A WOMAN'S FARM JOURNAL - University of Illinois

OUR PLAYGROUND ' iS THE
COUNTRY
^JIAHV BTUAET
Eight Week Club organized
OUR Under the auspices of Young Woni^
en's Christian Association was
the uniting' influence in our community.
When the twenty girls belonging
to the community came together they
represented the three rivaling churches.
' At the first meeting of the club one of
the girls expressed the sentiment of all by
saying, .What we need most here, is a
good time. There's no place to go and
the evenings are long." So we aimed to
give everyone such a taste of good, wholesome
recreation in one summer that the
district would never find its young or old
people lonesome and wanting to go somewhere
else. -r-
Our first attempt was in the church by
trying Sunday Vespers. As there was no
church service on Sunday evening,'' this
immediately became the meeting place ol
all the people young and old. One of the
club girls entertained the little children
with stories, and in some cases we won the
interest of the parents through the children.
We had a simple sendee with lots
of singing and then we would sit and talk.
After two pleasant Sunday evenings the
club divided into three Recreation Committees,
one for Outdoor Sports, another
for Indoor Sociability and a third for
Music, and then began a summer of play
which gave our community such inspiration
and recreation that much better work
was done because of it.
The Indoor Socials, though they were
not indoor except on rainy nights, began
with a community rally and continued with
a meeting of all the community each week.
Fathers, mothers, boys, girls and babies
all came and had such a good time! No
refreshments were served; it was jiist an
evening of play. It was great sport for a
girl to see her less dexterous father catch
the plate she would spin or for a boy to
see his mother beat him at "up Jenkins."
ARE. y ou, for some reason, having a
¦ lonely, " dull time? Then stop having
ill Our minds are given to us for the purpose
of overcoming poor conditions and creating
belter ones. Refuse to be lonelyl Stir
your bonesl If you cannot f ind one person
with whom to pldn -for a bit of recreating
play, drop a line to the Editors O/THE FAR-
MER'S WIFE. Two or three heads are better
than one. No head is a "cabbage head."
These Thursday evenings, besides giving
us good times, gave us a wonderful new
vision of comradeship with our fathers and
mothers. It was such joy, planning to go
and 1 talking over the good times on our
walk home.
The Outdoor Sports Committee secured
land from one of our generous country
people for an athletic field and it was an
interesting sight to the city people riding
by in cars to see a volley ball court and
base ball diamond and croquet grounds all
in use in the heart of the open country.
It was great fun to a boy who had pitched
hay all day to come and play volley ball.
Some evenings they would change the volley
ball to tennis. But the value of these
evenings when for an hour or so before
dark, the girls and boys of a country neighborhood
would gather for exercise, cannot
be over estimated.
These games continued all summer and
when the rainy fall came the work of the
Music Club started. During the summer
they had gathered from the Physical Education
Department of different states,
musical games, folk songs and plays. We
always met at the house of one of the girls
where they had a piano and a large porch
to help hold the people. Even the old
darkies around the place would begin to
grin when they heard the Virginia Reel.
At the close of the evening when we had
played ourselves tired, we would sit around
the open fire and sing old Southern songs.
We learned so many new songs too, songs
of other nations, that would make us feel
a closer brotherhood to all mankind.
The things we are doing are simple, and
could be done anywhere but they are remaking
our community, our school and
our churches. People who can play together
well can work together better.
Our Playground in the Country has become
the nucleus of a happier, more contented
and a more useful people.
. To Cuslf omers of ^
Montgomery Ward & Co.
The Mid-Winter Special Sale by Mail for 1919 begins
Wednesday, January 1st The 120-page book of special
bargains—about a thousand in number—should be delivered
in your home hy that time. In the selection of merchandise
for the sale we tried to be particularly careful both
regarding quality and prices.. We knew it would have to be
a bargain book, but more than that, the goods must come
up fully to the standing agreement we have with our
i customers—satisf action guaranteed or y our money back
Purchases for this sale were made not have received their copy and
long in advance, and in every case
we have given the customer the
are writing us for one. Of course,
we shall be very glad to send you one ,
benefit we were able to derive
from our buying early in large
at your address immediately under
those circumstances, if you will
quantities. s kindly write as early as possible so -
It was the plan to have every one
of our customers receive this Sale
that ? mr wep-st reaches us before
*% are exhausted. Meanwhile,
Book. However, the United States
h*'1 wait * get at these Bargains
Government, through the War Industries
Board asked for curtailment
in the use of paper, and to
meet with that regulation we have
been compelled tolimit the number
as early as possible. If your book
has not arrived, do not hesitate to
ask your neighbors for theirs^this
SPecial Sale is 80 fuU of bargains
*"* we do not want an of Sale Books issued.
7 one who
has dealt & m t0 miss "*•
Here and there may be cases where All lines are included, from ladies'
some of our customers do not re- _ coats and dry goods, groceries,
ceive this January-February Sale furniture, and household, equip-
List. We have reserved some to ment, to gasoline engines and farm
send to such of our friends as may machinery.
, THonmmWB-
18e*lsioc£cn