From Kitchen to Garret. Virginia Van de Water. Chapter X, "The Boy's Room." Sturgis-Walton Company. Home Waterworks. Carleton J. Lynde. Sturgis-Walton. "Comforts and Conveniences in Farmers' Homes." W. R. Beattie. Yearbook, Department of Agriculture, 1909. Washington, D.C., pp. 345-356. See also in same volume, "Hygienic Water Supply for Farms," pp. 399-408. Water Supply for Farm Residences, The Plan of the Farm-House, Saving Steps. Cornell Reading-Courses. Rural Hygiene. H. N. Ogden. The Macmillan Company. Rural Hygiene. I. N. Brewer. J. P. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia. Earn your Child's Friendship. J. Balfield. _Lippinott's Magazine_, January, 1911. Fireside Child Study. Patterson DuBois. Dodd, Mead & Co. Home Decorations. Dorothy T. Priestman. Chapter XIV, "Rooms for Young People." Penn Publishing Company, Philadelphia. CHAPTER VI _JUVENILE LITERATURE IN THE FARM HOME_ It may be truly said that the strength and impressiveness of the personality depend on the nature of the inner thought of the individual. Now, thoughts are not unlike the trees and the growing grain, or, for that matter, any other living thing; unless they have proper nourishment they wither, perish, or dwindle away to a puny shadow of their possible selves. How shall we measure the strength and force of the human character other than by the bigness and the purity of the daily thoughts of the individual? It matters little what the occupation may be--a hewer of stone, a hauler of wood, a captain of industry, or a governor of a state--each of these may be mean and little in his respective position provided his thoughts be sensuous and groveling. On the other hand, each of these can shine in his allotted place in a light all his own, provided he have the habit of entertaining clean and inspiring ideas in his secret consciousness. Now, one of the larger problems of the rural life is that of supplying the many hours necessarily devoted to silent reflection with a suitable form of thought culture. Proverbially, the farmer and his wife and their children are hurried along with the work-a-day affairs and tend gradually to acquire the non-reading habit. This is bad for the parents in that it keeps their minds running around upon a little cycle of hard, industrial facts. It is worse for the children in that it fails to supply the proper nourishment for the dream period through which their lives are necessarily passing. What can be done, therefore, to nourish and build up the best possible thought activities, especially in case of the rural boys and girls? HOW GOOD THINKING GROWS UP AND FLOURISHES