EIGHTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK-PART X. 517 



men and women of the agricultural and industrial colleges and schools — 

 and, for that matter, you who go to any college or school — must have 

 some time for light reading; and there is some light reading quite as 

 useful as heavy reading, provided, of course, that you do not read in a 

 spirt of mere vacuity. Aside from the great classics, and thinking only 

 of the many healthy and stimulating books of the day, it is easy to pick 

 out many which can really serve as tracts, because they possess what 

 many avowed tracts and treatises do not, the prime quality of being in- 

 teresting. You will learn the root principles of self help and helpfulness 

 towards others from "Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch," just as much 

 as from any formal treatise on charity; you will learn as much sound 

 social and industrial doctrine from Octave Thanet's stories of farmers 

 and wageworkers as from avowed sociological and economic studies; and 

 I cordially recommend the first chapter of "Aunt Jane of Kentucky" for 

 use as a tract in all families where the men folks tend to selfish or 

 thoughtless or overbearing disregard of the rights of their womenkind. 



Do not misunderstand me. I have not the slightest sympathy with 

 those hysterical and foolish creatures who wish women to attain to easy 

 lives by shirking their duties. I have as hearty a contempt for the 

 woman who shirks her duty of bearing and rearing the children, of 

 doing her full housewife's work, as I have for the man who is an idler, 

 who shirks his duty of earning a living for himself and for his house- 

 hold, or who is selfish or brutal toward his wife and children. I believe 

 in the happiness that comes from the performance of duty, not from the 

 avoidance of duty. But I believe also in trying, each of us, as strength 

 is given us, to bear one another's burdens; and this especially in our 

 own homes. No outside training, no co-operation, no government aid 

 or direction can take the place of a strong and upright character; of 

 goodness of heart combined with clearness of head and that strength 

 and toughness of fiber necessary to wring success from a rough w6rk-a- 

 day world. Nothing outside of home can take the place of home. The 

 school is an invaluable adjunct to the home, but it is a wretched sub- 

 stitute for it. The family relation is the most fundamental, the most 

 important of all relations. No leader in church or state, in science or 

 art or industry, however great his achievement, does work which com- 

 pares in importance with that of the father and the mother, "who are 

 the first of sovereigns and the most divine of priests." 



THE TWO WEEKS' ANNUAL SHORT COURSE AT THE IOWA STATE 



COLLEGE. 



A total enrollment of 748 students was registered in the eighth annual 

 short course of the Iowa State College at Ames. This was practically 

 the same number in attendance a year ago. Without a doubt the crowd 

 would have swelled to a larger size if untoward financial conditions had 

 not come upon the whole country just previous to thife meeting. 



The interest was keen in all branches of agricultural study, with live 

 stock and grain drawing the most devotees, as usual. The dairy course 

 showed a healthy increase over twelve months ago. In place of the 



