The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-02-15
Continued from page ~
CITY AND COUNTRY LIFE,

VI AIND WIN
except those of their immediate family
Finally in nearly all up-to-date farm
homes there are now telephones
that bring into easy reach all with
whom country people care to talk.
AS to social life, what have they
in the cities: Theaters, dances, NOV
ing picture shows and other so-called
pleasures for children and light-headed
persons, that would soon disgust sensi-
BILE people.
Instead of this, country people have
their occasional parties "sociables,"
friendly meetings of neighbors and
the like. And as to literary enter
tainments, or social clubs, the country
people, especially in winter, have more
time and opportunity than city people,
if they only care to take the trouble
of providing for them.
The Pleasures of Country Life. i.
Besides, what grand never-tiring
pleasures the changing seasons bring
to country people. About all the city
people know of them is: To provide
fuel in the fall to keep the stoves ago
ing in winter, to clean houses in spring
to protect clothing in summer from
moths, etc., to change clothes accord
ing to the thermometer, and to repeat
the same programme the following
year.
One must have lived in the country
to realize what a pleasure it is to
hear the first robin in March, to make
ready for sowing and planting, to see
the grain growing in the fields and
the plants, shrubs and trees in the
gardens, to watch the poultry and
other farm animals, to gather the
fruits of labor in fall, and to take
again time of comparative rest in
winter. The pleasures of city people
are, as rule, expensive and fleeting.
The pleasures of country life are God,
given and are, as whole, things to
which may be applied the words of
the poet Keats, "a thing of beauty
is joy forever"
AS to literary life, the country peo-
pie have practically more advantages
than city people. What are those
much-vaunted city libraries good for?
To provide some people who have not
much else to do, with light reading. >
The solid, serious books are mostly
used to adorn the shelves of the city
| libraries and are rarely cleaned OF
their dust by earnest, studious read
ers. The country people may thank
God that their neighborhoods are moi
infected with those literary ware
houses called "city libraries.
1t has been wise saying for many
generations, "Virum unius libr
timeo"; that is, Il have respect fol
the man of one book" or, the mar
who has thoroughly mastered one
good book. There is more indiscrim
mate reading and less solid knowledge
in the united States than perhaps any
where else under the sun. 1t would
be blessing for the country, if some
Caliph Omar would come around ant
treat those much-vaunted city libraries
as he did that of Alexandria; it would
help many to read or do somethins
useful instead of wasting time b!
reading worthless trash. The aver
age farmer is well able to provide hi
family with good library contain
ing about all the really useful books
that are needed, and to keep wors
than useless literary trash from hi
family. Besides, if country peoplt
wish, they can easily start in thei
tneighborhoods clubs for library enter
tainments, especially during winter.
Some country people complain abou
church facilities. AS a rule, Cath
olics at least have about all they want
and no one will deny that there is al
abundance of churches at REASONABLE
distances in the country. Moreover
country people seem to appreciat
churches more than city people VIII,
) have more than they care for. AC
cording to statistics published by 9Th
Minneapolis Tribune" January q, o
10000 families of that city only 2,99
belong to any church societies. 1t
not so pad IN the country.
The Desire for a Higher Education
The education of children is anothe
, point that troubles some people i
the country. There is a vague, haz
idea afioat with many that countr
children ought to have "a higher edl
cation" For what? They do nc
know, but they think that other pei
pie think So AS a rule, there ar
, country schools enough where chi
dren can learn the three Rs: ReaC
ing, writing and arithmetic. If the
) use their opportunities, they will b
) able after leaving school to read vel
{ to write well and know their arithm,
r tic well; and all that is then r,
quired, is their own application an
: push to get along wen in the ave
E age spheres of human life. A goo
, common school education is practi
: ally the key to all higher education