sapproval of indecency was timid or lacking, and religion was in
general disrepute. Not only was there no day of worship, but also no day
of rest. Life was mean, hard, small, selfish, and covetous. Land belonging
to the town was openly pillaged by the public officers who held it in
trust; real estate values were low; and among the respectable families
there was a general desire to sell their property and move away.

Then a church was organized. The change which followed was swift,
striking, thorough, and enduring. The public property of the town, once a
source of graft and demoralization, became a public asset. The value of
real estate increased beyond all proportion to the general rise of land
values elsewhere. In the decade and a half which has elapsed since the
church began its work, boys and girls of a new type have been brought up.
The reputation of the village has been changed from bad to good, public
order has greatly improved, and the growth of the place as a summer resort
has begun. It is fair to say that the establishment of the church under
Mr. Gill began a new era in the history of the town."

It was with this record of practical success in the country church,
supplemented by the very unusual experience as an investigator which he
acquired in collecting and analyzing the material for "The Country
Church," that Mr. Gill approached the task whose results are here set
down. The task of ascertaining with accuracy the conditions of the country
church in other portions of the United States still remains. The remedies
are yet to be applied.

GIFFORD PINCHOT.

Milford, Penna.
Aug. 26, 1918.

SIX THOUSAND COUNTRY CHURCHES

PART I

CONDITIONS AND REMEDIES

SIX THOUSAND COUNTRY CHURCHES

CHAPTER I

HOW THE FACTS WERE GATHERED

The Commission on Church and Country Life of the Federal Council of the
Churches of Christ in America conducted the work whose results are
summarized in this book. Several thousand persons assisted in collecting
the data here given. Lists of churches were obtained from correspondents
in every township in Ohio, and township maps were sent to them for marking
the location of the churches. Ministers, clerks, and other officers of
churches, district superintendents, and other denominational leaders gave
indispensable information.

The very important material gathered by the Ohio Rural Life Survey,
including country church maps of twelve counties and many data f