The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-06

signed for the use and benefit of the wives
of farmers in New York State and is sup
Elementary to the Farmers Reading
Course. inaugurated some time ago in Cor
nell.
This Farmers Course. which has been
in successful operation for nearly five
years, is three years course In agricul-
tural study. Six lessons are sent out each
winter, and, at the end of the course those
who have completed il satisfactorily and
who wish to carry their studies farther
are entitled to the privilege Of joining
three months course of study at the uni
versity. The greatest interest has been
shown in this correspondence course by
the farmers of the State. and the system
ties. 1t is well known that farmers are
great readers. even If they do not always
select the highest class papers and period
icals. That is matter of judgment The
colleges are largely recruited from the sons
and daughters of farmers, showing the
intellectual bent of the class.
This is especially true in the West, where
the State universities filled with young
men and women from the country. A great
many of them return to the farm, but it
is tolerably safe to say that few of the
girls return gladly, or even willingly. Till
ing the soil is hard work for the men, but
1t is nothing like the loneliness. the deadly
monotony of the farm life indoors, where
the women do their share.
The rural farms of New York are not iso-
lated, like the Western ranches; they are
not wind-swept and vast in their monoto-
nous fairness, but they are none the less
dull and eventless. There is less change,
less prosperity to be looked forward to than
! in the West, and the women lead lives of
unvarying routine.
1t is no wonder that they fall into ma
chinelike ways of doing their work. Their
| housekeeping is drudgery. The family table
| IS furnished with the same food, prepared
in fhG tn
A visitor to a prosperous farmhouse after
eating boiled chicken four times in success
F! sioE-young spring chickens, too-ventured
| TO ask the placid, slow-moving hostess If
| she never broiled her chickens. The hostess
| answered that the idea was absurd chick
| ems were not meant to be broiled, and, as
| fried things were unwholesome, fowls were
| only fit TO eat when stewed with soda bis
cult dumplings.
| 1t was just such apathy and ignorance as
i this that the Reading Course for Farmers
/ Wives Is designed to overcome. In the win
/ ter of 1S99-1900 a large number of circulars
were sent to women farms throughout
| the State, each one inclosing examples of
| Farmers Reading Course, asking If a sim
| liar course for women would be welcomed.
| About two thousand women responded IA
/ vorably, and soon afterward the first leaf
| let's sent out. The next year some
| thing like five thousand women were reg
| istered for the course, and the number in
| creases annually.
| The women themselves were consulted as
| to the nature of the instruction desired by
| them. According TO their own preference
| the leaflets issued so far have had domes-
tic economy subjects. The improving of the
| farm home, ways of tightening the burden
| of farm housekeeping, modern methods OF
| sanitation and scientific cookery are general
| subjects. These leaflets are supplied free
| within the State and there is quiz system
attached which serves to keep the interest
| alive and to give each woman direct con-
nection with the university. Correspond
ence with the university is invited and
hpr hal civ xEh han nv
Reading clubs among farmers wives are
| encouraged.
The head OF the department having this
| course in charge is Miss Martha Van Rem.
| selaer a young woman experienced in pub
| lic-school work, especially in rural districts
| Miss Van Rensselaer, knows the farmers
| wife and her needs and desires. She know:
| that few If any of the women on New
| York farms want directions for growing
| mushrooms or violets or raising celery-feC
| squads. The farmers wife has neither
time nor strength for fancy gardening oil
| artificially-fiavored poultry. The kitchen
! garden OF hardy flowers satisfies her anC
requires no undue outlay of labor; as fol
poultry, she wants TO know how to cook
! her fowls, not how to raise them. She
| knows that already.
The course is practical. interesting and
| valuable. The farmers wife is not advised
! as she was in newspaper which circulates
among upstate people and seeks TO settle
most OF their problems of life, that she
| ought to have dinner at O'Clock and make
| her husband and sons dress for that func.
ton. She is taught instead how to improve
on old methods of housekeeping without
! sacrificing any of their simplicity. Interest
i'm the life OF the country. in the home place
and the domestic routine is encouraged by
giving the best methods OF dealing witt
| them.
In addition to the domestic science leaf
| let's the department has issued some TWEEN
ty-two leaflets for children and country
school teachers, by means of which it 1:
hoped TO awaken deeper interest I'm coun
try life These illustrate kinds of natur,
study approved by the university and b,
other authorities They have been sent {,
| at least twenty thousand children. regis
tered TO receive them. More than l1,50
teachers have also received the leaflets.