Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1912-06-28

IN cleanliness of person, cleanliness
OF house, cleanliness Of surroundings.
! count that education OF little value.
In country where people are
mainly engaged in producing one kind
OF crop--and a very large proportion
OF you live In portions OF the country
Where people are engaged In produc-.
Ing but one crop, either cotton. rice.
sugar cane. or tobacco. or something
OF that kind-wherever people live un-
der such conditions, the temptation Is
to devote all Of ones time, all of ones
energy to the production of that single
crop and not produce variety of
food. Another sign OF civilization is
to find people producing and eating a
variety Of food. You know that while
we do not have very great variety
OF food here. 1t Is an Improvement
upon the food consumed in many of
the homes with which you are &C
quainted. ,,
An educated person should study
the soil where he lives, should study
climatic conditions and, see what can
be produced from that soil, in that
climate, and In the greatest
variety that will tend to-
ward the upkeep and health
of the human body. A variety of good
nourishing food. then, is another sign
Of civilization. have often been in
pGtions of the country near the sea-
chNrn Vahnrn oil binds 0f
fine sea food. and you would see the
people living right by the water side.
surrounded day by day with all the
riches of sea food that the water
could supply, and still those people
| with those riches right under their
nose were living upon canned food
brought in. in many cases, one hun
bred miles away.
1t is a common thing in the summer
time, as we'll as III the spring time.
to 60 through this part Of the country.
into peoples homes, where the ground
is capable of producing turnip. greens.
tomatoes and peas, and where with no
effort on mans part, the earth pro-
duces dew-berries and black berries,
and see people living on corn bread
| and molasses.
There is no more doleful sight than
to pass through certain sections OF
the country and see standing out IN
some field a house, sometimes with
one room, and sometimes with two
rooms, sometimes with three rooms
with not flower In the yard. not a
vine of any character near the house.
not vegetable growing In the gar
den, not a thing that would enliven
and bring cheer and comfort ana
health and happiness to that home.
You are the persons who are to 60
out and change that kind Of thing
wherever you can exert your influ-
ence.
Another sign Of civilization Is to
have a time for everything-a time
especially for eating. We have time
to eat here and you may think 1t IS
pretty hard upon you as an Individual
when you are shut out from the DIN
ing-room, as some of you are when
YOU are half q minute or two minutes
or three minutes late, but we have q
purpose in all that. The purpose is
| to impress upon you that among civ.
ilized people, in every community
each family should have dennlte
time for each meal. and every mem
Der of the family should be present,
not behind time, but on time for that
meal. and where that kind of organ
tzation in the family is lacking. there
is want Of the highest elements OF
| civilization.
| :. Another sign of civilization - sbp y, p
by the kind of place that people nave
for their eating-the kind Of place
they have for their dining-room. When
YOU build your homes, when you 90
away from here, when you remodel
the present house in which your peo'
pie live, hope you will see to 1t that
the dining-room, the place where you
take your meals, is made the most at
tractive place In the home-the most
beautiful, the most inviting place, that
It has plenty of air, plenty OF sun
light. You 60 into, some. homes, even
where people live who have plenty OF
means to provide better conditions
and the dining-room is so small, SO
gloomy, so uninviting, that you want
to get out of 1t just as quickly as you
can. No matter how small the home
may be- how simple it may be, see TO
It that in your home there Is a beau
tiful, well-arranged, inviting place used
as dining-room.
Then civilized persons pride them
selves on keeping their word, on keep
ing their promises, in little things, as
in big things. You can usually pick
out a highly.cultured person, a highly
civilized person, from an uncultureo
and uncivilized Ole, regardless, of how
much book learning he may have. by
noting the degree in which that indi-
yidual keeps his promises, both large
and small. ry....
Another sign of civilization Is in
ones learning to be careful OF his
correspondence-to be prompt. to ar
range his letters he receives In d
systematic way so that he knows
which are important, and which are
un-important, and above all, to see to
It that every letter that demands an
answer is answered with promptness.
with care, with system. There is no
more perplexing task than to deal
with an Individual who is careless IN
his correspondence, who is not prompt
in answering his correspondence. A
sign then, repeat, of a highly cul-
tured, civilized person is in his seeing
to It that all Of his correspondence Is
carefully and promptly taken care OF.
All that I have been trying to say
| In thin. Az VOL