350 RURAL MICHIGAN 



receiving two thousand dollars from the county. 

 Six stations were established outside the city to 

 handle books for this service. The total county cir- 

 culation through these branches from October 1, 

 1919, to October 1, 1920, is reported to have been 

 10,543 volumes. A similar arrangement exists in 

 Menominee County between the county and the Spies 

 Public Library of Menominee. There are thirty 

 branch libraries (October, 1920), located in drug and 

 general stores, a cheese factory, a school and ice- 

 cream parlor and a residence. During the first six 

 months, with some branches operating for a shorter 

 period, there was a county circulation of 11,127. 

 As illustrative of the favor shown locally to this 

 service, Stephenson, a hamlet in a well-developed 

 rural neighborhood, received 225 books which gave 

 a circulation for the first three months of 1170, of 

 which 633 were juvenile, and 537 adult reading. By 

 vote of the supervisors, the county undertook to 

 maintain one-half the expense of maintenance of 

 the Spies Public Library, provided the county's 

 share did not exceed $5,000. County service began 

 in February, 1920. The books are distributed in 

 containers constructed to serve as book-shelves at 

 stations. 



The first Michigan schools were district, com- 

 prising fractions of townships a few miles square. 

 No effort at relating rural school curriculums to the 

 agricultural environment or requirements was made. 

 Reading, writing, arithmetic and spelling, sometimes 

 grammar and geography, were serviceable to every- 



