Farmers' Week in Agricultural College. 257 



rator is just beginning to appear. The vacuum cleaner is well below 

 the horizon yet. Ice is often a luxury to be indulged in only on state 

 occasions. It certainly is inconvenient that Mrs. Average Farmer has 

 so few of these labor saving articles in the home, but I am sure she 

 does not want them very much. She is fairly well contented; she 

 has always gotten along without many helps and can still do so. 

 Very few farm women adopt new methods or machines after they 

 reach middle age. It's sometimes inconvenietit for her to get away 

 from her home very often, so she fails to come in contact with other 

 people often enough to keep her rubbed real bright. Frequently it is 

 not easy for her to go several miles to church, so she gladly stays at 

 home rather than make the extra effort to go. It is to the disadvan- 

 tage of both Mr. and Mrs. Average Farmer that they don't do more 

 reading. There are three things that prevent reading in the farmer's 

 home, or in any home — the lack of time, of reading material and in- 

 clination. Every farm home should have a daily paper. It gives the 

 family a glimpse of the outside world. Most farmers can afford to 

 buy it, but very few can afford to do without it, yet many do not have it. 



One of the greatest inconveniences of the farm home (and there 

 are several) is bad roads. But Mr. Average Farmer doesn't want any 

 better roads, for he always votes against any proposition for the bet- 

 terment of the roads if it is likely to cost him anything. Another one 

 of the greatest inconveniences affecting the farm home is the poor 

 school which is the average in the country. The children from the 

 farm go over these bad roads each day during the term to the district 

 school house, where they bake their faces and freeze their heels while 

 being taught, often by a young and inexperienced teacher, whose only 

 qualification for being a good teacher is his or her cheapness. How 

 much better and how much more convenient would be the central 

 school with its comfortable building and its good teachers. But Mr. 

 Average Farmer doesn't want any better schools for his children. He 

 says so by persistently voting against any measure which might im- 

 prove the schools. He loves his children, but he can't stand for any 

 raise in his taxes. 



Another, perhaps the greatest inconvenience affecting the farm 

 home, is the mortgage or note held by the village money lender. It 

 stoops the shoulders of the farmer, adds lines of care and worry to the 

 face of his wife, and prematurely places burdens on the shoulders of 

 the children. I do not know what per cent, of the farmers are in 

 debt, but I do know that the village money lender is usually quite a 

 prosperous individual, and he would be pretty apt to shut up shop if 



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