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In the southern mountains, the remoteness of many people from newspapers and from contact with business life has made them slow to appreciate the meaning of the war; but the churches, especially the leading northern and southern churches, in the mountains, have been centers of Americanism to these lonesome people. Rev. Victor C. Detty of Huntsville, Tennessee, has led in War Savings Day in Huntsville and in Helenwood and his people have exceeded the amount asked of them.

Rev. Dr. W. E. Finley of Hot Springs, North Carolina, led his people in subscriptions which exceeded those of any part of Madison County and brought the county up to its quota. Hot Springs is the center of an immense camp of interned enemy aliens.

At Kingston, Arkansas, an old confederate soldier, who had become known for his advocacy of food conservation, sought the pastor of the Presbyterian church, Rev. Elmer J. Bouher. The old soldier introduced himself as a resident of a hamlet "back in the sticks" about twenty miles, and said that he had heard the government was to take all the corn. He brought with him a statement of the quantity of corn in their settlement and offered it on behalf of his neighbors and himself. He presented a request that those of them who had mules and cows be permitted to keep feed enough for one mule and one heifer.

This touching devotion represents the spirit of many country people. In previous wars, we have had peace parties and sometimes a reactionary pacifist group; but the country ministers have been a big factor in keeping the isolated, rural people informed as to the war.

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At Wilder, Tennessee, is a great lumber camp owned by GerThe minister, Rev. Dr. A. B. Buchanan, is a stalwart and loyal supporter of the war. He has appealed to the patriotism of the mountain men gathered in lumber camps up the various branches of the creek, and for a time suffered the displeasure of the owners who felt that his patriotic statements were extreme.

A riot developed in July against one of the two owners because of pro-German remarks he made in a prayer. A committee of workers forced him to withdraw from public connection with the church work. The pastor, Dr. Buchanan, has been a great influence for peace in the neighborhood, and for patriotism and loyalty. The Presbyterian Board of Home Missions has been maintaining community organizers in every section of the country, one

being appointed in each Presbytery. Their business is to organize conferences in remote places unreached by the influences that are promoting the war. In these conferences the various forms of war service, which country people should render, are described. Many are enlisted in Bond subscriptions, War Savings societies, Red Cross auxiliaries and in subscriptions for the Young Men's Christian Association. This work is under the guidance of Rev. Hermann N. Morse. Many ministers have had an opportunity, by this means, of great service.

The following are extracts from letters received from Presbyterian pastors who are working under the National Service Commission and the Board of Home Missions in the holding of War Service Conferences:

"We had a very profitable meeting at Albany, Illinois, on Thursday evening. The people were quite responsive to the appeal to co-operate with all war measures, and in the preparing of the church for responsibilities and opportunities after the war. This church has not been very aggressive in meeting the war time demands, but gave assurance of a quickening endeavor along this line."

"A popular meeting was held at White Hall at which an extended war address was made by the organizer and those present were urged to co-operate with the government in its conservation programs and with the Red Cross and the Y. M. C. A. The work of these organizations was described in detail and those present were much interested and seemed greatly instructed. There are two Red Cross branches within the bounds of this parish in which the members of the congregation are largely engaged."

"On April fourth we had a fine meeting in Aberdeen. An afternoon conference of workers was held, lasting from 2:30 to 5:00. A number of Red Cross workers were present and the wife of a Y. M. C. A. camp secretary, and a very animated and profitable discussion was engaged in an entirely informal way, with many questions and answers. Co-operation with the National Service Commission was gladly pledged and a local secretary appointed to send details and keep in touch with the commission."

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"I have held two more National Service meetings. I found the Red Cross doing good work at both places. Providence they were doing practically nothing in the way

of food conservation. I organized them for this. They had bought a good many Liberty Bonds, but they were doing nothing with the War Savings Stamps. I started them on this work."

Glimpses from a Community House (Disciples)

The status of the foreign-born woman, especially of the peasant class, is very different from that of the American woman. For instance, we expected to have the Children's Day program at seven o'clock in the evening. One girl spoke up and said she was so glad, then her mother could come, because at that time she would have given out the supper and her father would not be home yet. She added, "My father don't leaves my mother go no place."

Sadder still is the abuse to which the women are subjected. The godfather of two of the children, and some of his friends, called at the home on a Sunday afternoon. The men were drinking freely. The mother was the only woman present. They offered some to her, but she refused, saying that she did not care for it. The godfather was angered by her refusal, and picked up a glass of beer and dashed it into her face.

One Russian man said: "We drink when we meet together, because that is the only form of amusement we know."

If this be true, how needful that we provide wholesome recreation, and an enlargement of interests, for the poor, uneducated Russian peasant, who comes to our big cosmopolitan cities?

The Russian spends his increased earnings for his two luxuries, meat and beer. In their native land, they are an out-of-door people, living simply. Here they have new and different food, without being told how to prepare it. One man said: "I was two months learning to eat tomatoes."

Yet those tomatoes were prepared in such a way that we would not have liked them.

In one home it was through a baby that an opportunity was given for Christian Americanization. The husband and wife were converted, and became very earnest Christians. They were expecting a little one, and its arrival was so happily anticipated, because they had had a little girl which died when it was nine months old. The wife, scarcely able to speak a word of English, came to the Mother's Club to learn English and how to sew, so she could make some pretty clothes for the baby. She was able to attend only two meetings. Then I asked one of our Sunday school

classes of young ladies to make a layette for the baby. They spent several enjoyable evenings doing it. When the baby was two days old, I called. It was a boy and the father and mother were so proud of it, but felt so hurt that no one had been to see it. The custom is to have something to drink and for people to come in and drink to the health of the baby. The father said that when the girl was born, so many people were in, and he was so drunk all the time that he did not know what his wife said to him. Now it was a boy, but they were Christians and no one came to see it. On Sunday I told the young ladies' class that was making the layette about it, and six of them called and brought the little clothes. The parents were so happy about it, and said: "Oh, you care."

Some of the ladies called frequently, and when they moved to a different part of the city the mother begged that I would tell Christian American women to call on her.

This is the so-called era of the child, yet as the foreign child has expressed it, "someone is always hollering on me." "Many feel that the soul of the new-born babe will be lost if it dies before it is christened.

The third day after the baby was born one mother tried to get up and get the house cleaned up for the christening, but she could not do it. She waited a week, but still she did not have the strength. In her great distress, she sent her little girl to call me. I tried to comfort and reassure her and told her that Jesus had said, "Suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of God."

Through the children I gained entrance into the home, and then, sooner or later, an opportunity comes to definitely link up the whole family with the work through rendering Christian service in case of an emergency, sickness or death.

To them it is magic, perhaps miraculous, not science, when one can regulate a clock, and have it keep good time or put hot poultices on a festered finger and relieve the pain.

One nine-year old girl had been observing me for a long time and one day asked me, in an awesome sort of way, "if I was God, then some relation to Him?" To her it seemed that I was above physical danger or harm, and so different.

Miss BERTHA MERRILL

Disciples Church, Chicago.

The Influence of the Gospel on Community Life Bennington, Neb., is a town almost as old as Omaha. Yet until about fifteen years ago, no church of any denomination had been planted there. A church was not wanted, in fact all attempts to begin religious work there were blocked by the people. When this condition of affairs was reported to the German Lutheran synod of the state, it was arranged to send a missionary there. A young man was selected who was told to ask nothing of the people for himself. No house in the village would open to him; no one would rent him a room in which to live. Finally a saloon keeper in a spirit of banter offered to rent him an atticroom over his saloon. Into that room the pastor with his wife and babe moved. Services were begun in the schoolhouse; and the children invited into a Sunday school. After a year's service there the Board of Church Extension offered $500 aid to build a small church in the place. With this offer the pastor went to all in the community and succeeded in getting $900 more together, and a church building costing $1,500 was erected. When that building was dedicated the community in general turned out to hear. After the service an influential man in the community called some of the men together and said: "Men, I felt ashamed today. This little preacher has come here and gathered our children together, and given them instruction; and we have treated him like a dog and allowed him to live in a place like that. If you men will stand with me, I favor building him a parsonage at once." They agreed to the proposition and a house was built and the preacher moved into it. Soon after a congregation was organized, and the word of God regularly preached. The railroad agent gave this testimony to me a few years after: "I have lived in a number of towns, but never in one quite as tough as this. I have come down to this office on Monday morning and found young men and sometimes young women drunk on the streets after dancing all Sunday night. I am not a church member and would never have believed that the preaching of the Gospel would make such a change in any community. The dance hall has been torn down and hauled to the country for corn cribs, and it is seldom that a man intoxicated is seen on our streets. We have a new town and a respected one now."

H. L. YARGER, D.D., General Superintendent of the General Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the United States.

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