FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 121 



The leading difficulties are, unbalanced muscular development, imperfect 

 co-ordination (awkwardness), poor carriage, round shoulders, spinal 

 curvature and flat chest. Most of these are due to habits formed early 

 in life and come from imitation rather than from heredity. 



Finally, physical training (1) stimulates growth, (2) makes growth 

 symmetrical, (3) develops skill and quickness, (4) helps organs to do 

 their best work, (5) develops poise of body and mind, (6) helps to best 

 mental work. "What does it profit a woman to be able to translate 

 Greek and Latin if in the days of her motherhood her body is too weak 

 to hold her own baby at arm's lengths, crowing and plunging in the air." 

 That, after all is said and done, is the true object of physical training 

 for girls. 



HOUSES AND HOMES, I. 



BY MRS. F. D. SAUNDERS^ ROCKPORD. 



Among statistical reports for 1900 we find the number of farms in 

 Michigan to be 203,261, and infer that there is an equivalent number 

 of farm houses, as each farm is supposed to be supplied with farm build- 

 ing, chief among which is the farm house. 



Applying the apparent characteristic trait of the American people we 

 seek to determine the value of the house in conveniences and comforts 

 and, too, the value of the house in building character. But it is the farm 

 house as we find it in a majority of instances that we will first con- 

 sider. Go with me in mind to view these. We yet find the old-fashioned 

 house with a step up from the kitchen to the main living room. It re- 

 quires an extra effort to take this step and multiplying this step by the 

 number of times it is taken in a day and again in a j^ear. it means much 

 towards wearing one out physically. Then, too, the lack of a drain in 

 the kitchen or upon the back porch necessitates hundreds of steps in a 

 day in going up and down the back steps to empty pails and pans of 

 water. The drain in a kitchen would save all these and, added to this 

 saving of physical strength, would leave a much more clean and health- 

 ful back yard, which, without the drain, must during the winter and 

 early spring months, become offensive. 



But the matter of taking away the waste water is not the only step- 

 saving convenience needed in the kitchen, by all means have the water 

 supply in the house; the hard water tank is a great improvement over 

 the drive well in the kitchen, and it has been demonstrated that with 

 only windmill power a complete water system — including bath-tub, 

 chair and lavatory — with hot and cold water pipes can be had in the 

 ordinary farm house as well as in the city house. 



The lack of ventilation in the farm house is noticed. Windows in all 

 rooms should be arranged so that they may be opened from both top and 

 bottom. The main living room, which often serves a double purpose, 

 should be treated to a fresh air bath every morning. We preach and 

 practice giving the sleeping rooms proper ventilation, but the odor of 

 buckwheat cakes is often left in the living room until the vegetables 

 cooking for dinner announce a change. Windows should not only pro- 

 16 



