The first unit is the auditorium. The second unit contains the
library, assembly room, men's room, women's room, large billiard room and
two offices which are to be used as headquarters for the boys' and girls'
organizations. The third unit will be completed in the summer of 1922. The
pastor and extension man have office hours in the morning. In the
afternoon, the women's rest room, with its easy chair, lounge and cribs
for babies, and the men's club are open. The billiard and reading rooms
are open from one to five-thirty and the library is open from three-thirty
to five. This library already has 1,200 books, and there are shelves for
3,800 more. The library service is probably the most appreciated part of
the work for it fills a long and sorely felt need. In the evening, the
men's and women's rooms are open, and the reading room and billiard room
are open from seven to nine. The privileges of the Community House are for
each man, woman and child in the valley irrespective of church or creed.
So far as possible, everything enjoyed at the center is to be taken to the
furthest circumference of the valley. The equipment for the extension work
consists of a truck, auto, moving-picture machine and a generator. The
community truck is used to furnish group transportation and to promote
inter-neighborhood "mixing" in competitive and other ways. The Extension
Director is organizer, social engineer and community builder. He has a
regular circuit of preaching appointments and Sunday schools. His program
includes a one-hour visit to four schools every week. Ten minutes are used
for physical exercises, thirty minutes for public school music with the
cooeperation of the teacher and twenty minutes for religious education. He
takes out library books and Sunday school papers to the teacher, and once
a month shows educational moving-pictures.
The people are already responding to this constructive program. Within
four months, the Collbran Church School has increased nearly 150 per cent.
in average daily attendance. The Christian Endeavor Society includes
practically all the young people of the intermediate age. The Scouts and
Camp Fire organizations are very active and recently held a dual meet with
the Mesa organizations. Wrestling, basket-ball, hog-tying and three-legged
races were some of the events. Within the year, thirty-seven members were
added to the Collbran church, among whom were the leading lawyer, banker,
doctor, contractor, editor, merchant and rancher.
The other two denominations in the valley, the Methodist Episcopal and
Baptists, are cooeperating in the effort. The small Methodist Episcopal
church at Plateau City has come into the movement by arrangement with the
Methodist Episcopal Conference, and has become part of the larger parish.
This church and community will unite with the Congregational church on a
common budget for the support of general work. There is now Methodist
Episcopal work in the extreme end of the valley, Baptist in the central
part, and Congregational in the extreme west. Each church sticks to its
own territory; each urges members of its own denomination to work with
churches in other sections. But the larger parish equipment serves all in
the extension program.
The work is only begun. The larger purpose is to break down distinctions
between neighborhoods, as well as between village and country, and to weld
all people living over a wide area into one large community with community
spirit and a common loyalty. This cannot be done by the Church alone;
doctors, visiting nurse, school teachers, county agent and farm bureau
will gradually be called into a cooeperative team play. This, then, is the
Church not merely aspiring to leadership, but utilizing its opportunity
with a real program. Asking no favors because of its divine origin, it is
determined to make itself a necessity in the community by virtue of what
it does. It is the Church "actually practising a religion of fellowship,
giving value for value and serving all the people and all of their
interests, all of the time."
The Larger Parish Plan
This Larger Parish plan is the old circuit rider system brought up to
date, and given an all-around significance through the use of modern means
of transportation and an equipment suited to a religio-social program. The
minister is no less a preacher and man of God because he is a community
builder. His measure of "success" is his ability to work out with his
people a genuine program of rural and social service.
With its community church and program, the Larger Parish plan seeks to
make the church both a religious and a social center. Under its own roof,
if necessary, or better, with an adjoining community house, it has
equipment which provides for ideal worship, a modern church school and
well-supervised social and recreational activities. It amounts to a church
that offers advantages like those of the Y. M. C. A. and Y. W. C. A. By
means of this program, the rural church puts itself at the center rather
than at the far circumference of rural life, and becomes one of the most
active agencies in the community.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: A REAL COMMUNITY HOUSE
Members of this Presbyterian Church at Sheridan building their own
community house under the leadership of the pastor. The women of the
church provided the eats.]
This plan remedies a characteristic disability of the average rural
minister and his church--the neglect in farmstead visitation. Especially
on the plains, isolation and loneliness persist despite modern
improvements. There are country homes near to villages or towns into which
no minister or church visitor goes from one year's end to another. Within
reach of almost any church on the Range, and over great stretches of
country, children may be found who are growing up without any religious
training. In the face of this need and its challenge, the Larger Parish
plan need not wait for people to come into the Church. By means of a
well-equipped extension program the Church, and everything it stands for,
is taken to all who need its ministrations.
[Illustration: A CHURCH THAT SERVES THE COMMUNITY
The M. E. Church and parsonage at Clearmont, Wyoming.]
Preaching is essential. But when a minister and congregation can "brother"
scattered peoples, they are most helpful in bringing the Kingdom of God to
rural America. There may be some justice in the excuse that "the farmer
and his family might easily come in to services in their automobile," but
it is true that a "house-going minister makes a church-going people." The
Larger Parish plan furnishes the minister the equipment and help to do
just this thing. It views the church as a service institution.
The Montana Plan
It is even possible for a whole state to make a united plan for church
work. Montana has had its area, community by community, county by county,
or valley by valley, "allocated" to the religious care and undisputed
responsibility of one or more denominations. For this new and progressive
policy the people of the State were themselves responsible, and its
development will be watched with intense interest. Unfortunately one of
the fields in the only Montana county in this survey is not receiving the
attention it should from its "allocated denomination." This is the work in
the southern part of the county, now served by a non-resident pastor. A
glance at the map will show how effectively the larger parish plan could
be applied.
Two tasks face the churches in these counties: First, to increase and
enlarge the work of the churches already established, and, secondly, to
reach and serve the great unevangelized areas. The former is a problem for
the individual church and community. The latter is a problem demanding the
cooeperation of all religious forces on the field, for "there is religious
need enough to tax the best energies and resources of all." The churches
in this new western country must keep pace with their rapidly changing
environment, and with elastic yet inclusive programs really become
community churches.
The county seat towns should assume more responsibility for their
surrounding areas; in other words, they should plan and develop larger
parishes. Especially in Beaverhead and Hughes, this area is unchurched and
to a great extent neglected. While the social and economic life of these
"centers" naturally overshadows a great portion of the county areas, yet
the churches minister very inadequately to their needs. The church
parishes on the map represent few members. The centers are growing, their
influence is ever widening, so that the Church, in building up her work at
the center with the idea not only of serving the people at hand but of
reaching just as thoroughly the people in the surrounding areas, will
naturally fulfill her destiny.
To reach areas outside the influence of the church work at the centers,
colporteurs should be employed. A Sunday school missionary could give
permanence to all Sunday school work and help to organize new schools in
Union and possibly in Sheridan County. Some additional churches should be
established; others might very well be closed. But it is chiefly
up-to-date, educated, resident pastors that are needed, with a belief
that the rural task is worth their lives.
Cooeperation the Solution
The psychological and religious differences in these four counties have
already been shown. All should not be treated alike. Every county is
different. Every county demands individual study and treatment. Such
conditions call for the survey method and for intensive cooeperation. This
is the key to the whole situation. Business, though still competitive and
on an individual basis, combines for the community good, as in the case of
Rotary and Civic Clubs. The churches might well emulate this example in
organization. There are competent Ministerial Unions in Pierre and
Sheridan City. What is needed now is a Council of Religion in each county
with a program enlisting every minister and every church, and including
every square mile of occupied land in the county. All problems are
related. The causes of church ineffectiveness lie in non-cooeperation.
Ministers have stayed too short a time to relate themselves to their
parish and their people; denominations in establishing new churches have
not been curious enough about the lay of the land; the various component
parts have been unrelated--the preacher to the church, the fringe areas to
the church in the center and, finally, the Church to the people.
The Frontier of the Future
Yesterday the Range population was busy settling down. To-day it is
haphazardly here, and still coming. And what of to-morrow? Franklin K.
Lane wrote at the end of his term of service in the Department of the
Interior: "We are quickly passing out of the rough-and-ready period of our
national life, in which we have dealt wholesale with men and things, into
a period of more intensive development in which we must seek to find the
special qualities of the individual unit whether that unit be an acre of
desert, a barrel of oil, a mountain canyon, the flow of a river, or the
capacity of the humblest of men." Here is fertile ground for well directed
and progressive development.
The East is crystallized into its habits and customs. The West is more
plastic because it is in the social making, and is willing, at need, to
change its ways. The social baggage of the eastern states is only partly
unpacked in this region. The young West is developing a flexible social
and institutional life in keeping with its phenomena of time and place.
Great possibilities are ahead. A real welding process has begun during the
last few years as the population tends to become more static, or as it
learns to cooeperate in such agencies as Red Cross work during the war and
the work of the Farm Bureau. A new social spirit is developing. The Church
has counted for a great deal on the Range and has done some good,
fundamental work. But in order to keep abreast of the new development and
to help bring to the Range a "satisfying community life which is
profitable, sociable, healthful and full of culture and charm and, above
all, full of God," the Church must make its ministry broader, steadier and
more available.
APPENDICES
I: METHODOLOGY AND DEFINITIONS
II: TABLES
APPENDIX I
Methodology and Definitions
The method used in the Town and Country Surveys of the Interchurch World
Movement and of the Committee on Social and Religious Surveys differs from
the method of earlier surveys in this field chiefly in the following
particulars:
1. "Rural" was defined as including all population living outside
incorporated places of over 5,000. Previous surveys usually excluded all
places of 2,500 population or over, which follows the United States Census
definition of "rural."
2. The local unit for the assembling of material was the community,
regarded, usually, as the trade area of a town or village center. Previous
surveys usually took the minor civil division as the local unit. The
disadvantage of the community unit is that census and other statistical
data are seldom available on that basis, thus increasing both the labor
involved and the possibility of error. The great advantage is that it
presents its results assembled on the basis of units which have real
social significance, which the minor civil division seldom has. This
advantage is considered as more than compensating for the disadvantage.
3. The actual service area of each church as indicated by the residences
of its members and adherents was mapped and studied. This was an entirely
new departure in rural surveys.
Four chief processes were involved in the actual field work of these
surveys:
1. The determination of the community units and of any subsidiary
neighborhood units included within them. The community boundaries were
ascertained by noting the location of the last family on each road leading
out from a given center who regularly traded at that center. These points,
indicated on a map, were connected with each other by straight lines. The
area about the given center thus enclosed was regarded as the community.
2. The study of the economic, social and institutional life of each
community as thus defined.
3. The location of each church in the county, the determination of its
parish area, and the detailed study of its equipment, finance, membership,
organization, program and leadership.
4. The preparation of a map showing, in addition to the usual physical
features, the boundaries of each community, the location, parish area and
circuit connections of each church, and the residence of each minister.
The following are the more important definitions used in the making of
these surveys and the preparation of the reports:
GEOGRAPHICAL
_City_--A center of over 5,000 population. Not included within the scope
of these surveys except as specifically noted.
_Town_--A center with a population of from 2,501 to 5,000.
_Village_--A center with a population of from 251 to 2,500.
_Hamlet_--Any clustered group of people not living on farms whose numbers
do not exceed 250.
_Open Country_--The farming area, excluding hamlets and other centers.
_Country_--Used in a three-fold division of population included in scope
of survey into Town, Village and Country. Includes Hamlets and Open
Country.
_Town and Country_--The whole area covered by these surveys, i.e., all
population living outside cities.
_Rural_--Used interchangeably with Town and Country.
_Community_--That unit of territory and of population characterized by
common social and economic interests and experiences; an "aggregation of
people the majority of whose interests have a common center." Usually
ascertained by determining the normal trade area of each given center. The
primary social grouping of sufficient size and diversity of interests to
be practically self-sufficing in ordinary affairs of business, civil and
social life.
_Neutral Territory_--Any area not definitely included within the area of
one community. Usually an area between two or more centers, and somewhat
influenced by each, but whose interests are so scattered that it cannot
definitely be assigned to the sphere of influence of any one center.
_Neighborhood_--A recognizable social grouping having certain interests in
common, but dependent for certain elemental needs upon some adjacent
center within the community area of which it is located.
_Rural Industrial_--Pertaining to any industry other than farming within
the Town and Country area.
POPULATION
_Foreigner_--Refers to foreign-born and native-born of foreign parentage.
_New Americans_--Usually includes foreign-born and native-born of foreign
or mixed parentage, but sometimes refers only to more recent immigration.
In each case the exact meaning is clear from the context.
THE CHURCH
_Parish_--The area within which the members and regular attendants of a
given church live.
_Circuit_--Two or more churches combined under the direction of one
minister.
_Resident Pastor_--A church whose minister lives within its parish area is
said to have a resident pastor.
_Full-time Resident Pastor_--A church with a resident pastor who serves no
other church, and follows no other occupation than the ministry, is said
to have a full-time resident pastor.
_Part-time Pastor_--A church whose minister either serves another church
also, or devotes part of his time to some regular occupation other than
the ministry, or both, is said to have a part-time minister.
_Non-Resident Member_--One carried on the rolls of a given church but
living too far away to permit regular attendance; generally, any member
living outside the community in which the church is located unless he is a
regular attendant.
_Inactive Member_--One who resides within the parish area of the church,
but who neither attends its services nor contributes to its support.
_Net Active Membership_--The resultant membership of a given church after
the number of non-resident and inactive members is deducted from the total
on the church roll.
_Per Capita Contributions or Expenditures_--The total amount contributed
or expended, divided by the number of the net active membership.
_Budget System_--A church which, at the beginning of the fiscal year,
makes an itemized forecast of the entire amount of money required for its
maintenance during the year as a basis for a canvass of its membership for
funds, is said to operate on a budget system with respect to its local
finances. If amounts to be raised for denominational or other benevolences
are included in the forecast and canvass, it is said to operate on a
budget system for all monies raised.
_Adequate Financial System_--Three chief elements are recognized in an
adequate financial system: a budget system, an annual every-member
canvass, and the use of envelopes for the weekly payment of subscriptions.
_Receipts_--Receipts have been divided under three heads:
a. Subscriptions, that is monies received in payment of annual
pledges.
b. Collections, that is money received from free will offerings at
public services.
c. All other sources of revenue, chiefly proceeds of entertainments
and interest on endowments.
_Salary of Minister_--Inasmuch as some ministers receive, in addition to
their cash salary, the free use of a house while others do not, a
comparison of the cash salaries paid is misleading. In all salary
comparisons, therefore, the cash value of a free parsonage is arbitrarily
stated as $250 a year, and that amount is added to the cash salary of each
minister with free parsonage privileges. Thus an average salary stated as
$1,450 is equivalent to $1,200 cash and the free use of a house.
APPENDIX II
Tables
I
LAND AND FARM AREA IN THE RANGE COUNTIES ACCORDING TO THE FEDERAL CENSUSES
FOR 1910 AND 1920
Beaverhead Hughes
1920 1910 1920 1910
Approximate land
area (acres) 3,620,480 3,020,160 485,760 485,760
Land in farms
(acres) 637,009 461,315 284,907 165,069
Improved land in
farms (acres) 270,603 275,530 144,237 62,531
Woodland in farms
(acres) 7,142 3,088 7,032 2,521 8,741
Other unimproved
land in farms
(acres) 359,264 182,697 133,638 100,017
Per cent. of land
area in farms 17.6 15.3 58.7 34.0
Per cent. of farm
land improved 42.5 59.7 50.6 37.9
Average acreage
per farm 992.1 860.7 784.9 440.2
Average improved
acreage per farm 421.5 514.0 397.3 116.7
Sheridan Union
1920 1910 1920 1910
1,647,360 1,648,000 3,436,800 3,436,800
625,796 421,543 2,515,522 814,011
113,385 95,368 273,748 72,630
7,269 51,634 1,854
503,670 318,906 2,190,140 739,527
38.0 25.6 73.2 23.7
18.1 22.6 10.9 8.9
643.8 527.6 948.5 423.3
116.7 119.4 103.2 37.8
The average acreage per farm in Beaverhead and Sheridan has increased very
slightly in the past ten years, while the improved acreage per farm has
decreased. In Hughes and Union, however, there is a decided increase in
both the acreage per farm and the improved acreage per farm.
II
FARMS AND FARM PROPERTY IN THE RANGE COUNTIES ACCORDING TO THE FEDERAL
CENSUSES FOR 1910 AND 1920
_Farms Operated by Owners_ Beaverhead
1920 1910
Number of farms 559 456
Per cent. of all farms 87.1 85.1
Land in farms (acres) 490,453 324,248
Improved land in farms (acres) 214,638 194,592
Value of land, buildings (dollars) 12,753,847 6,021,007
Number of farmers owning entire farm 506 439
Number of farmers hiring additional land 53 17
_Color and Nativity of Owners_
Number of native whites 385 305
Number of foreign-horn whites 174 151
Number of non-whites 0 0
_Farms Operated by Tenants_
Number of farms 46 55
Per cent. of all farms 7.2 10.3
Land in farms (acres) 42,489 43,196
Improved land in farms (acres) 18,536 25,565
Value of land and buildings (dollars) 1,410,170 1,056,695
_Color and Nativity of Tenants_
Number of native whites 37 38
Number of foreign-born whites 9 15
Number of non-whites 0 2
_Farms operated by managers_
Number of farms 37 25
Land in farms (acres) 104,067 93,871
Improved land in farms (acres) 37,429 55,373
Value of land and buildings (dollars) 2,900,920 1,520,630
Hughes Sheridan Union
1920 1910 1920 1910 1920 1910
245 308 734 626 2,282 1,891
67.5 82.1 75.5 78.3 86 98.3
151,684 124,686 455,057 302,076 2,043,800 716,506
69,052 45,675 68,729 63,631 216,881 70,047
6,291,101 3,136,356 10,454,136 6,742,704 22,052,531 3,973,909
165 219 591 503 1,670 1,822
80 89 143 123 612 69
187 224 595 519 2,241 1,809
47 64 131 105 38 77
11 20 8 2 3 5
112 63 198 164 344 22
30.9 16.8 20.4 20.5 13 1.1
117,163 34,283 86,147 108,233 292,004 14,305
65,200 16,136 28,832 28,922 37,362 1,705
3,459,605 933,680 3,663,700 2,616,525 3,424,668 88,840
396 57 173 150 289 20
141 6 24 12 54 2
0 0 1 2 1 0
6 4 40 9 26 10
16,060 6,100 84,592 11,234 179,718 83,200
9,985 720 15,824 2,815 19,505 878
352,500 103,560 2,483,650 240,200 1,834,472 306,210
As is usual in districts that have been homesteaded, the proportion of
ownership is high. But because of absentee ownership, land companies
operating over large areas and high taxes, the rate of tenancy is
increasing.
III
ACREAGE AND VALUE OF CULTIVATED CROPS IN THE RANGE COUNTIES ACCORDING TO
FEDERAL CENSUSES FOR 1910 AND 1920
Beaverhead Hughes
_Cereals_ 1920 1910 1920 1910
Corn 10,740 4,352
Oats 4,118 15,255 2,891 3,684
Wheat 2,157 763 4,499 3,761
Barley 903 225 1,560 131
Rye 47 96 962 96
_Hay and Forage_
All tame and
cultivated crops 36,243 26,996 4,667 827
_Special Crops_
Potatoes 198 408 219 272
All other vegetables 9 87 25 132
Dollars Dollars Dollars Dollars
Value of all crops $3,883,480 $1,529,830 $1,141,939 $ 225,315
Cereals 200,733 414,539 539,471 78,654
Hay and forage 3,597,990 1,080,093 505,323 103,592
Vegetables 80,421 33,622 49,673 15,336
Dairy products 64,083 41,176 71,379 29,162
Sheridan Union
1920 1910 1920 1910
292 200 51,077 3,220
2,916 8,043 2,819 431
11,466 9,898 14,094 377
801 1,601 552 3
93 224 618 10
35,067 35,766 7,925 2,688
267 808 619 157
35 367 142 365
Dollars Dollars Dollars Dollars
$1,655,937 $1,108,967 $5,198,986 $ 295,293
335,719 368,205 3,050,879 84,410
1,036,246 596,473 1,092,554 152,494
109,670 110,087 110,700 18,687
174,759 85,512 313,632 18,230
The most important crops are hay and forage in Beaverhead and Sheridan; in
Union cereal crops; in Hughes, both in nearly equal proportions. Dairying
is a comparatively new development.
IV
URBAN AND RURAL POPULATION OF THE RANGE COUNTIES ACCORDING TO THE FEDERAL
CENSUSES FOR 1910 AND 1920
Beaverhead Hughes
1920 1910 1920 1910
Distribution of population:
Rural population 4,668 6,446 2,502 2,615
Rural increase 1910-1920 27.6% -4.3%
Urban population 2,701 3,209 3,656
Urban increase 1910-1920 -12.2%
Total population 7,369 6,446 5,711 6,271
Total increase 1910-1920 14.3% -8.9%
Density of population per sq. mile:
Rural density .8 1.4 3.3 3.4
Total density 1.3[9] 1.4 7.5 8.3
No. of dwellings 1,832 1,493 1,301 1,419
No. of families 1,937 1,561 1,387 1,492
Sheridan Union Total
1920 1910 1920 1910 1920 1910
9,007 7,916 16,680 11,404 32,857 28,381
13.8% 46.3% 15.8%
9,175 8,408 15,085 12,064
9.1% 25%
18,182 16,324 16,680 11,404 47,942 40,445
11.4% 46.3% 18.5%
3.5 3.1 3.1 2.1
7.1[9] 6.3 3.1 2.1
4,169 3,376 3,768 2,961 11,070 9,249
4,492 3,186 3,956 3,093 11,772 9,632
V
RACIAL COMPOSITION OF POPULATION OF THE RANGE COUNTIES ACCORDING TO
FEDERAL CENSUS OF 1920
Beaverhead Hughes Sheridan Union[10]
Number Rank Number Rank Number Rank Number Rank
Total population 7,369 5,711 18,182 16,680
Native White,
Total 6,261 5,155 15,058 16,376
Native parentage 4,454 3,752 11,454 15,512
Foreign parentage 1,024 778 2,314 414
Mixed parentage 783 625 1,290 450
Foreign White,
Total 1,035 462 2,895 278
Austria 69 7 15 9 90 12 5 14
Canada 150 1 49 2 126 9 26 3
Czecho-Slovakia 11 14 4 11 90 12 7 12
Denmark 121 2 42 3 44 17 6 13
England 98 5 38 4 194 4 19 5
Finland 23 11 3 12 66 13 0
France 17 12 6 10 51 16 5 14
Germany 107 3 118 1 541 1 49 1
Greece 11 14 4 11 53 15 10 10
Hungary 4 16 1 14 107 11 10 10
Ireland 106 4 22 6 56 14 12 8
Italy 33 9 3 12 240 3 8 11
Jugo-Slavia 27 10 0 169 7 0
Mexico 0 0 192 5 13 7
Norway 33 9 49 2 38 18 3 15
Poland 2 17 2 13 290 2 11 9
Russia 13 13 20 7 181 6 28 2
Scotland 33 9 3 12 108 10 10 10
Sweden 80 6 37 5 143 8 15 6
Switzerland 43 8 18 8 15 20 6 13
Syria 0 0 0 22 4
Wales 7 15 3 12 22 19 0
All other countries 47 25 79 13
Other than white 73 94 229 26
VI
AGE AND SCHOOL ATTENDANCE IN THE RANGE COUNTIES ACCORDING TO THE FEDERAL
CENSUS FOR 1920
Beaverhead Hughes Sheridan Union
Number Per Number Per Number Per Number Per
cent. cent. cent. cent.
Under 7 years 1,057 ... 847 ... 2,779 ... 3,217 ...
7 to 13 years
inclusive 850 ... 790 ... 2,395 ... 2,909 ...
Attending school 789 92.8 714 90.4 2,225 92.9 2,594 89.2
14 and 15 years 213 ... 201 ... 564 ... 700 ...
Attending school 195 91.5 191 95 495 87.8 590 84.3
16 and 17 years 206 ... 216 ... 531 ... 655 ...
Attending school 137 66.5 153 70.8 286 53.9 337 51.5
18 to 20 years
inclusive 302 ... 306 ... 829 ... 846 ...
Attending school 68 22.5 82 26.8 147 17.8 140 16.5
The proportion of children in school is high through the age of sixteen.
Beyond that age the ratio of attendance falls off rapidly, Sheridan and
Union having a smaller proportion in school than the other two counties.
VII
ILLITERACY IN THE RANGE COUNTIES ACCORDING TO THE FEDERAL CENSUS FOR 1920
Beaverhead Hughes Sheridan Union
Number Per Number Per Number Per Number Per
_Ten Years and Over_ cent. cent. cent. cent.
Total 5,950 ... 4,520 ... 14,320 ... 12,123 ...
Illiterates 59 1.0 20 1.4 437 3.1 668 5.5
Native Whites 4,863 ... 3,982 ... 11,284 ... 11,830 ...
Illiterates 13 .3 2 .1 33 .3 652 5.5
Foreign Born
Whites 1,023 ... 460 ... 2,828 ... 276
Illiterates 29 2.8 9 2. 393 13.9 14 5.1
Negro 14 ... 23 ... 131 ... 12 ...
Illiterates 3 ... 1 ... 4 3.1 1 ...
_16-20 Years Inclusive_
Total 508 ... 522 ... 1,359 ... 1,501 ...
Illiterates 2 .4 1 .2 9 .7 44 2.9
_Illiteracy 21 Years and Over_
Males 42 1.4 8 .5 276 4.2 211 4.6
Native Whites 11 ... ... ... 16 ... 205 ...
Foreign Born
Whites 18 ... 5 ... 252 ... 6 ...
Negro 2 ... ... ... 3 ... ... ...
Females 15 .8 11 .7 148 3.2 350 9.2
Native Whites 1 ... 1 ... 9 ... 341 ...
Foreign Born
Whites 10 ... 4 ... 137 ... 8 ...
Negro 1 ... ... ... 1 ... 1 ...
The rate of illiteracy is higher in Sheridan and Union than in Beaverhead
and Hughes.
VIII
DEVELOPMENT OF PROTESTANT CHURCH ORGANIZATIONS ON THE CHANGING FRONTIER
A BEAVERHEAD Total Number Churches K SHERIDAN Number Now Abandoned
B BEAVERHEAD Number Now Active L SHERIDAN Number Now Inactive
C BEAVERHEAD Number Now Abandoned M UNION Total Number Churches
D BEAVERHEAD Number Now Inactive N UNION Number Now Active
E HUGHES Total Number Churches O UNION Number Now Abandoned
F HUGHES Number Now Active P UNION Number Now Inactive
G HUGHES Number Now Abandoned Q TOTAL Total Number Churches
H HUGHES Number Now Inactive R TOTAL Number Now Active
I SHERIDAN Total Number Churches S TOTAL Number Now Abandoned
J SHERIDAN Number Now Active T TOTAL Number Now Inactive
Period of organization:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T
1871-80 1 1 .. .. 1 1 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2 2 2 ..
1881-90 7 4 3 .. 8 7 1 .. 3 2 1 .. 1 1 .. .. 19 14 5 ..
1891-1900 .. .. .. .. 1 1 .. .. 5 5 .. .. 3 3 .. .. 9 9 .. ..
1901-10 2 2 .. .. 1 1 .. .. 7 4 1 2 15 9 5 1 25 16 6 3
1911-20 .. .. .. .. 5 5 .. .. 6 6 .. .. 21 18 3 .. 32 29 3 ..
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Total 10 7 3 .. 16 15 1 .. 21 17 2 2 40 31 8 1 87 70 14 3
About one-sixth of all the churches which have been organized are now
either abandoned or inactive. Population has shifted; communities have
changed; the churches sometimes have not survived.
IX-A
DISTRIBUTION OF CHURCHES AMONG DENOMINATIONS
Churches in
_Denominations_ Country Village Town City Total
Baptist, North 0 1 2 1 4
Baptist, South 3 1 1 0 5
Church of Christ or Christian 0 1 1 1 3
Church of Christ (Unprogressive) 2 1 0 0 3
Congregational 3 0 1 1 5
Evangelical Association 0 0 1 0 1
Lutheran:
Norwegian Lutheran of America 0 0 1 0 1
German 0 0 0 1 1
Swedish 0 0 0 1 1
Polish 0 1 0 0 1
Others 0 1 0 0 1
Methodist, North 13 6 3 1 23
Methodist, South 6 0 0 0 6
Nazarene 1 0 0 0 1
Presbyterian in U. S. A. 3 2 1 1 7
Protestant Episcopal 0 0 2 1 3
Seventh Day Adventist 1 0 0 1 2
United Brethren 2 0 0 0 2
-- -- -- -- --
Total 34 14 13 9 70
IX-B
_Denominations_ Beaverhead Hughes Sheridan Union Total
Baptist North 1 1 2 0 4}
Baptist South 0 0 0 5 5} 9
Church of Christ or Christian 0 1 1 1 3
Church of Christ (Unprogressive) 0 0 0 3 3
Congregational 0 2 3 0 5
Evangelical Association 0 1 0 0 1
Lutheran:
Norwegian Lutheran of America 0 1 0 0 1}
German 0 0 1 0 1}
Swedish 0 0 1 0 1} 5
Polish 0 0 1 0 1}
Others 0 1 0 0 1}
Methodist North 2 6 5 10 23}
Methodist South 0 0 0 6 6} 29
Nazarenes 0 0 0 1 1
Presbyterian in U. S. A. 3 1 1 2 7
Protestant Episcopal 1 1 1 0 3
Seventh Day Adventist 0 0 1 1 2
United Brethren 0 0 0 2 2
-- -- -- -- --
Total 7 15 17 31 70
With so many denominations at work in the field, every square mile of
inhabited area ought to be reached. But large areas and many people are
not even touched by the church.
X-A
RESIDENCE AND ACTIVITY OF CHURCH MEMBERS BY TYPES OF COMMUNITIES
Churches in
Country Village Town City Total
Net active members 616 497 1,178 1,665 3,956
Inactive " 129 66 221 607 1,013
Non-resident " 152 60 186 453 851
Total enrollment 897 623 1,575 2,725 5,820
Average per congregation 26 45 121 303 83
X-B
BY COUNTIES
Churches in
Beaverhead Hughes Sheridan Union Total
Net active members 345 884 1,988 739 3,956
Inactive " 96 74 646 197 1,013
Non-resident " 94 108 496 153 851
Total enrollment 535 1,066 3,130 1,089 5,820
Average per congregation 76 71 184 35 83
The non-resident member is an "unattached Christian" and no one looks out
for him.
XI-A
CHURCHES CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO SIZE BY TYPES OF COMMUNITIES
Churches with a net
active membership
of: Country Village Town City Total
25 or less 26 7 2 1 36
26 to 50 7 4 1 1 13
51 to 100 1 3 5 1 10
101 to 150 0 0 3 1 4
Over 150 0 0 2 5 7
-- -- -- -- --
Total 34 14 13 9 70
XI-B
BY COUNTIES
Churches with a net
active membership
of: Beaverhead Hughes Sheridan Union Total
25 or less 3 7 4 22 36
26 to 50 1 2 5 5 13
51 to 100 2 3 2 3 10
101 to 150 1 1 1 1 4
Over 150 0 2 5 0 7
-- -- -- -- --
Total 7 15 17 31 70
Scattered and transient population together with denominational
competition has resulted in a large proportion of small churches.
XII
HOW THE CHURCHES HAVE GROWN DURING A ONE-YEAR PERIOD BY TYPES OF
COMMUNITIES
Country Village Town City
Churches Churches Churches Churches Total
Number Per Number Per Number Per Number Per Number Per
Cent Cent Cent Cent Cent
Gained 12 35 7 50 10 77 8 89 37 53
Stationary 9 27 6 43 1 8 0 0 16 23
Declined 13 38 1 7 2 15 1 11 17 24
-- --- -- --- -- --- -- --- -- ---
Total 34 100 14 100 13 100 9 100 70 100
The gain in church membership increases with the size of the community.
XIII
MEMBERSHIP GAIN OF THE CHURCHES ORGANIZED TEN YEARS OR MORE, DURING THE
LAST TEN YEARS
Nine Seven Thirteen Eight
Country Village Town City
Year Churches Churches Churches Churches Total
1910 257 166 1,197 1,012 2,632
1915 303 278 1,385 2,011 3,977
1920 326 271 1,575 2,660 4,852
Village and Country Churches Increased 41% Town and City Churches
Increased 92%.
XIV
AGE AND SEX OF RESIDENT MEMBERS
By Counties
Beaverhead Hughes Sheridan Union
Men over 21 24% 31% 31% 33%
Women over 21 55% 45% 47% 47%
Young men and boys under 21 8% 10% 9% 7%
Young women and girls under 21 13% 14% 13% 13%
The churches are not winning the boys and girls. They need better
recreational methods and broader programs.
XV
WAYS OF RAISING MONEY
A CITY Beaverhead K VILLAGE Sheridan
B CITY Hughes L VILLAGE Union
C CITY Sheridan M COUNTRY Beaverhead
D CITY Union N COUNTRY Hughes
E TOWN Beaverhead O COUNTRY Sheridan
F TOWN Hughes P COUNTRY Union
G TOWN Sheridan Q ENTIRE COUNTY Beaverhead
H TOWN Union R ENTIRE COUNTY Hughes
I VILLAGE Beaverhead S ENTIRE COUNTY Sheridan
J VILLAGE Hughes T ENTIRE COUNTY Union
Number of churches with:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T
Budget for all monies 0 0 5 0 2[11] 3 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 4 4 3 2 9 9 5
Budget for local
expenses only 0 0 1 0 1 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 4 1 3
Annual every member
canvass 0 0 6 0 3[11] 5 0 2 0 4 0 1 0 3 4 4 3 12 10 7
Both budget and every
member canvass 0 0 6 0 3[11] 5 0 1 0 3 0 1 0 3 4 3 3 11 10 5
No budget and no every
member canvass 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 0 1 11 0 0 4 16
Total number of
churches 0 0 9 0 4 6 0 3 2 5 2 5 1 4 6 23 7 15 17 31
A fair proportion of the churches are using modern methods of financing
their work.
XVI
OCCUPATIONS OF CHURCH MEMBERS
A Number of Members
B Per Cent of Total
Churches Located in
CITY TOWN VILLAGE COUNTRY ENTIRE
COUNTY
A B A B A B A B A B
Beaverhead:
Retired farmers 6 5.7 6 5.3
Operating farmers 28 26.6 28 24.8
Farm renters
Farm laborers
Business or
professional 51 48.6 2 40 2 66.7 55 48.7
All others 20 19.1 3 60 1 33.3 24 21.2
Total reporting
occupations 105 100 5 100 3 100 113 100
Hughes:
Retired farmers 6 2.8 1 1.7 7 2.5
Operating farmers 8 3.8 34 58.7 6 75 48 17.2
Farm renters 12 20.7 1 12.5 13 4.7
Farm laborers
Business or
professional 114 53.5 6 10.3 120 43
All others 85 39.9 5 8.6 1 12.5 91 32.6
Total reporting
occupations 213 100 58 100 8 100 279 100
Sheridan:
Retired farmers 16 2.3 16 2
Operating farmers 49 7.2 41 51.8 90 11.1
Farm renters 8 12 15 19 23 2.8
Farm laborers 5 .7 5 .6
Business or
professional 179 26.2 6 7.6 185 22.9
All others 426 62.4 49 100 17 21.6 492 60.6
Total reporting
occupations 683 100 49 100 79 100 811 100
Union:
Retired farmers 1 1
Operating farmers 13 16.4 41 622 46 80.1 100 49.5
Farm renters 3 5.1 3 1.5
Farm laborers 3 5.1 3 1.5
Business or
professional 36 45.6 11 16.6 3 5.1 50 24.7
All others 30 38 14 212 2 3.6 46 22.8
Total reporting
occupations 79 100 66 100 57 100 202 100
Of the four counties, Union is the only one with a higher percentage of
farmers on its rolls than of men in other occupations. Yet over half the
churches in the four counties are country churches.
XVII-A
THE AMOUNT OF MONEY RAISED AND SPENT
The amount raised by the local churches is $97,571.98.
Per cent.
Subscription $70,910.74 72.68
Collections 9,464.24 9.7
All other methods 17,197.00 17.62
----------
$97,571.98
XVII-B
The amount spent by the local churches is $96,992.85.
Per cent.
Salaries $41,268.79 43.
Missions and benevolences 24,657.55 25.
Upkeep and all other expenses 31,066.51 32.
The entire amount spent for church purposes is $110,080.35.
Per cent.
Salaries $54,356.29[12] 49.
Missions and benevolences 24,657.55 23.
Upkeep and all other expenses 31,066.51 28.
Of the entire church dollar, about 12 per cent. comes from Denominational
Boards.
XVIII
RECEIPTS PER CHURCH
Country Village Town City Total
Thirty-one Fourteen Thirteen Eight Sixty-six
From: Churches Churches Churches Churches Churches
Subscription $235.45 $526.51 $1,972.93 $3,824.04 $1,074.41
Collections 57.99 106.57 254.35 358.49 143.40
All other methods 12.96 297.42 458.01 834.63 260.55
------- ------- --------- --------- ---------
Total $306.40 $930.50 $2,685.29 $5,017.16 $1,478.36
XIX
RECEIPTS PER ACTIVE MEMBER
Country Village Town City Total
Thirty-one Fourteen Thirteen Eight Sixty-six
Churches Churches Churches Churches Churches
Subscription $12.39 $14.07 $21.77 $18.65 $18.04
Collections 3.05 2.85 2.81 1.75 2.41
All other methods .68 7.95 5.05 4.07 4.37
------ ------ ------ ------ ------
Total $16.12 $24.87 $29.63 $24.47 $24.82
The average active member is generous in the support of his church.
XX
EXPENDITURES PER CHURCH
Country Village Town City Total
Thirty-one Fourteen Thirteen Eight Sixty-six
For: Churches Churches Churches Churches Churches
Salaries $220.12 $366.43 $1,247.31 $1,637.50 $625.28
Missions and
Benevolences 42.59 117.85 638.84 1,672.75 373.60
Upkeep and all
other expenses 40.95 441.63 794.22 1,661.18 470.70
------- ------- --------- --------- ---------
Total $303.66 $925.91 $2,680.37 $4,971.43 $1,469.58
XXI
EXPENDITURES PER ACTIVE MEMBER
Country Village Town City Total
Thirty-one Fourteen Thirteen Eight Sixty-six
For: Churches Churches Churches Churches Churches
Salaries $11.59 $9.79 $13.76 $7.99 $10.50
Missions and
Benevolences 2.24 3.15 7.05 8.16 6.27
Upkeep and all
other expenses 2.16 11.80 8.76 8.10 7.90
------ ------ ------ ------ ------
Total $15.99 $24.74 $29.57 $24.25 $24.67
XXII-A
HOW A TYPICAL DOLLAR IS RAISED AND SPENT BY THE LOCAL CHURCHES
Country Village Town City Total
Thirty-one Fourteen Thirteen Eight Sixty-six
By: Churches Churches Churches Churches Churches
Subscription $.77 $.57 $.74 $.76 $.73
Collections .19 .11 .09 .07 .10
All other methods .04 .32 .17 .17 .17
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Total $1.00 $1.00 $1.00 $1.00 $1.00
XXII-B
Country Village Town City Total
Thirty-one Fourteen Thirteen Eight Sixty-six
For: Churches Churches Churches Churches Churches
Salary $.72 $.39 $.46 $.33 $.43
Missions and
Benevolences .14 .13 .24 .34 .25
Upkeep and all
other expenses .14 .48 .30 .33 .32
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Total $1.00 $1.00 $1.00 $1.00 $1.00
On the average, these churches devote one-fourth of their receipts to
benevolences.
XXIII
GRADING FOR HOME MISSION FIELDS--PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN U. S. A.
A. Promising Field:
1. Prospect of self-support.
2. Strategic service opportunity.
B. Problematic Field:
1. Uncertain of community development.
2. Denominational responsibility uncertain.
C. Field to be relinquished:
1. Should be self-sustaining.
2. Work should be discontinued.
This would be a good test to apply to every aided church on the Range.
XXIV
NUMBER OF CHURCH SERVICES
Number of Services Country Village Town City
a Month Churches Churches Churches Churches Total
Eight 3 3[13] 12[14] 7 25
Seven 0 0 0 0 0
Six 0 0 1 0 1
Five 0 0 0 0 0
Four 6 6[13] 0 2 14
Three 0 0 0 0 0
Two 9 3 0 0 12
One 12 0 0 0 12
No regular service 2 2 0 0 4
Services in summer only 2 0 0 0 2
-- -- -- -- --
Total 34 14 13 9 70
About three hours a week set aside for church services and Sunday school
means six days a year; only twenty-five out of seventy churches have as
large a number.
XXV
ATTENDANCE AT SERVICES COMPARED WITH SEATING CAPACITY AND ACTIVE
MEMBERSHIP
Beaverhead Hughes Sheridan Union
Average seating capacity 197 277 286 160
Average active membership 49 59 117 24
Average attendance at services 52 50 80 67
An average attendance one-third less than the seating capacity means many
empty seats.
XXVI
ORGANIZATIONS IN THE CHURCHES OTHER THAN SUNDAY SCHOOLS
Mixed
Men Women Grown-up Young People
Number Members Number Members Number Members Number Members
Churches in:
Country 0 0 9 171 0 0 10 239
Village 0 0 9 166 0 0 3 81
Town 2 74 22 710 0 0 9 314
City 5 226 16 635 2 40 6 200
-- --- -- ----- -- -- -- ---
Total 7 300 56 1,682 2 40 28 834
Boys Girls Boys and Girls
Number Members Number Members Number Members
0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0
3 54 5 128 2 73
1 15 3 94 0 0
-- -- -- --- -- --
4 69 8 222 2 73
Women's organizations are numerous; men have only one-eighth as many. Less
than half of the churches have young people's organizations.
XXVII
NUMBER OF PASTORS WHO HAVE SERVED THE CHURCHES WHICH HAVE BEEN ORGANIZED
TEN YEARS OR MORE
A One Pastor F Six Pastors
B Two Pastors G Seven Pastors
C Three Pastors H Eight Pastors
D Four Pastors I Nine Pastors
E Five Pastors
Churches in: A B C D E F G H I
Country 1 1 2 2 2 3 1 0 1
Village 1 1 1 2 1 1 3 1 0
Town 0 1 3 4 2 2 1 0 0
City 1 2 1 2 2 0 0 0 0
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Total 3 5 7 10 7 6 5 1 1
The turn-over on the part of the ministers has been high. Two-thirds of
these churches have had a new minister every two and one half years or
oftener.
XXVIII
RESIDENCE OF PASTORS IN RELATION TO THEIR CHURCHES
Country Village Town City Total
Churches with:
Pastor resident in parish 8 8[15] 10 8 34
Pastor resident in community
but not in parish 4 0 0 0 4
Pastor resident in other
community in same county 12 2 0 0 14
Pastor resident in another
county 3 0 1 0 4
No regular pastor 4 4 2 0 10
Supply pastor 3 0 0 1 4
-- -- -- -- --
Total 34 14 13 9 70
About half of the churches have their ministers resident among the
members.
XXIX
SALARIES OF MINISTERS ACCORDING TO PROPORTION OF TIME DEVOTED TO THE
MINISTRY
Ministers Giving Ministers
Full Time to with other
Ministry Occupation
With One With More Than
Church One Church
Pastors receiving:[16]
Over $2,000 6 3
$1,501-$2,000 4 3 2
$1,201-$1,500 5 3 0
$1,001-$1,200 2 2 0
$ 751-$1,000 0 3 1
$ 501-$ 750 1 0 0
$ 101-$ 500 0 0 2
$ 100 or less 0 0 1
No salary 0 0 2
-- -- --
Total 18 14 8
With the high cost of living, it is difficult to sustain adequate family
life on many of these salaries. It is not strange that eight of the
ministers must earn part of their support at other occupations.
XXX
GAIN AND LOSS IN MEMBERSHIP AS RELATED TO RESIDENCE OF MINISTERS (One year
period)
Churches with: Country Village Town City Total
Resident minister 8 8[17] 10 8 34
Number gaining 4 5 7 7 23
Number stationary 2 3 2 0 7
Number losing 2 0 1 1 4
Non-resident minister 19 2 1 0 22
Number gaining 5 2 1 0 8
Number stationary 17 0 0 0 7
Number losing 7 0 0 0 7
About two-thirds of the churches with resident ministers made a gain in
membership; of the churches with non-resident ministers only about
one-third show a gain. Fourteen churches were either pastorless or were
served by a supply. Six of them made a gain during the year preceding the
survey.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] See Wilson, "Sectional Characteristics," _Homelands_, August, 1920.
[2] A monument to Sacajawea was erected in Armstead in 1915.
[3] Three country churches raised no money during the year and one city
church, which tithes, did not have financial figures available.
[4] See Table XXIII.
[5] 17 country churches have buildings.
[6] 13 village churches have buildings.
[7] The membership of the separate boys' and girls' organizations cannot
be added here because it would involve duplication.
[8] The capital letters in parentheses in the Table indicate the
respective counties, Beaverhead, Hughes, Sheridan, Union.
[9] In deriving these figures the Census Board has included the forest
reserve territory. The following figures were obtained by excluding this
area (with the exception of the inhabited portion of Beaverhead):
Total density per square mile of Beaverhead 2.1
Total density per square mile of Sheridan 9.2
On the Range the development of centers is just beginning.
[10] The Census does not give Spanish-American separately. They are of
course native-born and are included under that division.
Per cent. of native increase is 20.7 in Beaverhead for 1910-20
" " " " decrease " 4.1 " Hughes " 1910-20
" " " " increase " 12.1 " Sheridan " 1910-20
" " " " " " 32.2 " Union " 1910-20
In Sheridan, the "New Americans" are in the mines; in the other counties,
they are on the land.
[11] Two federated churches have a single budget and a single canvass.
[12] 76.37% of this amount was raised by local churches. The rest came
from the denominational boards.
[13] One church in each of these groups unites regularly with a church
holding eight services.
[14] One church in this group also has four week day services. One church
has its four services on week day nights and has no Sunday services.
[15] One church in this group has two resident social workers.
[16] Including $250 rental value of parsonage if there is one.
[17] One church in this group has two resident social workers.
UNIQUE STUDIES OF RURAL AMERICA
TOWN AND COUNTRY SERIES TWELVE VOLUMES
MADE UNDER THE DIRECTION OF
EDMUND DES. BRUNNER, PH.D.
What the Protestant Churches Are Doing and Can Do for Rural America--The
Results of Twenty-six Intensive County Surveys
_Description_ _Publication Date_
(1) Church and Community Survey of Salem County, N. J. Ready
(2) Church and Community Survey of Pend Oreille County,
Washington Ready
(3) Church and Community Survey of Sedgwick County, Kansas Ready
(4) Religion in the Old and New South Forthcoming
(5) The New and Old Immigrant on the Land, as seen in two
Wisconsin Counties Ready
(6) Rural Church Life in the Middle West Ready
(7) The Country Church in Colonial Counties Ready
(8) Irrigation and Religion, a study of two prosperous
California Counties Ready
(9) The Church on the Changing Frontier Ready
(10) The Rural Church Before and After the War, Comparative
Studies of Two Surveys Forthcoming
(11) The Country Church in Industrial Zones Ready
(12) The Town and Country Church in the United States Forthcoming
"_They are fine pieces of work and examples of what we need to have done
on a large scale._" Dr. Charles A. Ellwood, Dept. of Sociology, University
of Missouri.
"_I am heartily appreciative of these splendid results._" Rev. Charles S.
Macfarland, Genl. Secy., Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in
America.
Published by GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY, New York
FOR
COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS SURVEYS
111 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK