VOL. XXXI.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., AUG. 8, 1896.
NO. 32
EXPERIENCE DEPARTMENT
What Social, Intellectual and Spiritual Opportunities do yon Enjoy in
the Home Life and Surroundings of Your Family.
Ist Premium. I am very interested in
your topic concerning the social life of
the farm. With your permission I will
participate in the discussion at the point
where it touches a plan for the future of
Indiana. As is well known the last legislature appointed a commission to consider and report to the next legislature a
suitable plan for celebrating and commemorating the 100th anniversary of the
admission of Indiana into* the Union as a
Territory— the anniversary will occur in
I'M), but little more than three years
honce. I had the honor of offering a
resolution relating to the coming centennial which was adopted by the Annual
Convention of the Indiana Union of Literary Clubs, held in June in Connersville. At tliis convention there were
represented 130 clubs, whose membership
includes both men and women from more
than half of tbe counties of the State. So
it will be seen tha'j the meeting was fairly
representative of the most advanced
thought of   the State, and   its   action
worthy of consideration.   Tho resolution
was as follows:
r--VP,e^filvc<t, That the centennial commission appointed to report to the next general assembly a plan for celebrating the
100th anniversary of the admission of Indiana as a territory of the United States,
bo requested to consider the propriety of
commemorating the event by a liberal
appropriation and a wise law authorizing
the establishment and perpetual maintainance of libraries accessible to the
whole people of the State. This manner
of commemoration embodies possibilities
for the State and its citizens that transcend in value any possible exposition of
the material resources of the State.
This plan contemplates a celebration
that may be participated in by every
citizen of the State. Celebrations may be
held in every community In honor of the
opening of the local library. This plan
of commemoration is enduring, in fact it
gathers force as time goes on. Such a
general system of libraries would supplement the school system of the State in a
practical way. Libraries accessible to
those who live on farms would be an incalculable benefit, for while it is true that
books are inexpensive, compared with
their cost 20 years ago, yet it is also true
that the best books are high in price, and
that even the well-to-do can not or do not
buy books in'any great number, while
the poor family, with boys and girls just
as capable of appreciating and being
benefited by good books, cannot buy at
a)'. The power of books to influence
one's life is too well known to be repeated here. One has only to read the
biographies of men and women who have
accomplished anything of value, to be
convinced of the hunger of young people
for books and the inlluence wrought by
reading. The love of books is a bar to
many vicious habits. Bnt one cannot
love books if one has not access to them.
The cities will always take care of themselves, but an effort must be made in behalf of the children of rural communities.
The cost to the State of establishing libraries need not be more than that of
making an exposition of material resources. Of course any legislation looking to the establishment and maintainance of libraries would need to be well
considered; but surely we have wise and
patriotic legislators. A centennial celebration upon the plan herein indicated
would be an advanced measure reflecting
the highest honor upon Indiana. It
■would manifest a regard for intelligent
citizenship fit to stand beside our common school system and .would attract
Public attention in a manner that would
win distinction for the State, and invite
the best class of people to make homes
upon the farms of the State. The farm is
an ideal place for a home, let ns bring to
it every embellishment of literature and
of science. Nothing is too good for the
farm home. Vhioina C M__i.-_niTir.
Cambridge City.
In my home life the social opportunities which I enjoy are unusually good.
My neighbors are intelligent, church going people who originally came from
New York and Connecticut. During the
long winter evenings oyster suppers are
held for both old and young, singing
schools, spelling schools and all manner
of socials for the enjoyment of all, while
in the summer after the rush ot work is
over several neighborhood picnics at a
pleasure resort near at hand, or sometimes an excursion is mado into an adjoining county, and later in the season
the county fair occurs which everybody
attends. In the lino of intellectual opportunities I consider myself peculiarly
located, living as I do in the country, but
enjoying the adventures and opportunities afforded by a village of 2,500 inhabitants. Our country schools are liberally
supported, a neat and cozy school house,
presided over by a well paid and intelligent class of instructors, while in the
town we have the high school which fits
one for college, and also a "peoples lecture course" in the winter which enables
us to listen to tho bright minds as well as
tho best musicians of the land. Besides all
all this, we of course have the daily news
paper as well as the weekly and monthly
magazines, which keep ns well informed
about the doings of the world at large.
And last but not least we have spiritual
opportunities far above the average. In
the village are six churches, each presided over by a well educated, wide awake
and aggressive pastor, who speaks to well
filled pews. I consider spiritual opportunities of paramount importance, and
allow no side issua to supplant them. We
have Sunday schools, Christain endeavor
societies, Kpworth leagues, etc., and in
fact all modern organizations and influences for the spread of the gospel. I
have yet to find a more desirable location
for a man to build a home. A. G. A.
agricultural and political. So you see
our time can very easily bo engaged with
bnt very littlo of it to spend in social en-
jiyment. And I think that is too mnch
the case with farmers. As a general rule
they have to work all the timo, and get
but little pay, and have uo time for social enjoyment. 15. J. M.
We live within one mile of Crothersville an incorporated town of some 800
hundred inhabitants, with four
churches, some five or six organized
lodges, four Sunday schools, a Christian
Endeavor Society, an Kpworth League
organization, and a Woman's Home Missionary Society. With all these organizations in good working order we can have
some plaee to go as often as we can have
time to go. Then we have other organizations that drop into town from time to
time, such as Pentecost band, Saints and
Dunkard meetings. I send you a program of special service held at the Presbyterian church, July 2G.h. At our home
we have a first-class Crown organ that
cost one hundred dollars. My uncles aro
violinists and we havo home music and
home entertainments once in a while
when we have the time.
My grand parents wero raised some 10
or 12 miles from here, out in Jennings
county, in tho conntry, and they don't
seem to enjoy town society, especially
my grandfather. Now for what we have
to do. My grand parents and three un
cles havo a farm of 300 hundred acres
here, and one of 110 acres in the bottom
four miles away, and they have a saw
mill and feed grinding mill, and a Keystone corn hnsker and shredder and lots
of stock. We have milch cows and sell
milk to the town and also to the cream-
cry. I help milk and deliver the milk to
the creamery in the summer, and in the
winter I help milk and go to school. We
have ten acres in orchard which bears
large crops, and gives lots of work as
well as enjoyment. We have a good home
library, with plenty of papers,; religious,
In this department I infer from tho
headings you want actual experience and
facts, and I presume tho truth is expected
whether good or bad. As to the extent of
our social, intellectual and spiritual enjoyments, they probably depend on the
way we improve them. My opportunities in early life were few and limited to
what they are at present, yet by improving theso I was enabled to enjoy a large
amount of the blessings of life. Settling
in a new country in early life I havo scon
the wilderness blossom as the rose. Tho
cabin scantily and poorly furnished has
been replaced with large, fine commodi'
ous and well furnished dwellings. In
place of tho isolated log school house,
furnished with puncheon seats and tho
schoolmaster's rod, wo now havo the well
built, conveniently located and well
furnished buildings, where every child
has the privilege of studying and receiving instructions from tho bostof instructors. The only placo of public worship
was the private dwelling or native forests.
Wo now have good and substantial
churches in which to worship. The Only
musical instrument was an occassional
unconverted fiddle. We now havo tlie
violin, piano, organ and many other musical instruments, one or all in overy
house. And many other changes and
improvements in like comparison. My
opportunities and privileges as a farmer
are very satisfactory. Our social opportunities are probably not as varied or extensive as in the city, yet they are many
and probably sullicient. I think we have
less evil and disadvantages to contend
with in cultivating and establishing
character in our children than in the
city. Also can develop more rugged and
robust constitutions than in any other
occupation, thus endowing them with
pure minds and sound bodies, two essential points in a successful life. Our intellectual opportunities are suflieient for
our well being. Our mode of farming,
with the improved machinery we have,
gives us ample time to read and study
the varied literature at our command.
We supply ourselves and children with
suflieient literature, suitable ti ourdiffer-
ept tastes, ages and conditions, and are
careful to give ourselves and children the
time to read and study the same. Last
but not least aro our spiritual opportunities which are very satisfactory. Our opportunities in this direction should be
well improved, as they will surely bring
their reward, both iu this life and the
life to come. When life's opportunities
have been improved they have given
their reward in joy and happiness, and
every one neglected has been regretted
and has caused sorrow and disappointment. The literary and musical societies
and other harmless amusements give the
children and young people sullicient social and intellectual training. And the
church provides sources for their religious
training in the different young people's
societies and the Sabbath school, social
meetings and public worship provides for
all ages. C. K. If.
Warrentown, 111.
The good pikes havo helped in solving
the social qnestion. Hut one can't avoid
feeling the force of the thought that
pikes have ouly opened the way. They
have not directed sociability in helpful
channels.
There is small, slow gain by simply
placing two persons in touch with each
other to talk about trivial affairs, and
sometimes oven hurtful gossip.
The situation reminds mo of the advont
of natural gas in this section, farmers
uo longer had to cut and carry wood, and
much timo was liberated to them. They
woro simply freed, and of course since
thero was no directing habit and no well
defined leading ln helpful channels,many
of them just drifted to various local
places of amusements or to the villages.
We may no longer say that the women
must remain at home, for with good roads
came handy buggies and horses, and wc
meet ns many loads of women "going" as
of men. Thoso who have been Interested
in reading circles and other library work
feel severely the fact that farmers' families are not keeping up with the procession in the matter of papers, books and
general literature. In cities thoro is always a rage of clubs. Long lists are published in the press. Most of them are do-
voted to some plan of personal literary
work.
But in  spite  of  good  roads  you  can
hardly organize one in tho country.   The
difliculty seems to lie in the lack of liter-
It will not do to coni-
RKVIKW.
In my recent outing of seven or eight
hundred miles through the garden of
America, I had a good opportunity to
study the topic noiv before us. I rode my
wheel through districts not immediately
touched by railroads. And stopped
many, many times to chat with farmers
by tbo way, or to get fruit, or a drink,or a
meal. This often brought mo to the back
door, or into the living part of tho home.
ary taste and habit,
pare farmers with tho laboring classes in
the cities. Thoy own more property.
Our farms average about 100 acres, worth
$•"■,000. This is equal to tho middle class
in large towns and cities. Tiie literary
advantages of a family worth $~*,000 in tho
city are often quite pretentious. And
they aro constantly in touch with reading circles, lecture courses, social entertainments and good schools, and they
have on their centre tables, or in a shady
porch, one or moro hooks from tho public
library. These are exchanged about
every two weeks.
Tbe farmers you meet are kind, pleasant, independent and appear appreciative
and anxious for information. And no
one returning from a ride, like my recent
trip, can fail to appreciate with great
clearness the force ot the demand for
greater facilities for the one thing needful—books and papers.
The modern improvement..—pikes and
buggies, leisure from improved machinery—gas etc , all point to the open door.
A field ripeuntobarvost—a golden opportunity for an action by the State looking
toward giving direction to this new condition. This large fruitful opportunity.
It cannot bo reached by individual
work from outside. The forces at home
in each community must bo called out;
they aro ready, are expectant, are listlessly wailing for a well directed suggestion.
Coming home as 1 did profoundly impressed with this idea it was with great
pleasure that I found on my table the
above most practical suggestion by Virginia C. Meredith.
There are many advanced steps taken
by legislatures which have not received
general agitation and demand by tlie
public. Witness the appropriation by
State and Nation, of money for institutes
and for experiment stations; also methods of elections and changes in school
laws.
Tbe postal authorities are frequently
arbitrarily extending special privileges
to cities, such as mail delivery and collection from house to house, etc. The Indianapolis high school system was recently declared by an expert the best in
the United States. The advantages of
libraries, art galleries and reading cJubs
are immeasurable, while the farmer remains wrapped up in comparative isola-
Contliiitcil on Oth page.