Now, as soon as the church realizes the meaning of the foregoing situation and acts accordingly, just so soon will this splendid old institution be enabled to do efficient work in vitalizing the practical affairs of the community in which it is located. To illustrate this point: The great curse of boyhood to-day is the tobacco habit, and this vitiating practice is slowly working its way among the country youth. The youth who acquires the smoking habit before becoming physically matured thereby depletes his physical health to a marked degree, reduces his mental efficiency ten to fifty per cent, and almost completely destroys his power of initiative. Such a youth is never found contending for any moral issue or any high and worthy cause of the people. His constructive instinct is made more quiescent, while his disposition to condone evil is greatly and permanently increased. Boys who attend church and Sunday school are also, like others, falling victims to the sex evils of various forms. AN INNOVATION IN THE RURAL CHURCH Perhaps there is no better illustration of how the economic affairs of the neighborhood may be vitally linked with the church service than the work carried on under the direction of Superintendent George W. Brown, of Paris, Illinois. During one year Mr. Brown conducted on seven different occasions an over-Sunday program, somewhat as follows:-- On Saturday either at the country school house or in the basement of the country church there was arranged an exhibition of corn, while during the day class exercises in the study of corn were in progress. On the day following, Sunday, there were two sermons, the theme of each being closely allied to the economic problems studied the day previously. The ministers are reported to have cooperated enthusiastically in this work, each one attempting in his sermon to show how better economic life may be made contributive to a better religious life. On the Monday following, the program was continued with a farmers' institute representative of the several interests of the adults and the young people. At this Monday meeting a number of the faculty of the state university were in attendance and gave helpful addresses appropriate to the occasion. At night the County Superintendent gave an illustrated lecture, using the stereopticon to show the audience just what was being done in the various parts of the county and country by way of improvement of the social and economic conditions.