Looks into the evolution of the Circle to provide men and women in rural Midwestern towns an opportunity for college education via correspondence course of systematic home study from 1878 to 1900. Birth and development of CLSC with other social movements; social consequences of the CLSC's introduction; course offerings; chief obstacles
See related dissertation: "Reading, reform and rural change: the Midwestern farm press, 1895-1920", This article argues that historians should not take agricultural newspapers as is and assume they expressed the farmer's point of view. Farm newspapers often reflected urban reform ideas, such as those involving rural school consolidation, rural churches and family farms. "Farm newspapers are better seen not as expressing the ideas of farmers, but providing a forum for reformers and farmers to debate proposed changes to country life." Research involved four midwestern farm newspapers between 1895 and 1920: Iowa Homestead; Wallaces' Farmer; Prairie Farmer; and Missouri Ruralist.
