Drury, I never noticed before how this place is alive with societies and
clubs and lodges and things. Everybody seems to belong to three or four
organizations. And they talk about 'em! But I don't hear much about our
church, and nothing at all about the old church out at Deep Creek. Yet
I used to think that the church was the whole thing!"

The older man nodded. "It's true, J.W.," he said, "all the churches
together are only a small part of the community. They are the best, and
usually the best-organized forces we have, I'm sure of that; but the
church and the town have to reckon with these others."

"What good are they all? They must cost a pile of money. What for?"

"That's what you might call a whale of a question, J.W." John W.
Farwell, Senior, who had been standing by, listening, essayed to answer.
"And you haven't heard yet of all the organizations. Look at me, for
example. I belong to the Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club. I'm on
the Executive Committee of the Madison County Horticultural Society, and
I've just retired from the Board of Directors of the Civic League. Then
you must think of the political parties, and the County Sunday School
Association, and the annual Chautauqua, and I don't know what all."

"Yes, and I notice, dad, that a good many of these," said J.W., Jr.,
"are just for the men. The women must have nearly as many. Why,
Delafield ought to be a model town, and the country 'round here ought to
be a regular paradise, with all these helpers and uplifters on the job.
But it isn't. Maybe they're not all on the job."

"That's about it, my boy," his father agreed "I sometimes think we need
just one more organization--a society that would never meet, but between