IX—MODERN DEVELOPMENT OF COUNTRY LIFE
Clubs may divide this subject into two heads, and have several programs on each.
1. The farmer. After years of obscurity, the life of the farmer has suddenly become of immense importance to society. To-day the Bureau of Agriculture and other forces are rapidly changing its future. State fairs, granges, courses of instruction for men and women in school-houses, and "farmer's bulletins" give instruction; experiment stations deal with such difficulties as weeds, soils, drainage, and pests, and teach scientifically about cattle, poultry, bee keeping, crops, and the dairy. Public and high schools, colleges and universities have courses in agriculture, which teach beside the ordinary farm work, forestry, how to have good roads, how to take up unusual work.
The telephone, the automobile and the parcel post all bring the farmer nearer town. Speak also of the Commission on Country Life, and its work; of abandoned farms; of the farmer's wife, and her problems; of the farmer's sons and daughters, and their future. How can life be made more easy and attractive on a farm?
2. Country Homes. Notice the extraordinary growth of the country home for all the year, instead of for summer only. What are its difficulties and what its advantages? Read of large estates, and describe some in the Adirondacks, in the vicinity of Boston, New York, in the South, and West; illustrate with pictures from magazines. Have a paper on Gardens, and describe some; read from the many books on this subject. Take up landscape gardening, and discuss its possibilities. What of country sports? of golf, tennis, hunting, motoring, etc.? of bungalows, camps, seashore cottages, etc.? of country lanes, of game preserves, forest parks and the like. Speak of the enormous literature on country life.
X—SOCIAL SERVICE
Social service is of distinctly modern growth. It is the intelligent understanding of the needs of to-day and of the best way to meet them. Clubs should study it under some or all of these heads:
Read of the Schools of Philanthropy, where modern methods of relief are taught, and the workers are trained for service in some branch; and the American Institute of Social Service, the object of which is the gathering and disseminating of information on all social thought and service. The latter publishes monthly a pamphlet on present day problems which is excellent for reference.
Discuss welfare work, the care of employers for employees; what has been done? the ventilation of work rooms; safe machinery; pensions, insurance, hospital, savings bank, care of sick at home, food, etc.
Settlements; their origin and history; what can neighborliness do for the poor? Read of the work of Toynbee Hall and Hull House.