Graham guardian., 1908-05-08
THE RMER, LITERATURE
AND THE FARMERS NEEDS

If l wished to form an opinion
as to any persons mind, | would
want TO go to his home. From
the periodicals and books l saw
there, l would know the status of
the owner of the home, intellectual
ly, morally and spiritually. Some
work which l have done in the
last few years, has given me
oppoh tunities to know what the
farmer reads and TO know his
desire, or lack of desire. for the
best literature. This is a timely
subject, rs the government, in
many localities, is bringing his
mail TO his door, and doubtless
nearly all farmers, IN the near
future, will be as well provided for
in this way, as the resident of the
city.
At the rural post offices, /
watched the postmaster put up the
mail the carriers are distributing
over their routes. | have been in
the country and have seen the con
tents of mail boxes, and more than
this, in the employ of Hoard's
Dairyman, ! made Investigations
which seem to settle the question
of what the farmer reads, to my
mind, beyond question. The
work assigned me was to visit 100
farmers IN one locality, and then
in another visit 100 more. | con
tinued this work until | went to
the homes of several hundred
farmers in New York and Pennsyl.
vania. l have seen what these
homes contain, l have talked with
the farmers about literature, and |
know what they read and abou,
their taste or desire for good
literature. Nearly every farmer
takes or borrows the town local
newspaper, and probably 80 per
cent of those who live near the
post office, or have their mail
delivered to them, take either II
tri-weekly or daily paper, general
ly of the most sensational type;
Is per cent take one of the
mag, zines, generally the Cosmo-
politan, McClures, or Others of
this class, and not more than 10
per cent take religious periodical.
/ visited 100 farmers in South
east New York and found that not
moie than IL per cent were sub
scribers to the leading agricultural
papers. Iu no farming locality
have found higher per cent of
purely agricultural papers read, or
Of the journals that are of a re-
ligieus or moral class. From the
information l was able to get, no,
more than rs per cent of the farm
ers apply for, or receive, the
bulletins of the government, or
State agricultural stations and
schools, which are mostly sent free
on application.
These are facts that show what
farmers are reading, and also their
needs. Modern inventions and in
siitu ions are bringing to the
isolated farmer all that is really
good in city or village life. Only
recently visited a farm home
several miles from village, The
trolley brought me within few
rods of bis door. The U. s. mail
wagon drove TO the door every
day, and brought the farmer his
mail. Near at hand was the tele.
phone. If be desired, the pbono
graph entertained him with music.
On his table were no less than a
dozen different periodicals, the
most of which he subscribed for
because of the free rural mail
delivery, but not one Of these pub
licatiops were of high class, not
one could hardly be called litera.
ture. Fiction, sensational news,
or that which IS unreal in true life,
the temporary and passing, made
up his reading.
Here / would raise the questions:
What is literature? and what docs
the farmer need at this time! We
know the concentration of human
life ip cities is attended with many
evils. Here in the country of sur
burban neighborboods, away from
contact with, and te nptations from
these evils, where modern improve
ments are bringing to the farmer
almost every convenience and with
the inspiration of natural beauty
around him and opportunities for
studying natures processes in
vegetable growth. Here man can
live the fullest and most complete
life, but only when he is made to
see true ideals, and is working up
TO them. The function or use OF
literature IS to give him these
ideals. / do not know what litera
ture means to others, but to me il
means truth rightly told. Only
those can write literature who
have insight into the realms of
realities, who can see the truth
about things, and such one must
be an idealist. One who sees
tbirgs rightly or scientifically, and
can make them ineligible TO
others, writes literature. Because