Part 15 (2/2)

A swing, a seesaw, a sliding board or pole, a pair of rings, a trapeze, and a horizontal bar. Have all under shade if possible. Provide also a small play wagon and a cart or two, with a sand box for the small child.

Inspect the district school in reference to play facilities and you may find nothing other than the bare ground with perhaps a baseball diamond.

Here, then, is a rare opportunity for constructive work. Organize in your own way a boosters' club and provide play apparatus. In Chapter VIII you will find full details as to the equipment best suited for the purpose. Provide in every case that the expense be minimized. Nearly all of the apparatus may be constructed free of cost by interested persons in the home neighborhood or in the near-by village.

A NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARY

Another very enticing line of endeavor for the rural leader is that of establis.h.i.+ng the country library. Some one in the neighborhood has a big house, one room or more of which may conveniently be set apart for the purpose. Induce the owners of this house to clear up a room and remodel it, if need be, and make their home a sort of intellectual center for the district. Of course the schoolhouse or rural church may be available for the purpose, but the farm home will be better for a great many reasons, among them being the possibility of having the library open at all hours of the day so that books may be exchanged on the occasion of one's pa.s.sing the place. Now, go after the well-to-do residents of the district and gather a fund for the library. Paint in glowing terms the visions you have of this thing when it has been set on foot. Declare your purpose as that of helping and uplifting the community life. Show the ”close-fisted” resident that the establishment of a neighborhood library will attract desirable settlers into the district and improve prices of land and produce.

After having obtained a small fund, consult the best authorities for advice in selecting the books. By all means avoid cheap stories and trash of every other sort. Since your work is in behalf of the young, obtain a few attractive and instructive picture books. There can probably be obtained a book which treats and ill.u.s.trates fully the bird life of the local state, giving a brief description and pictures in their natural color. Young people may be very much attracted by authentic books of the nature-study cla.s.s, including those descriptive of wild animals and of hunting and exploring tales. Consult the lists given under the chapter on the literature in the country home for additional t.i.tles and suggestions.

If it be found difficult or impracticable to purchase books for the neighborhood library, then, the next best thing will be the traveling library. Communicate with the state library a.s.sociation and learn definitely what may be obtained from that source. Then, proceed to bring the best available volumes into the neighborhood. In the selection of the library do not forget the local interest. Secure every attractive volume that will help to make the boys and girls acquainted with the best meanings of their own community life and more interested in staying by the home affairs and building them up. Not the least among the valuable elements of the neighborhood library will be the periodicals, in the selection of which expert advice is recommended.

HOLIDAYS AND RECREATION FOR THE YOUNG

In an ably written article published in _Rural Manhood_ of January, 1910, John R. Boardman, International County Work Secretary, says: ”A new gospel of the recreation life needs to be proclaimed in the country.

Rural America must be compelled to play. It has to a degree toiled itself into deformity, disease, depravity, and depression. Its long hours of drudgery, its jealousy of every moment of daylight, its scorn of leisure and of pleasure must give way to shorter hours of labor, occasional periods of complete relaxation and whole-hearted partic.i.p.ation in wholesome plays, festivals, picnics, games, and other recreative amus.e.m.e.nts. Better health, greater satisfaction, and a richer life wait on the wise development of this recreative ideal.”

A brief survey of the neighborhood will doubtless show the lack of general method in dealing with the farm boys' and girls' holidays and vacations during the long summer months. Here, then, is apparent another field for constructive leaders.h.i.+p. In proceeding to change the present situation, it may be well to gather a considerable list of authoritative statements like the one just quoted. Farm parents gradually fall into the habit of over-working their half-grown children. Now, if we can inst.i.tute a custom of weekly half holidays for the young people of the neighborhood, a splendid work will be done in behalf of a higher community life.

Begin work by selecting an attractive central location, and plan that the young, and the older ones, too, may come to this place one afternoon every week, or at least two afternoons every month, and have a good time generally. Games may be played, local clubs may meet in the shade of the trees, the sewing society and other groups of women having their interests served. The farmers' clubs may have opportunity for helpful exchange of ideas, while the little children may play and romp about the premises. Invite all to come early in the afternoon and bring an evening lunch to be enjoyed in common. Thus, you may give the young people who regard their everyday work as drudgery, such interest and inspiration as to tone up their lives noticeably for every hour of the long days of toil.

MANY OVER-WORK THEIR CHILDREN

In connection with your efforts in behalf of the holiday or weekly picnic, take up carefully the matter of the proper amount of work for the farm boys and girls of any given age. You will find such willingness on the part of parents to do the right thing by their children and a proportionate amount of ignorance as to what ought to be done.

Therefore, you may be able to carry on most profitably to all a campaign of instruction in regard to such thing. You will, of course, first make out as best you can with the aid of all available literature, an ideal schedule of hours of work and play and recreation suitable for the boys and girls of the different ages.

At the holiday picnic it may be found advisable to organize the boys into a club of their own and the girls, likewise, for the promotion of their several and mutual interests. Inspire all with your earnestness and enthusiasm and lead them to consider the latent possibilities of the neighborhood, of how it might be transformed into a place of great worth and attractiveness. At the same country picnic, look to the practicability of organizing into a club the tired mothers of the district. They are many. You will know them by their careworn looks.

Create a sentiment in behalf of more frequent outings and more recreation for these women. Help them obtain literature relative to their own affairs, to exchange ideas and plans in behalf of their own betterment. Show them especially the possibility of quitting the work at stated times even though that work be less than half finished, and getting away from the tedium thereof--all in the interest of longer life for themselves and better service for their homes and families. Almost any sort of club which these mothers can be induced to attend will achieve the purpose desired.

FEDERATION FOR COUNTRY LIFE PROGRESS

Federations for country-life progress are now arising in many parts of the country. One of the first was organized in New England, under the leaders.h.i.+p of President b.u.t.terfield. The Illinois movement may be described, as an example.

The Illinois State Federation for Country Life Progress is composed of nearly half a hundred subordinate organizations. Their platform of ten principles given below sets forth a number of most important and practical purposes, as follows:--

1. Local country community building.

2. The federation of all the rural forces of the state of Illinois in one big united effort for the betterment of country life.

3. The development of inst.i.tutional programs of action for all rural social agencies. This means a program of work for the school, another for the church, another for the farmers'

inst.i.tute, and so on.

4. The stimulation of farmer leaders.h.i.+p in the country community.

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