The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1915-05-20
OUTLINE OF TIE CIRCLES WORK
Continued from first page.)

the ever-growing prosperity of Dem
ocratic America, under govern
ment founded on the rock bottom
of peoples will.
A forth paper in this series was an expo
sition of the Monroe Doctrine as funda-
mental part of the comman law of the U. S.
The unity of interest of the American ma
tons, despite their great disparity in size
was handled tellingly as an argument for
the necessity of some law after the principle
of the Monroe Doctrine, for the progress of
the two Americas.
This series ran through about half of the
present circle, each paper being taken up
for general discussion by the members after
its reading; the whole constituting a valu-
able educational feature of the years work.
Second in Importance as practical educa-
tional work, was series of papers dealing
with political aud social economics.
This series was opened early in the year
with paper on prohibition; concerning it
self with the practical results of prohibition
as shown in the records and reports of the
State of Kansas.
This was followed by a paper on the
| Protective Tariff an exhaustive study
of the Tariff question, going deeply into
the economic conditions in the prominent
countries using both the protective and free
trade systems. Appended to this paper the
writer gave tabulated comparative scale of
wages in the agricultural, building, and
manufacturing industries, for the leading
free-trade and tariff nations.
The third paper in this series dealt with
agriculture, picturing the enormous for
ward strides made during recent years in
this, the foundation industry upon which
| all nations must stand. The advance of
farming from an occupation to business,
from business to profession; the social
and economic progress of the man behind
the plow, the lure of the soil to greater
freedom and richer life for those who will
but follow it, and the wonderful rewards
that it can give, were presented for consid-
Grafton in this paper.
A fourth paper in this series, brief out
line of methods for teaching adult ilIiterates.
With the influx of emigrants likely to
follow the close of the war, the problem of
teaching adult illiterates may have a very
decided affect on the future of this country,
and is one which every thinking American
should give serious thought.
The final paper in this series took up
that great vital topic of present day life, the
increased cost of living, and gave carefully
studied and forcefully presented outline of
same of the less frequently considered as
poets of this great burden. In analogy, the
cost of living was presented as a problem
essentially of personal responsibility, and
one the solution of which depends more
legislative action.
The third important line of study this
year has been historical. When 1 say his
torical do not want to be understood as
implying delving into dry and dusty tones
after immaterial facts or hctions relating to
the faded splendours of long forgotten ma
tons or dead people. There is much of
cultured significance in the histories of an
cient Rome and Greece, much of beauty
and worth to be derived from the chroni-
Gals of their ideals, their customs, and
their achievements. But to the practical
man of today the study of modern history
is of much greater importance. We may
we'll take lesson from our charities, in
this respect, and begin our study of history
nearer home. That is what the Chautau-
qua Circle has done this year, the subjects
studied being our own state, Minnesota;
the PHILIPPINES, both before and since the
American occupations; Panama, the Isthmus
and the connecting link between the two
hemisphere; Russia, its progress from a
little barbaric principality to an Empire
stretching over half of Asia and a great
part of Europe; Luxemburgh, little dutchy
now serving as door mat for half of Eur
ope.
A fourth series of studies was along
scientific lines, the principal papers dealing
with first "Alcohol, and its effect upon the
Human Races" comprehensive study of
the workings and the practical methods of
dealing with the use and abuse of spirit
uous liquors; being forceful appeal for
the elimination of this unclean growth from
our social body; second, 'Icebergs," the
processes of their formation, their habits
and vagaries of travel, and practical meth
DDS of reducing the great menace which
they present to ocean traffic; third, ''Our
Own and Other Worlds" an exposition of
the workings of the laws governing the
movements of that vast unknown quantity,
our solar system; and last but by no means
| least, a bit of psychologic research. bv our