It is no selfish Christian spirit that rejoices in the broadening opportunities of country life. The church is but a means to an end. The great objective is the coming of the Kingdom of God for which Jesus prayed. As fast as the very soil of a country is recognized as “holy land,” and preserving its fertility is felt to be a patriotic duty; as fast as better live stock, better plant species and a better breed of men are sought as a working ideal; as fast as the conservation of all natural resources becomes a national life purpose; so rapidly and inevitably the Kingdom of Heaven will come. The Country Life Movement is fundamentally religious.
Test Questions on Chapter IV
1.—Mention a few evidences of modern industrial efficiency.
2.—What can you say of the efficiency of modern agriculture?
3.—In what ways have you noticed country people to be especially conservative?
4.—Compare the wasteful farm methods of a half century ago with the careful intensive cultivation of to-day.
5.—How has the government helped progressive agriculture?
6.—What are the experiment stations accomplishing?
7.—What do you think of the evil of soil-piracy?