THIRD ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART XI. 681 



must cultivate the habit of glancing over the headings and gleaning here 

 and there the wheat, leaving the chaff. It was Bacon who said, "Some 

 books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, some few to be chewed 

 and digested." This is especially applicable to our newspapers — most of 

 it is to be merely tasted. We do want to know of course the progress of 

 the war in Venezuela, how the coal commission is coming on, the move- 

 ments of the political parties, market reports, etc. But that fearful sui- 

 cide, and the detailed record of a divorce suit and countless other things 

 too numerous to mention, we cannot afford to spend our valuable time 

 upon any more than we can afford to spend our hard earned dollars on 

 tawdry jewelry instead of comforts. Few of us think of doing the latter. 

 Why then should we do the former? In the periodicals such as McClures, 

 The Cosmopolitans, Ladies' Home Journal, Scribners' and Harpers' one 

 finds articles of great value — food for thought, a mental stimulus. There 

 are so many things which we need to know; we are discouraged some 

 times at the vast funds of knowledge that we can barely touch. 



Some farmers' families club together, taking several magazines and 

 exchanging so all can have the benefit. One family, however, I have in 

 mind never economizes in this matter; but five or more magazines and 

 as many papers are found in that home. By the way I can't think of any- 

 thing more attractive than that parlor — a cheerful fire, plenty of easy 

 chairs and a table literally covered with interesting and instructive read- 

 ing matter. 



I never can resist treating myself to at least one or two glimpses into 

 a freshly cut magazine. Some articles in our farm journals are not prac- 

 tical. They are theories written by some one who does not know as much 

 about actual farming, feeding and stock raising as the farmer himself. 

 Therefore we can't afford to spend much time with them. Occasionally, 

 however, one finds an exceptionally good article and derives sufficient 

 benefit therefrom to more than pay his subscription price. 



But let us so plan our reading as to have some time for periodicals, 

 good biographies and stories like "Eben Holden" and "8he Sky Pilot." 

 All farmers enjoy Hamlin Garland's stories, especially Iowa farmers. His 

 descriptions are true to life and some of his scenes are taken from Iowa. 

 His picture of threshing time in "Main Traveled Roads" is especially 

 good. The reader will seem to hear the whir and noise of the threshing 

 machine; and see the men seated at dinner around a long table passing 

 jokes with their coffee. The descriptions of western scenery found in the 

 "Sky Pilot" by Ralph Conner are beautiful. One can imagine himself right 

 there in the grand canyon. In "Eben Holden" farmers cannot fail to be 

 interested. An ideal farmer's home is presented to us and in that story 

 as also in "David Harum" the horse trade is well written up. 



Then of course in our reading we must not forget that best of all 

 books, the Bible. Some one may possibly say that he is too tired at night 

 to read. Then, my friend, you have been working too hard. You are 

 not making your life all it ought to be, when you so abuse your physical 

 make-up, by overwork, that the mental part refuses to take its share in 

 natural food and consequent growth. Another says he never has any time 

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