494 FAEMEES' INSTITUTES. 



How many gems of literature, stored away in the mind in moments of 

 leisure, may, at such times, be repeated and their beauties admired. How 

 often will plant, bird, icsect, or stone bring to mind a fact of science, leading 

 us to apply the knowledge gained at other times. 



When nothing else is at hand, the bare ground at our feet and the ever- 

 changing panorama of the sky above us may furnish a subject for thought or 

 an object for admiration. 



Opportunities for study are not wanting; willingness to improve them is 

 the greater need. 



"Where to begin is a question each must answer for himself. Wherever the 

 starting point may be, a definite line of work is of the greatest value — a 

 necessity to real progress. 



"One thing at a time," or if the mind tire, two or three subjects may be 

 followed at the same time. The fewer the better, however. A good rule is 

 to begin with what you are anxious to know. 



If too difficult for you, experience will soon show that you lack, and sug- 

 gest the preliminary work necessary. 



All should be acquainted with current history — what is going on in the 

 world — and for this the newspaper is the best and only text-book. The 

 farmer who would rank in the front must study his agricultural paper. Of 

 course he will take at least one. What he can learn from the experience of 

 others is time and money saved. The scientific principles upon which his 

 art depends are there given, frequently by the best authorities. 



Of subjects to be studied and books treating upon them, there is great 

 opportunity for choice. 



Here is where guidance is most needed. If at a loss to know what to 

 choose, examine the course of study in any good high school. Select what 

 you want and are prepared to undertake. 



Better yet, if your time permits, join the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific 

 Circle, read its four years' course in history, literature and elementary 

 science and follow that with the three years' course of the Chautauqua 

 School of Farming. These, arranged by the best talent, and under the 

 guidance of some of the best educators, offer an opportunity to home students 

 never before equaled. 



Above all, do not try to read everything. You have no time for the value- 

 less. It may satisfy curiosity to read that a traveler had his pockets picked 

 while changing cars in Chicago; that a man, whom you never saw, and 

 whose name you will not remember five minutes, was murdered in one of the 

 back counties of Texas ; to mix romance and religion, politics and poultry, 

 facts of science and records of sin, swallowing the whole without thought or 

 comment, and forgetting it all within an hour, but the result of such reading 

 is a mental dyspepsia in which the mind fails to retain what is of value. 



Better read one good book and know that one, than read everything and 

 know nothing. 



Having adopted a plan suited to your tastes and present acquirements, 

 keep at it. To make resolutions is one thing; to carry them through to suc- 

 cess is another and more difficult one. This is where the strength of your 

 purpose and your staying power will be tested. 



Keep at it. If your leisure be five minutes, use it; if it be an hour, make 

 the most of it. In the house, have the book you are studying where you can 

 reach it while resting. Carry pencil and paper with you and jot down any 



