CAMPBELL'S SOIL CULTURE MANUAL 311 



CHAPTER XLV. 



CORRESPONDENCE COURSES OF STUDY. 



There has not been any development in educational 

 lines in recent years to equal in extent and importance that 

 which relates to the use of correspondence or mail courses 

 of study. Every one has become familiar with the mail 

 order mercantile house which is prepared to do business 

 with the individual consumer anywhere in the country. 

 The mail routes of Uncle Sam reach into every settlement 

 of the country. They cover the vast prairies as well as 

 penetrate into the deep woods of the timbered regions. The 

 facilities for communication between people are not better 

 for the residents of the cities than for the residents of the 

 country. Great mercantile houses have taken advantage 

 of this to establish communication with consumers direct, 

 to sell to them direct, and to transact all their business by 

 mail. There is some prejudice against this because of the 

 unquestioned fact that here is a form of competition that 

 is injurious to local business and therefore retards rather 

 than aids in building up local trading communities. But 

 the mail order business is a reality. 



Another extension of this same work and we have the 

 correspondence course of study. By and through private 

 enterprise this plan has grown to great proportions in recent 

 years. There are correspondence courses in nearly every- 

 thing. They teach science, literature, art, trades, mechan- 

 ics, chemistry, pharmacy, bookkeeping, surveying, draught- 

 ng, engineering, writing, weaving, electricity, etc. As a 



