The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-07-07
Topeka Women Campaign for
Exhibits at Big Show.
Go Out Over the Country Every
Week in Automobiles.
HOLD INFORMAL MEETINGS
Trip Made to Wanamaker Was
a Big Success.
Mrs. Forbes, Mrs. Whitmer and
Miss COrbet the Leaders.

A group of young women, interested
in various branches of the women's
departments of the State fair, are go
ing about over the country, holding
meetings at the country school houses
to interest the rural women and chill
dren in the entry of exhibits. These
women are: Mrs. Harry 7. Forbes,
Mrs. Olive Jones Whitmer and Miss
NJ Edna Corbet. Mrs. Forbes is at the
head of the culinary department of
the fair; Mrs. Whitmer is managing
a department of home made articles.
and Miss Corbet is superintendent of
the Junior department.
These three women devote one or
more evenings a week to the spread
of the state fair propaganda over the
country. They go out in Miss Cor
bets automobile, invite enough friends
to fill up the car and jitney about over
the country. and in such fashion do
they all take after the farmers WIFE,"
This week they went to Wanna
maker, which is a few miles west OF
Gage park. One of their guests on
the trip was Mrs. Noble Prentis, who
is connected with the National Council
of Defense, and especially interested
in the food conservation schemes. The
meeting was held in the new school
house at Wanamaker. And that
structure, which, like all the rural
schools of the new type, was won af-
ter many DdIO-lOuSIl
battle, is a model of the newest ideas
in the building of country schools.
This new. brick building, with its mod
ern appliances, and it's high, slightly
location, is as far ahead OF its little
stone predecessor. set in swampy
hollow, as the tractor method of farm
ing is ahead of the OK team
New Ideas in Canning.
Mrs. Forbes acted as chairman of
the meeting, and presented to the
audience some new ideas in vegetable
canning She explained the appara-
tus for handling the Jars used in can
ning-a device which she had made
at a hardware store, combined with
another piece of canning apparatus
which is sold by the state fair asso-
citation. She urged upon the women
the need of putting up large amounts
of fruit and vegetables against the
expected starving time, and she asked
that samples of the work be presented
at the state fair and entered for prizes
and for sale.
Mrs. Whitmer read an article writ
ten by Captain Joseph Waters of To-
peka setting forth the charms of the
simple, rural life of our forefathers
in this country, and this she followed
I'D with plea for her department
of the fair The home made depart
ment Is to include home dried fruits
and vegetables, home made dyes, cur
ed meats, etc.
Miss Corbet presented the case of
the Junior department, which is open
to entries by young people between the
ages of 10 and IS. This department
is to give a chance to the young stock
and pig grower or vegetable and fruit
raiser, who need not attempt to COM
pete with the older men and women
who have had many years of expert
ence.
Early Life In Kansas.
! Mrs. Prentis was called upon to
talk. She told of her early life in
Kansas when she lived on a farm not
far from the present site of Wana-
maker. She suggested some plans for
community betterment which she
| thought might be tried in that neigh
| borhood. Among them she mentioned
the establishment of a moving pic
| ture machine in the assembly room OF
the school house, where educational
pictures could be exhibited. She spoke
of the neighborhood use of the state
travelling library and the travelling
picture gallery. She presented a plan
which she had seen tried near Chi
cago, by which a sylvan stage could
be erected on the school grounds, with
shade trees for a shelter from the
sun, and tall growing shrubs for q
background.
The school house is being used as q
sort of social center for the neighbor-
hood, and nothing could indicate thai
more strongly than the sight of some
articles of furniture that had beer
rescued from the wreckage of home
after the cyclone and placed in the
basement of the school house. There
the family which was rendered home
less by the storm was given a shelter
and a temporary residence. which
looks exactly like community Co
operation and good sense.
This school building which is prov
ing more than an institution of e1e
mentary learning. looks out upon tn,
old Baptist Indian mission, which wa
planted in the woods of that part o
the county when this state was a ter
ritory. The old mission is a sta l
now, but it still stands and remind
the new generation of the growth o
rural education from the days of it
early struggles in Kansas.