' institutes were established, and lectures on
agriculture and home economics were given, together with a Chautauqua
course of lectures for winter and summer, and a series of home talent
plays. There were three holiday picnics each summer, and field day
exercises with a parade, platform meetings, and a community dinner.

Other results of this movement are a fine new school building with a large
auditorium, and greatly improved roads. Moreover, a favorable reaction has
been felt in the churches. Whereas, formerly but 37-1/2 per cent of the
population were church attendants, now there are 58 per cent; where
formerly 40 per cent of the people went to Sunday school, now there are 52
per cent. The whole community shows a higher moral tone.

While the churches at White Cottage were not united in any organic way,
yet a spirit of Christian unity was brought about. The very best of
feeling exists among the different churches, and their members work
together gladly in community improvement. As the result of such an
atmosphere the evils of overchurching are reduced to a minimum, and it
becomes easier to bring about such reorganization as may be for the best
religious and social welfare of the community.

Organizations of cooperating rural social forces, like that at White
Cottage, for many years have been doing good work in other states, both
East and West. In large numbers of communities, particularly where the
churches cannot be federated, or where bitter feeling has resulted from
interchurch competition, the best method of progress is often to bring
about such a cooerdination of forces in the service of the community
itself.

3. _Community Service and Christian Unity_

Ashley, in Delaware County, is a town of about 600 inhabitants. Here a
resident pastor's desire to serve his community resulted in Christian
unity. Twelve years ago there were four competing churches, poorly
attended and struggling for existence. Camp meetings of a fanatical sect
were often held in the neighborhood. In the churches of the town seasons
of protracted meetings were characterized by excessive emotion at the
time, but by few permanent good results. While respect for religion is
necessary to a high degree of moral and social life in any country
community, a large proportion of the people in Ashley no longer respected
the church because of the character of its religious activities. Many of
the most influential citizens even doubted whether the chu