FIFTE'ENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART X 671 



"A commonplace life we say and we sigh ; 



But wliy should we sigh as we say? 



The commonplace sun in the commonplace sky 



Makes up the commonplace day. 



The moon and the stars are commonplace things, 



And the flower that blooms and the bird that sings. 



But dark were the world and sad our lot 



If the flowers failed and the sun shone not : 



And God who studies each separate soul, 



Of the commonplace lives makes His beautiful whole." 



FARMERS' RECREATIONS. 



(Paper Read by D. N. McGrew, at Mills County Farmers' Institute.) 



When I first began working on this subject I hardly knew whether 

 to consider recreations entirely as amusements or something to change 

 the occupation. After thinking about the subject, I decided that 

 recreations might mean anything which took the mind off the regular 

 order of work. 



The next question is, do farmers need recreation? (Now I am 

 going to consider the whole farm family when I speak of the farmer.) 

 Most any person will admit that a change of occupation will so rest 

 the mind and body that one is able to accomplish enough more in 

 less time to more than make up for the time taken. Some people will 

 say the farmer is a busy person; he has no time for a camping trip, 

 the Chautauqua or county fair. Now it has been shown that the per- 

 son who takes time for a fishing trip, lecture course, etc., is as well 

 up with his work as the one who works all the time. 



The city business man takes a vacation. Why? Because he feels 

 that he will be able to do enough more or manage his business enough 

 better, to make it w^orth while. 



Why did Henry Ford increase his employes' wages and shorten the 

 working hours? Just because he believed the men would do more 

 and do it enough better to make it pay returns. Those of you who 

 have been interested in his plan know that it has worked out. 



Now the question is, if the farmer takes a little more time to 

 think of other things, will he not be able to plan his work to better ad- 

 advantage and in the end accomplish more? 



Now, don't misunderstand me, and pick out some farmer who is 

 seldom found at heme and think that I mean he should take more 

 recreation. There are about three classes of farmers. One, the ex- 

 treme in which the people practically stay at home from the beginning 

 of the year until the end, seldom going any place except to town for 

 supplies. They have no interest in public affairs and are interested 

 in their work only as a means of livelihood. This is not an exag- 

 gerated case, there are numbers of just such families. The condition 

 is usually worse for the women, as they have nothing whatever to in- 

 terest them. The men get away from home more by changing work 

 with the neighbors and are usually the ones to go to town. I don't 

 mean that they will naturally be more sociable than the women, but 



