LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
| Scene—“The Raindrops” | [Frontispiece] |
| Facing Page | |
| “Perhaps we will meet again like the raindrops” | [4] |
| Social Stagnancy is a Characteristic Trait of the Small Town and the Country | [22] |
| An Old Dingy, Dull-Grey Chapel on the Second Floor of the Administration Building was remodeled into what is now known as The Little Country Theater | [45] |
| It Has a Seating Capacity of Two Hundred | [53] |
| The Package Library System | [55] |
| A Farm Home Scene in Iceland Thirty Years Ago | [70] |
| Scene—“Leonarda” | [72] |
| Scene—“The Servant in the House” | [78] |
| Scene—“Back to the Farm” | [82] |
| The Pastimes of the Ages | [84] |
| Scene—“Sitting Bull-Custer” | [88] |
| Scene—“American Beauties,” A One Act Play | [92] |
| Scene—“A Bee in a Drone’s Hive” | [100] |
| Folk Dances, Parades, and Pageants have become an Integral Part of the Social Life of the State | [172] |
| Of the Fifty-three Counties in the State Thirty-five have County Play Days | [174] |
| The Greek Theater, University of California, Berkeley, California | [222] |
| “The Crescent,” One of America’s Largest Open Air Theaters, El Zagal Park, Fargo, North Dakota | [223] |
| The Stadium, Harvard University | [224] |
| The Interior of the Stadium | [225] |
| Rural Community Center, Rusk Farm | [228] |
| Community House, Leeland, Texas | [229] |
| Village Hall, Wyoming, New York | [230] |
| Community Building and Floor Plan | [231] |
| Auditorium, Hendrum, Minnesota | [232] |
| Stage Designs | [235] |
THE LITTLE COUNTRY THEATER
THE RAINDROPS
One day, about three weeks before the Christmas holidays, two young men came to see me. I shall never forget the incident because to me it marked one of the most fascinating episodes in the social life of country people. One of the young men was tall with broad shoulders and had light hair and grey eyes. The other was of medium height and had dark hair. His home was in Iceland. That they both had something important to say was evident from the expression on their faces. After a few moment’s hesitation, they told me they had thought out an idea for a play. Both of them were brimful of enthusiasm in regard to it. Whether or not they could produce it was a question. An obstacle stood in the way. Most of the scenes were laid in Iceland. And what playhouse or village hall, especially a country theater, ever owned any scenery depicting home life, snow-capped mountains, and landscapes in that far-away region? Above all, there was no money to buy any, either.
“Perhaps we will meet again like the raindrops.”