Charles Kingsley and the Christian social Movement Book

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This is an OCR edition with typos.
Excerpt from book:
Chapter IV. Lessons in Village Citizenship. "The church bells were ringing, the devil sat singing On the stump of a rotting old tree; ' Oh faith it grows cold, and the creeds they grow old, And the world is nigh ready for me'. The bells went on ringing, a spirit came singing, And smiled as he crumbled the tree; ' Yon wood does but perish new seedlings to cherish, And the world is too live yet for thee'." [Erersley, 1848.] To a rural reformer looking back upon the social and economic history of the English village during the fifty years which have elapsed since the publication of Yeast, it is plain that considerable progress has been made. But very much yet remains to be done, and to be done in directions which for the most part Charles Kingsley very definitely foresaw. Broadly speaking, the problems in rural administration which still face the village reformer may be classed under three heads. I. How to increase village prosperity by improved methods of livelihood. II. How to improve the housing of the rural poor, and the sanitary equipment of the village. III. How to inspire through the whole system of rural administration worthier ideals of village citizenship. Possibly this last problem ought to be considered first. But at anyrate we may say this. It is quite idle for the potential village reformer to consider the solution of any one of these problems until he has first also satisfactorily to his own mind answered these three questions: I. Does the English state consider that productionof food for the people is the primary charge on the land, and with that object in view does she desire to retain a rural population of workers on the soil? J II. Does the English Church consider that national character is of far great...