The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1915-12-10

of tenant too, and watched the rura
mail carrier coming down the hill
saw him stop at the gate and deposit
in the mail box what seemed to me q
considerable amount of mail matter.
In few minutes the young son OF
the family came by, took out the mail
and came toward the house at a pace
slower than a snail, never once look
ing up from the magazine he was
reading.
| learned it was difficult for the
mother to get the children who were
old enough to read to eat their meals
on the days the magazines came.
Yes, but you say that is only one
family, and that to be accurate you
must get the average. But must one
not concede that the rural mail system
of these United States will be, nay is,
great factor in the education of the
people, more especially when such adj
vantage is supplemented by travel
ing libraries of we'll selected books
sent out from many state libraries to
the remotest counties?
MuSI VIC IlOI dlSO CollCeue tiidI III
learning to read of how others live,
move and have their being, we will at
least absorb some of the interests of
other lives? While we are landing
vocational education let US not decry
the literary. That is our spiritual
food, so to speak, and without it a
vocation becomes drudgery.
But neither literary food nor scien-
tifc farming is going to keep the
country-born in the country.
There is one thing that will keep
them there, and that is the increase
of creature comforts along with other
interests in life. That these are be-
ing won cannot be gainsaid by even
statisticians, but those that dwell in
the country are just beginning to re-
alize it, and that there is yet much
to be done along this line goes with
out saying.
And yet, ever since the sewing ma
chine agent sold the first farmers
wife the first sewing machine, hei
work has been growing less irksome
And some day her hours of work will
be shorter because Inventions de,
vices and her training in systematic.
ing her work will make it so. Look
how long it takes us to learn the sim,
plest thing. For instance, | had beer
all my life unfastening my shoes
button by button, when along came q
young miss that caught hold of the
top of her shoes and with one telling
pull the shoe was unfastened. Don't
ever think she didn't teach me how tc
get to bed quicker.
And thus it is in the more impor
Itant things of life. We learn slowly
the countryman probably more slow,
Ily because of lack of constant con-
tact with his fellowman. But no one
can travel over this great country who
knew it even ten years ago and not
see changes for good to him who
dwells in the rural districts.
First, the community has improved
it's roads. The owner has improved
his farm. He keeps up his fences
better. He has better protection for
his stock. He has better tools and
takes better care of them. He con-
tributes more to church and school.
He thinks more of his community OBJ
- Ill H. - bo
llgationS. ana "nlle Ihere may Ne "i
some abandoned churches ana Scnool
houses, those patronlzed are IN DeIIer
physical and hnahclal cohulClolls' anu
l believe, are growing IN splrltuallVy;
The wife whose help Is Lnvaiuap 'l,
is demanding that she' 700. nave eE some i
OF the laoor.saVlng devices one Is
also demanding an outlet lor HeI-
self and children IN the way Oh pet
ter clothes and better soclal oppor-
tunltles. d.
Ihls Is the owner NINA you; Dul
think you this owner mas no influence
over the renter? Here's Where amol-
ton is going to play another part.
Seldom was there ever a cAlld VINO
saw another with better clothes' more r
toys or more a!lyIhlns Cna' H. ului
make up its mind to have. twice as
many. And 1t IS Just as lmposslD,i.e
for the owner to improve MS conai-
ton and the renter not improve MS
as it is to reverse natures order
l. ell l.