Follow these meetings with one on the Guianas, another on the various islands which lie along the coast, especially the Falkland Islands and Tierra del Fuego.
XII—LATIN AMERICA
Among the many topics which will suggest themselves for discussion are these: What can be said of education in Latin America? What is the percentage of those who can read and write, and why is it so low? What of higher education? What is the relation between church and state and what has the church done for education? What can be said of the morals of the Latin Americans? What is the position of woman? How is she educated and trained? What is her home efficiency? Compare South American cities with those of France, England and America and point out the great differences.
What can be said of literature, art, music and science? Where does South America show her strength, and where her weakness?
Among the many excellent reference books these are suggested: "The Republics of Central and South America," by C. Reginald Enock (Scribner). "Panama, the Creation, Destruction and Resurrection," by Philippe Bunau-Varilla (Constable and Sons, London). "Panama and the Canal To-day," by Forbes Lindsay (The Page Company). "The Panama Canal," by J. Saxon Mills (Thomas Nelson, London and New York). "South America," by James Bryce (Macmillan). "Conquest of Peru," by W. H. Prescott (Lippincott).
CHAPTER XI
The Work of the Rural Club
I—A CLUB FAR FROM LIBRARIES
Letters have come from the Far West, from Nova Scotia, from remote districts in the South, and from ranches in Canada asking much the same question: "Is it possible to carry on a women's club when we are far away from any public library and have few books, if any, in the community?"