Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-12-24
WINTER EVENINGS.
How to Spend Them Pleasantly and
PrOfiLa bly

The st. Louis Globe-Democrat con-
tains the following interesting article
''HoW to spend the evenings" is ea-
| tirely a new subject, and we presume
our readers will listen and be thorough
| Jy aroused on the first introduction of
the subject, All know that there is
too much time spent in listlessness,
neither reading nor thinking. IF
nothing interesting occupies the mind,
stupor and sleepiness take possession,
and young and old either sleep in their
seats evenings or retire to bed at un-
reasonable early hours. Most person S
are streng and robust in their bodies,
for they give their limbs and muscles
| ample exercise. But their minds are
| weak and rnuddy for want of being
employed in searching after wisdom,
or IN solving new problems in scien-
| tltic agriculture, or In following Ban
croft through our early history, or
Chailliu through Scandinavia in
search of the midnight sum-" Or Liv-
iNgston in opening up the clark con-
tlnent" to navigation, etc. There are
thousands of literary fields to be
CLEANED, which will not only strength
en- the mind, but create an appetite to
conquer new fields, invent new
schemes, and furnish material for
new triumpbs in LIES struggle. A
| few good books, selected with care. is
one of the ways to spend proftably
the winter evenings. Some have won
the highest poins to which men at
tain in this way alone. But it is not
| best 10 contine the mind to one branch
of knowledge to develop it's full
powers.
! Farmers should not only store their
minds with useful information but
they should learn how to tell what
| they know in a pleasant and graceful
manner to others. This can only be
done by study and practice. Hence
there is necessity for a weekly club
or association, to be held in each
school district, This should be of a
literary character, where all of the
members Of the family old enough
should meet and participate. The
| various questions can be discussed and
settled, such as what books to read,
how they can be best secured on the
cheapest plan for all of the neighbor-
hood-where ease and grace IN read
ing and speaking can he acquired, in
reading short essays and in discussing
practical questions of utility. Scout
from such societies all foolish cues
tons such as frequently destroy such
associations, as In which is there
more epJ syment, pursuit OR posses
slon" Or, (Which is the mother of
the chicken, the hen which lays the
egg or the one that matches it?" This
is a practical world, and life is too
short to spend any time in follics.
Besides the weekly literary society
Ia each school district, there shoald
be one evening devoted to the Far
mers' Club, where the practical cues.
tons in which every farmer is inter
ested should be discussed. There are
| young men, and even some older men
who have just commenced farming,
who want and need the advice of the
Experienced men IN the neighborhood.
And long tried and successful farmers
are scarce, indeed, who do not take
delight IN directing the younger ones
IN the ways Of success. They are as
ready to tell how they have failed, as
| they are to rejoice over the triumhps
which they have achieved by long
and dear experience. The Weekly
Farming Club is needed to talk over
the Improvement of stock by combin-
ed neighborhood action-to consult ia
a friendly way about a general sys-
tenn of district Or township drainage
l-or combining neighborhood infu-
ence In securing certain public i'm
provements, or social and religious
advantages. Such weekly consulta-
tons are beneficial in discussing the
questions of when to sell and when TO
withhold from the market-to warn
each other of wisely planned schemes
of fraud to cheat the farmers, and TO
idevise plans for harmony among
Ineighbors, to heal breaches, to save
some from rushing into the courts or
into the arms Of some legal Briarius
to be crushed to poverty and dis
grace.
Nearly 900 newspapers In the Unit
cd States bear the name of News, OF
which thirty four are located in Penn
lsylvania.
/ a man in Huntingdon county, Pa,
claims to have fOlnd q vein Of a,cthra.