574 Reading-Course for Farmers' Wives. 



expand rather than to grow narrow and insignificant. The very practical 

 nature of the farmer's wife's occupation makes it desirable to base that 

 occupation on scientific principles as well as to relieve it with a thought 

 of poetry, history or fiction. 



The Farmers' Wives' Reading-Course is for both individual and club 

 use. We begin the year 1905-1906 with many thousand readers. We 

 shall aim to become better acquainted with those already enrolled, as well 

 as to secure new readers. To this end we invite you either individually 

 or in clubs to join with us in studying The Economics of the Home; 

 to become acquainted with some of our American Literature and History ; 

 and to study the Current Events of the year. It is a broad field; the 

 time which a farmer's wife has at her command for self improvement is 

 short; yet her family life is richer, her outlook happier, and her field of 

 labor by far more useful than if she pass her entire time in the perform- 

 ance of mere household duties. 



Let some woman take the leadership, see the other women of the 

 community and arrange to meet on a certain date, either in a home, at 

 the school building, or in the grange hall. The meeting may be held 

 when the men have their club meeting, or alone, as seems most practicable. 

 Make the organization as formal or informal as you please. Allow no 

 discussion of topics during the program hour except those selected for 

 the evening. The President should hold all members to a stringent 

 observance of the rules in order to make the meetings a success. 



It is well to have the men present at these meetings and to ask them 

 to take part in the program, but it is suggested that they may retire to 

 another room and discuss agricultural subjects while the women are on 

 the domestic problems, or that time be given to them for a discussion 

 of their own subjects to which the women will doubtless be interested 

 listeners. The men can doubtless throw much light on the domestic 

 problems of the home. 



Elect a chairman. Draw up a few rules by which each meeting shall 

 be governed. These may be added to as the occasion demands. Each 

 club will need to be governed by its own local conditions. 



Adopt a constitution which may read somewhat as follows i 



